This is a Bachmann locomotive running from a Hornby Elite DCC controller.

Thanks to Iain for pulling this video together.

Up to this point, some people I have spoken to say that my son, aged 8, is far too young to cope with the complexities of DCC trains. Others have said that if he loves model trains he will love DCC. (I have sided with the latter). I have looked at the options available and even operated a DCC layout; I have weighed up the pros and cons in the hope that, come Christmas morning, my son will not be disappointed! So what is DCC all about?

DCC, or Digital Command Control, is rapidly replacing the conventional DC (Direct Current) controls that have characterized model trains since the first half of the 20th Century. In a nutshell, and without getting too embroiled in the jargon behind it all, DCC allows you to run more than one locomotive on the same section of track but with the added bonus that they can be independently controlled. 

So how do DCC Trains work?

The DCC controller provides electrical power to the track and it also modulates the voltage on the track to encode digital messages that are sent directly to the locomotive. Obviously, your locomotives must be able to make sense of the digital signals and to do this they must be fitted with a DCC decoder.

You can’t operate conventional model trains with a DCC controller so you have two options: either buy an off-the-shelf DCC train or have a DCC decoder fitted to an existing locomotive. I was warned off tackling a retro-fit myself and told this is something best left to the experts - so if you’re like me, expect to pay for the upgrade!

It is (relatively) straightforward to master the control system, even for a novice, and allows far greater control over the running speed of your locomotives which (and this is what has surprised and pleased me the most) adds even greater realism to the running of your trains. The level of control they bring would have been unthinkable only a few years ago!

The DCC unit that comes with the train set I have my eye on for my son, the Hornby Select, is an entry-level DCC that can be bought as part of a set or independently. The Select can control up to 10 trains simultaneously (provided the necessary power is available).The 1 amp power allows up to three locomotives to be running at any one time which is probably more than adequate for most requirements.

Adding that touch of realism

With advanced models of DCC controllers, a stationary decoder can be added to the tracks so that lights, signals, uncouplers and points – essentially anything that adds to the overall realism of your layout – can be operated from via DCC.

As it continues to be developed and new accessories arrive on the market, model train enthusiasts have the opportunity to be more expansive in their designs than ever before. And remember, you can be incorporating your existing track and rolling stock all the time!

Oh, and one other thing – once you understand how the DCC system operates, you should find that the wiring for DCC is far easier to work with than conventional systems.  Your trains should move smoothly around the layout without unscheduled stoppages due to point failures.  So if, like me, you are often woken from your slumbers or dragged away from your glass of wine with a plaintive cry of ‘Dad, the trains have stopped working’, this new development will come as a blessed relief.

And as the owner of one specialist shop told me; ‘Once tried, there is absolutely no going back!’ I’m hooked already.

Do you have any comments on DCC? Have you tried to upgrade an existing locomotive to DCC.  Please share your experiences here!

I know, from the muttered expressions of awe coming from my son that his overwhelming preference is for one of the Hornby DCC trains, specifically the Hornby GWR Western Pullman set. Alas, budgetary constraints might confine it to the considerably less expensive Hornby Digital Mixed Goods Train Set.

Initially, however, it was not concerns over which set to buy, rather whether I was ready to welcome this new breed of trains into our family home. Much as I enjoy modern technological advances being incorporated by manufacturers of OO trains, my concerns over DCC trains boiled down to two issues: the cost (they are not cheap) and secondly, the hassle of having to master the entirely new system of wiring  for DCC (it is inevitable that I will have to deal with all ‘operational’ difficulties).

Being an unabashed technophobe, I had often seen DCC locomotives and sets staring down from the shelves in our local model railway shop but they seemed to come from a completely different planet of model railways. I had nervously steered my son away from them, muttering something about ‘adults only’ and ‘multi-track layouts’. I was, for the time being at least, happy to demonstrate to my son what little knowledge of electrical circuitry I had retained from my science lessons and he, in turn, learnt that the simple task of connecting the electrical connector to the track could break a grown man. Well, almost.

So what exactly is DCC? What does it offer the model railway enthusiast – both the novice and the experienced? What products are out there?  Well, I’ve made it my mission to find out as much as I can about DCC trains by talking to my local specialist model shops. I’ll be sharing my findings next week.

OnTracks
Unit 1 Pontrilas Business Park
Pontrilas
Hereford HR2 0AZ
United Kingdom

It’s on a Saturday between 10am and 4pm and it’s free to attend but there are also DCC ‘taster’ sessions that cost £10. To book a DCC session call: 01981 241 268 or just turn up if you’re only interested in the exhibition.

Side note: ‘DCC’ stands for ‘Digital Command & Control’; going digital means locomotives on the same track can be controlled independently - lots of scope for rear-end shunt videos on YouTube then! Existing locomotives can be upgraded by installing a DCC decoder though you’ll obviously still need a DCC controller as well.

Surely a slight difference in scale, almost unrecognizable to the untrained eye, cannot cast a shadow over the enjoyment of planning and building your own layout? Could such a minor anomaly really impact on the enjoyment of watching your LNER Class 8F take endless laps around your attic space? Or, on a personal level, darken the simple pleasure I take from watching my son play with the rolling stock I once shunted in my own childhood…?

However, in the passionate world of the model-train enthusiast the very viability and the veracity of the OO gauge has inspired a fierce debate for nearly 80 years and it is one that shows no sign of reaching a final destination.

Start of the gauge “wars”

How did the gauge “wars” come about? Well, Vorsprung durch Technik as they say in Germany. The OO gauge appeared soon after the arrival of the HO gauge, which was developed in Germany in the early 1920’s. The inventors of the HO gauge were aiming to capture the indoor or ‘table top’ model railway market and set out to challenge the predominance of the larger O scale models. (HO literally stands for ‘Half O’). Not surprisingly, the German innovations soon led to a demand for similar sized models in Britain, but there was a fundamental problem. The architects of Victorian railways had built far tighter tunnel, bridge and platform clearances than those in Continental Europe and subsequently British trains were smaller than those of most other countries. For the British model train manufacturers it was difficult to fit the motors of the time into the models of British trains when they were built on the HO scale. The logical solution was to increase the scale size of the trains and so, low and behold, the first OO trains were born! The OO trains were only slightly larger than their HO cousins, 1:76 rather than 1:87, and so the 16.5mm track gauge, on which HO trains ran, was retained.

And this is where the inaccuracies of OO trains lie: 16.5mm gauge track is only accurate for 1:76 or HO scale models and this remains the most widely used scale throughout Continental Europe and North America. Some would say OO trains are just plain wrong! As Ian Harrison sums up so succinctly in his insightful and richly illustrated book Hornby: The Official Illustrated History: ‘. . .  all OO Gauge trains are inherently out of scale because their wheels are slightly closer together than they should be: if the track were made to the same scale as the trains, the gauge would be 18.83mm.’

It is perhaps something to do with the island mentality that the British have persevered with OO trains whilst just about everyone else has rejected them! Model railway clubs like The Double O Gauge Association will also argue vehemently that OO is a viable scale for serious modellers even whilst accepting that it’s fundamentally flawed. I’m sure our US cousins would have something to say about that.

Personally, I think that the satisfaction to be had from designing, constructing and operating your own miniature world of OO trains and rolling stock far outweighs the debates over the benefits of the respective gauges. OO trains are here to stay and no amount of sniping from the HO model army or attempts to introduce a British HO scale will ever change that!

OO Trains - next stop?

Over the years OO trains have come along way in the UK and our boundless enthusiasm for them has generated a huge and lucrative market for manufacturers such as Hornby, Bachmann and Peco. It’s also spurred technological advances and innovation, such as Hornby’s OO ‘Live Steam’ range, including The Hornby Flying Scotsman and The Hornby Mallard. These ‘Live Steam’ trains are actually steam-powered! To see these intricate, finely engineered locomotives in action illustrates just how far OO trains have travelled since the first clockwork prototypes pulled out of the platform.

If you are a novice or experienced modeller looking for ideas and “how tos”, I would thoroughly recommend The Model Railway Design Manual: How to Plan and Build a Successful Layout by Cyril Freezer. Cyril is a well respected author and model-train enthusiast and his book is packed with great ideas and advice. A whole new, miniaturized world awaits you!