# DCC dummy



## mopac (Feb 24, 2011)

I am a DCC dummy. Never had it and never ran on DCC. I can tell it
will open a whole new world for my trains. I am excited to say I ordered
a DCC starter set last night. Of coarse I have many questions running
through my mind right now. I am sure most questions will be answered
once I get the set and start playing with it. Just a warning, the questions 
I can't figure out myself will be asked here. Very helpful people here. If I
may, let me start with 2 questions.
1. Lets say I park a passenger train on a siding or at the station. I shut down the engine. I am assuming (always dangerous) that the lighted passenger cars
will stay lit. Short of a decoder in each car, what do you all do to shut down lighting in the passenger cars. Even being a DCC dummy I understand the track is always powered.
2. After I paid for my DCC set last night, my train dealer sent me thanks and
said I would be getting the last of the fancy throttles. The set is a digitrax super chief. Are they changing throttles or what do you think he meant by that?
Thanks for any info.


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## manchesterjim (Dec 30, 2011)

mopac said:


> I am a DCC dummy.


No such thing! 



mopac said:


> Lets say I park a passenger train on a siding or at the station. I shut down the engine. I am assuming (always dangerous) that the lighted passenger cars
> will stay lit. Short of a decoder in each car, what do you all do to shut down lighting in the passenger cars. Even being a DCC dummy I understand the track is always powered.


See....you already get the DCC thing!  Most common method I've seen for this was to isolate the feed for this siding and put a toggle switch (of some type) inline. (Just like a DC System). I'd use a dpst (double-pole single throw).

You could also set up the siding so that the turnout feeding it does power routing....that way there's no feed to the track unless is switched. 

You could also do a combination of the two with the secondary contacts on a switch machine. In that case you'd isolate the feed (like with the toggle switch) and then let the 2 sets of secondary contacts on the switch machine put power on or off depending on how that turnout was switched. 

Tell me if I got to deep there......

And like my tagline says, ask anybody a question and you'll come up with multiple ways of getting the job done!


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## NIMT (Jan 6, 2011)

manchesterjim that very well put and great advice!:thumbsup:
I'll add that some lighted cars can be turned of either with a toggle or slide switch under the side of the car (pain), But a lot better setup are the one's that use a magnet on the sides of the car to turn on and off the lights.
I like having decoders in my passanger cars because it will also allow you to turn off during the day or dim them in the middle of the night.

As far as "fancy" trottle, you'll have to give us a Trottle # when you get it. I would say "fancy" would be a duplex trottle!


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## waltr (Aug 15, 2011)

1) Jim give you one solution but I prefer not switching power with DCC. So either let the car lights stay on or install a decoder in each car. Digitrax makes 'function only' decoders with transponding for just this purpose:
http://www.digitrax.com/prd_statdec_tl1.php
http://www.digitrax.com/prd_statdec_tf4.php
You can install these at some later date. 

2) Sounds like he didn't have the throttle you ordered in stock but you should ask him if you have a question.


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