# DC or DCC for kids



## JackM (Jul 29, 2008)

I was just reading a thread in the Beginners' Forum where someone mentioned having a Thomas (the Tank Engine, I presume) set he keeps available for when little kids visit. He has it running on good ol' DC instead of his usual DCC.

I have a four-month old granddaughter so I have some time, but I'm wondering why I would want to disconnect my DCC and plug the layout into DC to run. Why would DC be preferred for the kids?

JackM


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

My great nephews had a choice The C-16 on R/C with sound or the 4-4-0 on track power... all 4 fought over the 4-4-0. 

Nuff said? 

I might suppose in his case it was the expense of converting with a decoder and too many buttons to push vs. a single throttle for little hands. 

John


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## Cougar Rock Rail (Jan 2, 2008)

Jack I would just use the DCC. Really little kids run mine (Massoth) all the time. They love the good old rotary dial for speed & direction control and it takes them all of 2 seconds to figure out which button works the horn. I can see why you wouldn't want kids running the controllers that are more complicated and 'messy', such as NCE etc. Even if the Thomas loco doesn't have a decoder you can run one in 'zero stretching' mode (at least with my sys) at the same time as your other DCC locos--which I often do to run my snoopy aircar which does not have a decoder. I think it would depend on the system you are using. I chose Massoth specifically for the intuitive rotary dial controller which has proven itself. Unless it has a rotary dial the really little kids will struggle with it. Other than Massoth, I believe the Zimo controller is probably good for kids too because it can be put into a 'simplified' mode and has a slider for speed.

Keith


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

my neighbor grandkids visit to run trains once in a while. They tend to drop things, usually on hard surfaces like bricks. I am NOT letting them hold my expensive DCC throttles. I let them use the TE instead, controlling track power and letting the locos run analog converted OR using one of the four battery powered locos... provided that the batteries have any juice in them. 

One switch converts the layout from DCC to DC.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

My friends bring their kids over. It's made clear that good behavior and following the rules (don't jump over a train, don't leave the train running when you go to the bathroom, walk next to your train) means they get to play. 

I hand them my NCE cabs... they all want to do the bell and whistle. More advanced kids like to do switching maneuvers. 4-5 normally speed and direction and bell and horn only. The last 9 year old consisted up multiple locos and ran them. 

I do stay out there the whole time. The young kids run the inexpensive locos, the older ones get to run the brass locos and the longer trains. 

If I gave them DC and no control, they would not have near the fun. The sound systems are a big deal. 

Regards, Greg


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

I have a thomas the tank engine for kids--it has an old aristo 75 mhz TE in it. I usually let kids run that or another loco on the aristo TE, which is simple and easy


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