I am presently considering using DCC for my n scale , British railway layout , but the more i read the more confused I become .can I buy parts here in the States to fit my trains ?I have both steam and deisel locos and is it going to be excessively expensive as I have quite a few locos to fit .Also I have seen comments on the Peco switches ,is there a problem with these and DCC operation .If you can answer the questions I would appreciate it and please do not be overly technical as i am not a tekky by any means just a train lover who would like to run trains the best way . Cheers Martin G Levallee

-- Martin G Levallee (oldknotty@cinci.rr.com), December 28, 2000

Answers

Martin,

Are you building a British layout in the US or are you in Britian? Britian was infamous for a steep tax on electronics. I don't know if that is still true. Still, buying things in the US to avoid high taxes in Britian could present you with problems. Since I do not live in Britian, I have no idea what difficulties you may create for yourself.

If you are in Britian, I suggest you subscribe to NDCC. Their URL is below. Even if you are not doing N, (perhaps TT?), this is a European run group, or at least it used to be, and you can probably get a good answer that applies to Europe.

http://www.egroups.com/group/ndcc

If you are in the US and just have European models, I don't see any problem with you buying your electronics, especially decoders here and installing them. You will have to look around and see if anyone, especially Zimo and Lenz, make "drop-in" decoders for the locomotives you have.

ONE OF THESE DAYS I will install decoders into a Roco and a Fleischmann locomotives I bought while in Switzerland. One of them is a tank type engine, so it will probably be a cramped challenge. Just don't hold your breath for me to get to them. I thought I might have gotten to them by now. Maybe in the next six months??? :)

Allan Gartner

-- Allan Gartner (WiringForDCC@augustmail.com), December 31, 2000.

Hello Allan ,Yes I actually live in Cincinnati Ohio and I do not really have any problems getting the appropriate equiptment for my railway modelling ,if I purchase it from England I get an automatic 17% discount by not paying VAT .My major concern is would it be exorbitantly expensive to go DCC and how difficult it would be to put the decoders into my locos .other than that I think DCC is a wonderful addition to railway modelling .By the by what is a " drop in decoder " is there a difference in the installation of the decoders as I am not overly proficent at soldering you see ? Cheers martin

-- Martin G Levallee (oldknotty@cincy.rr.com), January 01, 2001.

this is not so much an answer as a follow up question to the original- I'm wondering if you, Allan ever carried through with wiring Fleischmann and Roco engines with Dcc decoders. As I have now inherited some new, some older, engines that I would like to design and run an all Euro layout on DCC. Any comments. I now have Piko, Fleischmann, Roco, a Marklin (already has decoder), Bachmann Branchlines, Hornby, Jouef, and a few Liliputs. In in other words, more than a few and want to go the Dcc route. Steve

-- Steve Trout (CHESTER1090@HOTMAIL.COM), September 08, 2003.