# Help needed attempting to match locomotives for constants



## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

I am using NCE D13SRJ decoders with an NCE PowerCab. I want to match some locomotives as close to possible so they perform well together. Currently I have been adjusting CV 5 and 6 so that the locomotives run at the same speed at 14 and 28. Is there a better way to do this? How do you do this? This involves allot of trial and error and can take some time to get this right.


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## Mark R. (Jan 26, 2013)

First thing I do is turn off any momentum - both acceleration and deceleration.

Then I start at the bottom - CV2 (start voltage) and adjust so both engines start to move on speed step 1 and will run together either side by side or inline with each other.

Then I set CV6 (mid speed - if available) until they both run together the same.

Then lastly I set CV5 (top speed)

Then I introduce how much momentum I desire in one of the engines, they key the second one to match. The momentum settings won't necessarily be the same values in both engine either in order to get them to run together.

To test the momentum between the two, crank the throttle right up and watch how long each takes to attain the same speed. Once that is adjusted, run the engines up to speed, then shut the throttle off and observe how they drift to a stop. Increase or decrease the momentum so they speed up and slow down at the same rate.

Once you have this pair matched - use these as your "golden" engines to which all the rest of your fleet is also matched that will ever run together. I don't bother speed matching switchers to road engines.

Mark.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

tkruger said:


> I am using NCE D13SRJ decoders with an NCE PowerCab. I want to match some locomotives as close to possible so they perform well together. Currently I have been adjusting CV 5 and 6 so that the locomotives run at the same speed at 14 and 28. Is there a better way to do this? How do you do this? This involves allot of trial and error and can take some time to get this right.


There are no shortcuts that don't have what some feel are unacceptable compromises in one way or another.

What quite a few end up doing is biting the bullet and spending a few hours getting to know Java Model Railroad Interface (JMRI) and DecoderPro. It's a freeware you can google, and if you have a computer near your layout, and the interface devices, you can read and play with each of your locos' decoders live on screen. What's more, you keep a memory file of each set of settings for each decoder. If you make an oops and scramble a decoder, just start up DecoderPro and input all the CV settings again.


This is handy for the reason you want: to speed match using speed tables, and not the rough guesstimate using CV's 5 and 6.


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## tkruger (Jan 18, 2009)

Thanks for the advice. I came from the old DC days of place the faster in front if they are close. Now that I have DCC I am getting caught up in making them match as close as possible. 

I think a major issue I am running into is a mix of locomotive models from Athearn, Proto 2k, Proto 1k, Walthers Mainline. Was hoppeing to perfect a method of doing this since shortly I will be throwing in a mix of decoder brands from NCE, Lenz, Bachmann and yes even MRC (phasing out when they go).

My goal is to have all road engines matched and all of the switch engines matched. Unfortunately this is more of a challenge than I expected. Even if I get the start mid and max speeds matched they never seem just right. This said they work far better together than the DC methods ever did. I guess that with all the configurability of DCC I keep expecting just a bit more.


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