How do you control your railway?

[Toeffelholm]

Hey! I mentioned that I use Airwire, which is a wireless DCC, he said blowing his own whistle tithe the #2 button.  - B2

Hi,
yes, I know airwire and a few others, as TrainControl, the 2,4Ghz Train Engineer, Al-Trol, and maybe others, that combine RC with a some of the functionally diversity of a "usual" DCC system .
But having a closer look to Airwire now, I see that with an Airwire transmitter together with a QSI ( http://www.qsindustries.com/ ) receiver, you can use a standard DCC decoder to control your loco. So the best from two worlds?

I myself have used the remote control system TrainControl (24 functions, "Susi" sound board connection, acceleration and break automatics ...) for a long time, but have now purposely reduced to a 2,4 Ghz stick transmitter system. But also with this I would be able to activate single sound effects of a nowadays sound module.

Juergen

[Toeffelholm]

... any one else out there have a creative sound system?

Trainboy, wrong party!

Could you be so kind to open a new thread for a new topic?

Regards,

Juergen

[trainboy]

It works well for me im battery powered so it dosn't interfere with signal, the system is only set up in two locos and the ousters eater have a cheepo from scientific toys or new bright
are live steam and make that lovely sound or three i just love the sound of the model. The best part though is i can basically hook up anything that has head phones and the loco will play it...EVEN MUSIC! I have a couple moving boom-boxes for parties!

[dmaynard]

Juergen, well when I started in this gauge (notice I dint use the "S" word) DCC decoders weren't up to the demands of the larger gauge 1 locomotives. There was rumored to be a 3 amp decoder available but none of the vendors I spoke with knew for sure who made it. And none of the vendors I spoke with could tell me how to do my automatic stops with DCC. And to do my reverse loops would cost some major bucks when I could use a $1 relay to do both things for analog DC. But RC battery power was a developed and proven technology for RC aircraft, cars and boats. So a lot of folks went down that road. I went with what I knew, relay controlled analog DC. I added the Aristocraft Train Engineer to protect my railroad from the "helpful" hands of the neighbor kid. With the TE clipped to my waist I always had the panic, all stop, button within reach.

So I think some of the scarcity of DCC is simple history. People went with what they knew, or what would do the job for them at the time. To change over a whole railroad just to use a developed technology, just for the sake of using it, is just too expensive, especially when the older entrenched technology is working just fine.

[Bob]

So i uses an old cd player that plays audio through through the headphone jack and then that is all wired into the rails where a specific locomotive can pick that up with electrical pickups and play that through an on-board speaker..... kinda different, any one else out there have a creative sound system?

Now that is certainly a new idea.  At least to me.  How well does it work?  Does it play nicely with other control systems.  It doesn't seem like it would, but I've never even thought of trying something like that.
Bob

[trainboy]

So i uses an old cd player that plays audio through through the headphone jack and then that is all wired into the rails where a specific locomotive can pick that up with electrical pickups and play that through an on-board speaker..... kinda different, any one else out there have a creative sound system?

[bkbates]

Hey! I mentioned that I use Airwire, which is a wireless DCC, he said blowing his own whistle tithe the #2 button.  - B2

[Toeffelholm]

Hi,

it is really interesting that, among those who have answered my questions, for electric models DCC is nearly of no evidence and analog trackpower and battery/RC take the major part.

Ok, according to the roughly 100 halfway active members, this seems to be of no statistical evidence.   

Juergen

[adrian]

G'day Bill

If only..............If only..............If only..............If only..............If only..............If only..............If only..............

Cheers
Adrian

[Bill Wray]

Maybe you could use some of this:
 

[Rowan]

Ouch............

 

[adrian]

G'day All

Just back from a show at Wangaratta with "Pagham Pier" this weekend.

Unfortunatly during the set up I plugged it into the AC connector, not the DC one 

Nothing happened for a couple of seconds and then ALL the smoke escaped from the electronics........... No spares, no soldering iron and many miles from home.

Removed the burnt out electronics and wired all the lights so thay were on all the time and displayed the layout as a diorama.

Moral of story...........make sure that you always have some form of backup for unusual controllers !

Cheers
Adrian

[smcgill]

I use Aristo's train Eng. on each loop/ one for each ,with seperate power for each! 
The Beast    ( Rotary snow plow) uses Batt.   
Sean

[Ferd]

I control my railway by being the major share holder, and having final say in its expansion and policies. If that fails batteries and steam work.

[Oztrainz]

Hi Adrian,
You might get unlucky with me catching it on video when I saw it?
Can't remember what year but it was on one of your NSW AMRA?? jaunts...
If I can find the right tape I should be able to "liberate" some stillframes.
No promises tho