# DCC Dilemma, in the Roundhouse



## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

When My layout was DC with electrical blocks, I could pull a loco out of Stall #1 with the flip of a switch and a twist of the throttle.

Now that I'm DCC, and I parked the locos a week ago, I don't know which loco to call up on the throttle!

To clarify..
I pull steamers into the roundhouse head first, So I cannot see the loco number or determine the type. My Roundhouse roof is not removable.


----------



## Spruslayer (Dec 13, 2020)

Dennis461 said:


> When My layout was DC with electrical blocks, I could pull a loco out of Stall #1 with the flip of a switch and a twist of the throttle.
> 
> Now that I'm DCC, and I parked the locos a week ago, I don't know which loco to call up on the throttle!


Im not sure of the question but if its not remembering the address # you assigned to a particular loco,what i do is take a sharpie and write the address # on the bottom of the loco.I dont use the # printed on the side of the locos,i # them starting at 1 ,going up in numerical sequence. Im at # 19 now which means i have 19 loco's in my fleet
Hope this helps


----------



## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

Dennis461 said:


> When My layout was DC with electrical blocks, I could pull a loco out of Stall #1 with the flip of a switch and a twist of the throttle.
> 
> Now that I'm DCC, and I parked the locos a week ago, I don't know which loco to call up on the throttle!
> 
> ...


Can you apply decals to show the locomotive's number on the back of the tender? That way you would be able to see the number.

Traction Fan 🙂


----------



## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

Thanks..choices
1. Put number on tender rear.
2. Back the loco in only.
3. Placard on top of roundhouse when parking.
4. Prevagen treatments
5 Leave top off the roundhouse
6. Install cameras inside roundhouse
7. ?


----------



## JeffHurl (Apr 22, 2021)

Can you turn on the headlight and tell? I know it's facing in, but maybe the headlight will glow.


----------



## Chops (Dec 6, 2018)

Wish I could find it, but unable. Lyn Wescott proposed this system of using thumb tacks pressed into the roofs of rolling stock(!) to classify train make ups. I kid thee not. For some reason, it didn't catch on.


----------



## Steve Rothstein (Jan 1, 2021)

Did you consider assigning the roundhouse slots to specific locomotives? That way a simple card by the controller reminds you without having to alter either the layout or the trains.


----------



## scott.friedman480 (Jan 11, 2022)

Many DCC controllers have a recall function...you can recall locos and activate them and see which, if any, moves?


----------



## OilValleyRy (Oct 3, 2021)

How about having “roundhouse foreman’s paper work?” Don’t shy away just yet. I’m thinking an ipad size white board. You can use a dry erase marker to indicate which loco is parked in which stall. You can change it any time. You can get them dirt cheap at dollar stores.
If you really want to get fancy, you can use narrow strips of colored tape to to create a diagram of the stalls instead of a list text format.


----------



## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Yeah, actually, with a little creative thought, your list of 6 items could grow to hundreds. Maybe you could tell us which way you are leaning, and we can give you some more concrete ideas. 

I don't have so many steam locos that I can't remember what's what, but still, I would use the recall function and just give 'em one speed step and just see what moves. If the idea of the wrong loco moving really bugs you for some reason, then I would make a small board for the fascia near my roundhouse with some small pieces of velcro on it, one for each stall.. Then make one tag for each loco and place it on the board in the appropriate location when you pull in to the roundhouse.

FWIW, it seems to me like the predominant practice on the prototype was to back the locos in.


----------



## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

It would be hard to distinguish between same types of diesels or steamers nose-into the roundhouse bays unless their tenders carry a decal with the tender number of the cab number of the locomotive. I think the idea is to keep notes, certainly one with the addresses listed, and then do as CTV and others have suggested: acquire each address and issue a command, such as ring the bell or whistle to see what happens, or issue a reverse speed step or two, or try tender backup lights if the tender has one.


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

Why not assign the DCC address as the same as the number on the loco? You can always use Decoder Pro to keep track of how many locomotives your have (or just list them on a yellow tablet on a clip board.) Trying to keep track of sequential numbers will be a nightmare. Do the easiest thing and use the number that's visible!


----------



## Viperjim01 (Jul 31, 2021)

If the loco always goes into the same stall. Number your locos with that stall address, 1-? Depending how many stalls you have.


----------



## 65steam (Dec 18, 2019)

CTValleyRR said:


> FWIW, it seems to me like the predominant practice on the prototype was to back the locos in.


My own reading suggested the opposite, namely that locomotives typically went in to the roundhouse forward, so that crews could work on them inside and be protected from the elements. Photos of locomotives facing outward might be publicity photos. Can anyone help to clear this up?


----------



## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

Mine is a 3-stall roundhouse.
Near it is a small throttle (tablet) holder with enough area to hold a small whiteboard.
I will go with a written list placard for now.

Locos went in head first, so the chimney would align with the building chimney.


----------



## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

*Locos went in head first, so the chimney would align with the building chimney. *

Sometimes they came out headfirst as well.









Added bonus you can now see the locomotive road number. 

Magic


----------



## Conductorkev (Nov 5, 2021)

Magic said:


> *Locos went in head first, so the chimney would align with the building chimney. *
> 
> Sometimes they came out headfirst as well.
> View attachment 582269
> ...



That's certainly one way to be able to get the number... altho I doubt our model trains could break thru plastic lol.


----------



## Severn (May 13, 2016)

This is an interesting issue. In jmri one can associate an icon or image with the item in the roster. The item has a dcc address but this isn't necessary for the user to know.

Anyway but if it's dark, the roundhouse is "over there" and you parked it and forgot it ...

Then what? What you want are stall addressable commands as an option ...

And while I thought of some outlandish "solutions" involving a command station per stall... Or maybe it's optional dc mode in each stall and all the locos are seamless dual mode... You get it out and switch to dcc...

It's not clear any of that would really work ...


----------



## Lemonhawk (Sep 24, 2013)

What about a small sign that you could put in the doorway that has the Loco's address on it. You make the sign a little fancy as if it was the normal thing to do in that roundhouse, or just a wood block with the number setting on the track.


----------



## MichaelE (Mar 7, 2018)

That's something I would do. Each locomotive would have its assigned bay and a small official-looking railroad sign would either be over the entry doors or along side the track for its bay.

IIRC, I've seen photos of the locomotive number on the back of the tender. But I could be wrong.


----------



## Dennis461 (Jan 5, 2018)

Slapped together something like this...
My tablet throttle lays on top.


----------

