First post here on the forums!!!!I am in the process of making my first G scale layout and need some advice. First a little info on my layout.Im starting out small and going to be powering only one loco,which is a aristo-craft FA-1 deisel.It will only be pulling 4 or 5 rolling stocks.My track is going to be 16 X 12.. It is going to have 2 remote track switches and some lighting...Ok for my first question..I want a nice wireless controller to control the loco,switches,sounds,ect,ect. So which controller would be a good choice for a small track to get me going with dcc. I dont want to get one that has a bunch of things im not going to use. I also need to convert my loco to dcc and I do want it to have very good sound,smoke and lights.....Thanks guys.
New to the garden scene...Need some advice on dcc
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Welcome to the forum.
I will bow down to the superior knowledge of other members in regards your questions as I run live steam in the main.
I will bow down to the superior knowledge of other members in regards your questions as I run live steam in the main.
Welcome to the forum.
I would start with a 2nd hand MTS 2 or 3, which would cost you £300 in the UK.
You will need a sound decoder for the loco like a Massoth XLS or similar which are about £150. You will need a switch motor decoder which is around £75 for a 4 channel or £50 for 2 single decoders....
I would start with a 2nd hand MTS 2 or 3, which would cost you £300 in the UK.
You will need a sound decoder for the loco like a Massoth XLS or similar which are about £150. You will need a switch motor decoder which is around £75 for a 4 channel or £50 for 2 single decoders....
Welcome to the mad house.
I think Gizzy has covered your questions, others may dissagree.
The only thing i could add, you may find a cheaper MTS system on German Ebay.
Have a look in the "Things for sale" section of the forum, and even put a post in the the
"Things wanted" you may get lucky..
I think Gizzy has covered your questions, others may dissagree.
The only thing i could add, you may find a cheaper MTS system on German Ebay.
Have a look in the "Things for sale" section of the forum, and even put a post in the the
"Things wanted" you may get lucky..
hello, and welcome to the fourm.,. second hand is the way to go.. but consider the amp draw on your locos., and think,, will you really just have one? honestly? ..amps add up.. so look for a system that you can ad to.. a lgb mts2/3 with abooster add on might suit
Hello, and welcome to the forum.
I'll agree with everything said above. An MTS2 with a wireless handset will do the job nicely.
There's some bits on evilbay right now http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=LGB+MTS&_sacat=0&_from=R40
I'll agree with everything said above. An MTS2 with a wireless handset will do the job nicely.
There's some bits on evilbay right now http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_trksid=p5197.m570.l1313&_nkw=LGB+MTS&_sacat=0&_from=R40
Gizzy said:
Now you see why I said sod this dcc stuff, that's about six hundred nicker spent and not even a wagon to show for it. Best of luck old chap, if you're rich then dcc by all means, but I ain't that rich, not with my family.
The LGB MTS route is a good one to start with if you want to go DCC
If you want DC then the Aristocraft Train engineer (TE) could be the answer. It has been replaced with the newer Revolution system but there are used examples available on the second hand market.
The TE is wireless, can be whole track or individual loco control (with receivers in each loco), it has point control modules and also light/accessory control modules.The power is supplied by a transformer of your choice.
There are users of all the systems available on this site so you will not be short of help what ever way you go.
If you want DC then the Aristocraft Train engineer (TE) could be the answer. It has been replaced with the newer Revolution system but there are used examples available on the second hand market.
The TE is wireless, can be whole track or individual loco control (with receivers in each loco), it has point control modules and also light/accessory control modules.The power is supplied by a transformer of your choice.
There are users of all the systems available on this site so you will not be short of help what ever way you go.
Welcome Joe, hope you enjoy it here, any question you need to ask will always get several sensible replies (and a good few daft ones too, but that's just how we are....) 
I really can't add much to all the good advice already posted - a second hand LGB MTS setup really is the best way to go, if you could spring the little extra to get an MTS3 rather than an MTS2 then you will find the former is a little more versatile for expansion further up the road.
I would echo Mike's comment - you may only want the one loco now, but this is a slippery and addictive slope - I started collecting G scale (for the second time!) about 10 years ago, and at that time thought I could never POSSIBLY need more than half-a-dozen locos at the very most..... now I think I'm up to about 40 and counting....
Jon.
I really can't add much to all the good advice already posted - a second hand LGB MTS setup really is the best way to go, if you could spring the little extra to get an MTS3 rather than an MTS2 then you will find the former is a little more versatile for expansion further up the road.
I would echo Mike's comment - you may only want the one loco now, but this is a slippery and addictive slope - I started collecting G scale (for the second time!) about 10 years ago, and at that time thought I could never POSSIBLY need more than half-a-dozen locos at the very most..... now I think I'm up to about 40 and counting....
Jon.
Hi and welcome :wave:I echo the above in terms of the number of locomotives. I would think about what you envisage your trains doing before deciding how to power them. If it is just running a single. train around your loop of track , I would question wether the expense of setting up a dcc system was worthwhile, but thats just my view point. The main thing is to enjoy
Welcome Joe, I know nothing of which they speak, I'm a mostly steam man too.
(And no less mad because of it!)
(And no less mad because of it!
)
Hi Joe, welcome to the mad house!
Most DCC systems have the option of connecting to a pc which lets you use wifi connected devices as handsets meaning that visitors with smart phones etc can have their own throttles as well if required.
For basic operation an MTS 2 or 3 is easy to set up and hassle free tho if a bit expensive.
Most DCC systems have the option of connecting to a pc which lets you use wifi connected devices as handsets meaning that visitors with smart phones etc can have their own throttles as well if required.
For basic operation an MTS 2 or 3 is easy to set up and hassle free tho if a bit expensive.
Hi Joe and welcome. You haven't given us a location where you live, even which country you are in would be a help (there are people here from all over the world). All the suggestions made here are perfectly valid, but it might make a big difference to what would suit your railway, ease of purchasing and dealing with technical issues etc. if we knew where you were based. LGB MTS makes perfect sense if you're in Europe, but Aristo Revolution might be more easily available if you're in the US?
Welcome Joe.
I run the MTS3. Suits me fine. Other makes are out there but watch the power (amps). The USA stock can pull quite a bit. The MTS will run your FA1 fine.
You dont say where you are. Best to visit a local and have look and a play if possible.
I run the MTS3. Suits me fine. Other makes are out there but watch the power (amps). The USA stock can pull quite a bit. The MTS will run your FA1 fine.
You dont say where you are. Best to visit a local and have look and a play if possible.
Welcome to the forum.
I'd repeat the comment about saying where you are from as it could open the chances to see kit in action and make a much more informed choice. As I understand things at the moment, then potentially there's the Aristocraft Train Engineer, Bachmann Dynamis, LGB MTS and Massoth. There are almost certainly others available, especially in America to judge from what I see in the magazines. I know very little about the Aristocraft and Bachmann products so won't comment. I currently use LGB MTS and therefore know most about that system.
Here is a starter that was posted about the LGB MTS system:
http://www.gscalecentral.net/product-reviews/a-user-s-guide-of-the-lgb-mts-system.html < Link To http://www.gscalecentral....he-lgb-mts-system.html
It's a bit dated and I would say that parallel kit is what you should be looking at. This is normally identified by a P suffix or a P sticker if converted from serial.
To try and put it in into context then the basic starting set would be:
a) A central station, a transformer (5A) and a (tethered) controller. Your loco will also need chipping with a decoder and if you want sound then either an additional sound decoder or a decoder that includes sound as standard.
Look at the picture in the system or browse around the web.
The 55016P controller - with the dial for speed is the most intuitive for speed but will not control points.
B) To control points then you need a decoder that will change point motors. In the LGB system these come either in single version or multiple(4) versions. To change points you need a controller that will do that. The 551016P will not. The 55015 will, but has the arrow buttons for direction and control rather than a dial. The 55015 also has some programming capability.
C) Upgrades.
I found myself wanting to go wireless very shortly after getting the kit. This requires a wireless receiver - that links by cable into the central station, and a wireless transmitter for the control.
Should you want to add more controllers for family and friends to play, then aside from another loco for them to use you will need another controller.
The LGB Central Station II (55005) - will take 4 tethered controllers (although there is also a socket for a booster). A wireless receiver uses one of the sockets, but will receive signals from multiple controllers.
The LGB Central Station III (55006) - will take 3 LGB controllers, and 1 Massoth Dimax Navigator contoller.
Currently on an LGB controller you have 10 buttons that can do things, although two are used for specific functons - 0 changes the loco ID that you are controlling, and 9 turns the lights on/off. That gives you 8 buttons to use, one of which will normally be sound on/off. If you are looking at a sound/smoke decoder that does more than 7 things then at the decoder fitting/programming stage you will have to choose what you get.
The Dimax Navigator, which will only work the LGB MTS 3 station, will offer you 16 buttons (some need to allocated as above) and will let you change point decoders. It also has programming capabilties. It is an expensive item though, would need its own seperate wireless receiver, and has a much steeper learning curve than the LGB items.
The Massoth site gives details of their sound decoders (you mention sounds) and the pre-assigned function buttons.
I suspect many people have gone my route which is LGB MTS and then after some time add the Dimax Navigator. Because of NMRA standards then I believe once a loco is chipped it will work across systems by different manufacturers (can others confirm this is true) ?
Massoth central stations are much more expensive than LGB ones and (I beleive) much more powerful and flexible. In terms of future proofiing then the Massoth Dimax Navigator will work with a Massoth Central Station. Because of the cost issues then I would not regard Massoth equipment as somethingI would suggest for a newcomer.
I do not know (can someone more experienced comment?) if there is a gadget that lets LGB controllers work either tethered or wirelessly with a Massoth Central Station? I think there is but not 100% sure as I do not own a Massoth Central Station.
As others have said, everything uses power if drawn from the track - motors, lights, smoke units, sounds. I found it hard to stop at just the two locos that came with my LGB starter set.
There's a few postings about DCC on my blog -look for the DCC label. I want to add more "sound" videos but am still waiting for the delivery of my rolling road.
Chris
I'd repeat the comment about saying where you are from as it could open the chances to see kit in action and make a much more informed choice. As I understand things at the moment, then potentially there's the Aristocraft Train Engineer, Bachmann Dynamis, LGB MTS and Massoth. There are almost certainly others available, especially in America to judge from what I see in the magazines. I know very little about the Aristocraft and Bachmann products so won't comment. I currently use LGB MTS and therefore know most about that system.
Here is a starter that was posted about the LGB MTS system:
http://www.gscalecentral.net/product-reviews/a-user-s-guide-of-the-lgb-mts-system.html < Link To http://www.gscalecentral....he-lgb-mts-system.html
It's a bit dated and I would say that parallel kit is what you should be looking at. This is normally identified by a P suffix or a P sticker if converted from serial.
To try and put it in into context then the basic starting set would be:
a) A central station, a transformer (5A) and a (tethered) controller. Your loco will also need chipping with a decoder and if you want sound then either an additional sound decoder or a decoder that includes sound as standard.
Look at the picture in the system or browse around the web.
The 55016P controller - with the dial for speed is the most intuitive for speed but will not control points.
B) To control points then you need a decoder that will change point motors. In the LGB system these come either in single version or multiple(4) versions. To change points you need a controller that will do that. The 551016P will not. The 55015 will, but has the arrow buttons for direction and control rather than a dial. The 55015 also has some programming capability.
C) Upgrades.
I found myself wanting to go wireless very shortly after getting the kit. This requires a wireless receiver - that links by cable into the central station, and a wireless transmitter for the control.
Should you want to add more controllers for family and friends to play, then aside from another loco for them to use you will need another controller.
The LGB Central Station II (55005) - will take 4 tethered controllers (although there is also a socket for a booster). A wireless receiver uses one of the sockets, but will receive signals from multiple controllers.
The LGB Central Station III (55006) - will take 3 LGB controllers, and 1 Massoth Dimax Navigator contoller.
Currently on an LGB controller you have 10 buttons that can do things, although two are used for specific functons - 0 changes the loco ID that you are controlling, and 9 turns the lights on/off. That gives you 8 buttons to use, one of which will normally be sound on/off. If you are looking at a sound/smoke decoder that does more than 7 things then at the decoder fitting/programming stage you will have to choose what you get.
The Dimax Navigator, which will only work the LGB MTS 3 station, will offer you 16 buttons (some need to allocated as above) and will let you change point decoders. It also has programming capabilties. It is an expensive item though, would need its own seperate wireless receiver, and has a much steeper learning curve than the LGB items.
The Massoth site gives details of their sound decoders (you mention sounds) and the pre-assigned function buttons.
I suspect many people have gone my route which is LGB MTS and then after some time add the Dimax Navigator. Because of NMRA standards then I believe once a loco is chipped it will work across systems by different manufacturers (can others confirm this is true) ?
Massoth central stations are much more expensive than LGB ones and (I beleive) much more powerful and flexible. In terms of future proofiing then the Massoth Dimax Navigator will work with a Massoth Central Station. Because of the cost issues then I would not regard Massoth equipment as somethingI would suggest for a newcomer.
I do not know (can someone more experienced comment?) if there is a gadget that lets LGB controllers work either tethered or wirelessly with a Massoth Central Station? I think there is but not 100% sure as I do not own a Massoth Central Station.
As others have said, everything uses power if drawn from the track - motors, lights, smoke units, sounds. I found it hard to stop at just the two locos that came with my LGB starter set.
There's a few postings about DCC on my blog -look for the DCC label. I want to add more "sound" videos but am still waiting for the delivery of my rolling road.
Chris
ExeterGeek said:
Yes; the extra bit you need is a Massoth Transducer module, which is not hugely expensive - that plugs into the Massoth central station (Dimax), then you can plug both LGB tethered controllers AND/OR an LGB wireless receiver into the transducer, which converts the LGB bus commands to Dimax bus commands (ie: it makes it all work together!). Because the LGB and Massoth wireless receivers work on different frequencies, you can use both systems at the same time, so you can keep using your LGB MTS controllers as extras even after you've got a Massoth Navigator or two.
Jon.
There is an MTS3 central station on ebay here:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lgb-M-T-S...=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item460c364500 < Link To http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...mp;hash=item460c364500
plus a matching transformer in a separate auction from the same seller - both finish in just a couple of hours (as of Saturday morning) - prices are not too high at the moment, but of course may go a lot higher before the auction closes!
Jon.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/lgb-M-T-S...=UK_Trains_Railway_Models&hash=item460c364500 < Link To http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm...mp;hash=item460c364500
plus a matching transformer in a separate auction from the same seller - both finish in just a couple of hours (as of Saturday morning) - prices are not too high at the moment, but of course may go a lot higher before the auction closes!
Jon.
Went for not a bad price I'd have thought? However, I do recommend again that if Joe tells us which country he lives in we can offer a lot more useful guidance.Zerogee said:
Come on Joe, give us a clue mate.
There's a complete MTS 3 set up in the member's private sales, but no idea if it's any use for Joe if he doesn't live in the UK??