Model Railway Forum

Hi there new member here

Just looking to get back into model railways and I havent owned a set for about 15 years.
Looking to start simple with dcc which I have never used and I was looking at two different starter sets. Hornby mixed freight dcc starter or the bachmann whisky galore dcc starter.
I'm not bothered about the locos as I will eventually build my own collection but I'm more interested in which of these includes better equipment eg the controllers.
Is hornbys controller better than Bachmanns?

Any advice greatly appreciated
Thanks ben

The DCC controller from Hornby is, due to the fact it is a 'starter' set, a basic controller. I did what you are planning and found that the limitations (for example only 2 digit loco ID's) were too much and quickly spent even more money on a Gaugemaster Prodigy Express, their starter controller.

I've not found the limitations of the Express yet, although someone will probably explain them.

I think Ian has said most so I will point out the main differences..

Hornby Select at Firmware version 1.6 or 2.0 (Make sure its one of these or it is old stock) Can accept loco address numbers 1 to 59 and accessory address number 60 to 99. Latest versions can write CV values. Comes supplied with a 1.0Amp power supply, but is up gradable to the 4.0Amp supply at extra cost. Can be used a slave to other Selects or the larger Elite via special data cable at extra cost. Can operate one DC loco via address number 0 but this is not recommended. Can operate all 28 Functions.

Bachmann EZ DCC can only address locos in the range 1 to 9. Functions F1 to F8 plus button marked as 10 which is F0 lights On/Off. Can operate one DC loco via its number 10 button again not recommended. Can have one Bachmann DC controller added to allow a DC loco to be controlled while operating a DCC loco. It is supplied with a 1.0Amp power supply which cannot be up rated. It cannot operate any accessories.

A FAR BETTER controller to start with is the NCE Powercab. I can't see the point of buying a DCC set if you don't want the locos that are in the sets.

The Powercab is a bit more expensive than a Select but well worth spending the extra money on and can be easily upgraded in the future if needed.

PS. I started with a Select in the mixed goods set. After only a few days i was so frustrated by it that i upgraded to the Elite. I now have a Powercab as well as the Elite and the Select, though they can't all be used together of course.

Welcome to the forum Ben. Friendly helpful bunch on here.
Like you I started with a starter set from Hornby, a present. I soon found the controller to be restrictive so I sold that and purchased a fleischmann multimaus for around £80 (think they are still available). That for me was a great set to learn with and I soon moved up to the Z21 and have never looked back.

I started with the Hornby controller also but soon came very dissatisfied with it so stepped up to the Power cab and have been more than satisfied with it, well worth the extra cost.

Ben,

Welcome back to railway modelling.

I echo Rog's comments about the NCE Powercab. Like you I came back into the hobby after a considerable time away knowing nothing about DCC. I have nothing but praise for the NCE, I think, well I know, it will do me for the rest of my modelling life.

Regards

Carl

An alternative route to DCC control is to use a SPROG controller in conjunction with a computer running JMRI software. This has the advantage of being relatively cheap and using a large screen, as opposed to the NCE small panel. JMRI will also link to a smartphone so that you are not tied to a wired controller. The disadvantage is that you need to be confident using a computer.
I would always advise, when you can, going to a shop specialising in DCC and seeing demonstrations of the various kits. In particular, look at the manuals and see how easy you find them to understand. A useful check is to see how they describe changing the address of a loco, which is something that will have to be done.

Hi Ben and welcome to our forum. I too started with a Hornby DCC set but soon changed to NCE Powercab after a kind gent let me try his out on his layout at an exhibtion.

Have you tried Steam Punk, yet?