The BMRC layout has used Digital Command Control since its beginning. One of the few DCC systems available in the mid 90’s was Digitrax. Digitrax radio control was selected by the club back then and we’ve stuck with it ever since. Although there may be better, more user friendly systems available now we chose not to incur the expense of changing because of the amount of DCC hardware needed for a layout the size of ours.
One problem we had with power, which is probably unique to very large layouts, was when a train derailed causing a short in a power district. The Digitrax “power managers” and the DCC Specialties PSX4 circuit breakers both had a “check until short is corrected” feature. When many trains are running, it can be many minutes before a short is discovered, thus subjecting a booster to repeated overloads and heating. So we installed a custom timer/breaker which would break the booster circuit after 6 seconds without correction and initiate flashing red short indicator lights at 4 locations around the layout. The circuit can be reset at those indicator locations once the short is corrected.
We have chosen some auxiliary systems of other companies recently because we thought they met our needs better. For example, NCE boosters have replaced Digitrax boosters because they do not overheat under the load our layout puts on them. Here is a summary of the various DCC equipment in operation on our railroad as of July 2018.
Command Station: Digitrax DCS-200
Power supplies: NCE 10 amp
Boosters: NCE 5amp, NCE 10amp
Radio transceivers Digitrax UR-92 (duplex)
Throttles Digitrax DT-402D , DT-500D. DT-602D, UT-6D
Circuit breakers DCC Specialties PSX-4, Labrie custom timer/breakers
Reversers DCC Specialties PSX reversers
For convenience and cost reduction, we installed WIFI with the DCC system, allowing members to use their smart phones (with a JMRI app) to control trains instead of requiring expensive DCC throttles.
Photo of Power Equipment Installation
Schematic Diagram
