# DCC Ready - How Much Does it Matter?



## Dreadnought (Apr 19, 2016)

Now that I'm starting to get together my fleet of locomotives for a future layout with DCC (whodaguessed?) I really would like to know what difference getting a 'DCC-ready' locomotive versus a non-DCC-ready locomotive makes. 

Just as an example, there's a certain Trainmaster for sale on eBay for about $30 that is not DCC ready. Another one at $120 is DCC-ready, with an 8-pin plug. 

Is the difference worth the $90 extra dollars? I'm not at all confident in my wiring abilities, so installing DCC in my locomotives, at least at first, will probably be contracted out. There's a hobby shop within striking distance that does that sort of thing, and they apparently will help teach you how to do it as well so I can do it more economically once I learn how. 

I understand that DCC Ready doesn't mean the same thing for all locomotives. The non-DCC-ready locomotive is an Athearn, while the DCC-ready one is an Atlas. 

Does paying the extra money pay off down the line? I want to have DCC and sound in all my locomotives, if it makes any difference.


Thanks for any replies,

Dreadnought


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## Suncat2000 (Oct 23, 2016)

Dreadnought said:


> Now that I'm starting to get together my fleet of locomotives for a future layout with DCC (whodaguessed?) I really would like to know what difference getting a 'DCC-ready' locomotive versus a non-DCC-ready locomotive makes.
> 
> Just as an example, there's a certain Trainmaster for sale on eBay for about $30 that is not DCC ready. Another one at $120 is DCC-ready, with an 8-pin plug.
> 
> ...


DCC-ready means you don't need to make much of an effort to add a DCC decoder to the locomotive. It's a matter of replacing one small circuit board with another. Sometimes that means removing the shell and possibly separating the chassis, sometimes not, to access the board. 

If it's not DCC- ready, it's likely to require disassembly of the entire unit and maybe modifying the innards to make room for the decoder, then soldering individual wires to various points and applying insulation after desoldering the wires that are there. It can run into a significant amount of labor.

Think of "DCC-ready" as a discount of that labor cost. 

-- Ed 



Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

No, in my opinion, a 90.00 premium for DCC ready
is not a good deal if that is the only difference between
the subject locos.

Most DCC ready locos require only plugging in the
new decoder.

Wiring a decoder in most non DCC ready locos is really
not all that difficult. The new decoder will have 6 or more
color coded wires. The instructions clearly show you
where each goes. It's a chore that most of us get done
in a couple hours or less. It usually does not require
you to disassemble the loco beyond removing the shell.
Each new decoder comes with the address of 03. The
manual will tell you how to change that to your choice
of address.

A tip: When you remove the shell, see which motor
tab the red wires from the trucks are attached to. The
manual will tell you which decoder wire goes to that
tab. This determines that your loco goes forward when
told to do so by the controller.

Another important factor: You must make certain
that the motor is isolated from the metal frame or
wires from either truck. Not difficult.

Installing sound in locos is another thing. The need for
speaker space may require milling of the frame. Here again,
the level of difficulty will vary with each loco design.

If you encounter a problem the Forum members will
be ready to help you get it right.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

If you were comparing two Atlas models, for instance, I would agree with Don: a $90 price premium just to make it "DCC-ready" isn't worth it. About $20 is the most I would pay.

Because you're looking at two different models, from two different manufacturers, and presumably two different sellers on eBay, I'm betting that the price difference is more than just that one is DCC-Ready and the other isn't. The cheaper one is most likely an inexpensive, poorly detailed, low-end model. Most likely, it's an old Blue Box model, on which you will have to isolate the motor and mill the weight to put a decoder in. The Atlas is probably one of their new ones that just came out earlier this year. For my money, I'd go for that one.


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## Dreadnought (Apr 19, 2016)

Thanks for the advice guys. I'll consider it when making my purchase :thumbsup:


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