Operating the layout is one of my favorite activities. Since the mainline was completed, construction activities, as such, have slowed down immensely. When I built this layout, I knew that sound was required. Therefore, I designed the layout to be operated by five operators using Pacific Fast Mail (PFM) Sound, and PFM-compatible systems. The layout, of course, used cab control with common rail wiring.
As time moved on, and technology progressed, Digital Command Control (DCC) was developed. A friend of mine, Stan Knotts, was a relatively early adopter of DCC, and installed the Digitrax system on his HO layout. The simplified operation of the layout was very attractive, and I began to look at the possibility of converting the layout to DCC. After a particularly vexing operating session on my HOn3 layout, where the operators were often crossing block boundaries with their trains, I decided to convert my layout to DCC.
Ah, but now the questions arise! How much wiring had to be changed? What system should I use? How do I go about the actual conversion? I decided to write an article that detailed the answers to these questions as solved on my layout. I have posted it on this blog. Click on this link DCC for the Denver & Rio Grande Western in HOn3 to read the article. You may also access the article via the same link at the top of the page. I hope that you find the information in it helpful to you as you consider converting your layout to DCC. I can assure you, it will be worth the effort!
