Thanks Ray, I must have been ignoring Tony’s posts ha ha (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Well, my takeaway from 8 pages of posts is not Tony’s comment but the majority of people who use and like the Revo.
Greg
Well this sucks. I’ve been out of touch with LSC for a few weeks, and now that I’m back in touch, One of my first thing I was going to do was try and help a good friend re-start his new ( to him ) railroad. I’m track and DCC powered.
Friend buys a RV park for his retirement years. It has a elevated (2ft up) G layout with about 800 feet of brass track total. 25 plus switches (50/50 remote/manual) and numberous sidings and 3 intertwined loops. Track has set for 6+ years with no running. All the elect connections were pulled from the layout, including for the remote switches from what was a central control station.
Original builder, for an unknown reason, used only 1ft sections of track. Each piece was nailed down, and has slip on track connectors. All are badly corroded. As a DCC guy my first thought was RC battery to get this layout up and running. I made Mike a promise to post on LSC for a recommendation of the best “system” to use, and to find someone to mail his locos to and have converted to a battery system.
So this falls right into this thread.
Where do we (collectivly) send a new guy to get an RC/battery system?
Dave Goodsen up in the Seattle area. NWRCS
Here’s a list of other dealers:
http://www.remotecontrolsystems.com/?page_id=116
I use Don Sweet up in New Hampshire.
I’m sure there are a few others, too.
Anyone have any idea how big the market is? I mean, I’m the only one that I know of in my town of about 30K people that does large scale so I’ve always figured it was pretty darn small. Particularly since the battery powered market is a subset of that too.
The SE Pa club has about 150 members from the 6 counties that surround Philly. That doesn’t include any non-members.
RLD Hobbies which advertises here does battery conversions. From what I have read and heard he does Excellent work.
Solder wire jumpers to his rail sections, you can do it in place, it will take time but it’s free to do.
All you have is a conductivity issue, why spend hundreds of dollars to convert?]
Greg
Now who is trying to start a Battery - v - Track war? (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Whooaaa… Guys, to stay track power, we would have to re-wire the entire layout, as of now there is zero connections. We talked about connection jumpers, But cleaning 3200 spots and adding 1600 jumpers, sure seems a lot daunting to someone thats wants to run trains.
How Finding some one on this board to do the installations from the numerous really good guys here is a piece of cake.
What “System of RC & Batteries” would you recommend? Any why? was what I should have asked in the first place.
I looked at the RCS Stuff and it seems like it would meet the needs, But my ignorance of the whole RC/Batt systems out there and their strengths and weaknesses leaves me wanting to learn more. Not looking for a shoe string fix, but Rolls Royce would probably be a deal breaker. There has to some system in-between that he could get running and expand with as he gets more rolling stock, and a few more engines then the two LGB he now has.
Refer and point me in the right directions and I will do my home work and ask more ?s
John,
I read the literature at the link you provided. What I do not care for is this system can only run one train at a time. With my Revo system I usually run two trains at a time (and sometimes three). JMHO (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-cool.gif)
I declare this thread pretty much derailed. I’m no longer going to worry about the original question since now we have derailed it from the replacement of the Crest system. The people interested have already spoken. People with their own interests have spoken. People selling their own hardware have spoken.
Now we are fixing an old layout. That’s fine by me, the discussion has run it’s course and now we have a “facebook” style blog, whatever direction the thread is steered, we follow.
On the guy with the DCC layout that has corroded jumpers:
When I suggest a method that works, like clamps… “ohh too expensive”… then a suggestion that is free, but takes effore “ohhh too much work”… (ya just can’t win ha ha!)
Like many other hobbies, we want no effort and cheap.
So, I guess in this case, price is no object, even if all locos are already converted to DCC? I did go back and re-read and see that someone removed all the electrical connections, BUT with good connections between rails, you don’t need many feed points.
So, exactly how many locos are to be converted? And when giving priority to low cost or low effort which is most important?
Most people are screaming about cost lately, so let’s put our hands around costs, this is easy to do, number of locos, type of system, number of batteries, number of receivers, number of throttles, etc.
Greg
In answer to my friend Joe;
Hey I never said it would be an equal, didn’t you read the thread???
What I am planning is this; I have 2 trains, this is a hobby not a compulsion … One passenger train and a freight. With Del’s Advanced critter control and the reed switch I can send it out and have it stop at stations / junctions/etc… and then resume ramping up and down each time. I will run my freight and dodge the passenger which by company rules always has the R of W.
I tried running 2 by my self before, but was more chore than fun for me. I am taking the R/C out of the passenger train for the critter thing, hoping to increase my enjoyment, not my work load… so to say.
Let’s put it in correct terms; Many trains can be run at once, just not from the same transmitter. If you switched hand helds instead of addresses, you could too. I usually handed one to my nephew, the one I could trust, that is.(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
John
his is a hobby not a compulsion …
Hey now! Watch it.
Greg , Didn’t think That I was derailing this thread. Thought that it shoehorned right into where it was going.
With Crest out of the picture, What are the current alternatives? So far I’ve looked at the:
RCS system
Railboss System
Airwire System
There must be others that I don’t know of. Mike has said that $1000 isn’t out of the question.
BTW: ran trains with Grandson this morning, until the rains came.
David Maynard said:
his is a hobby not a compulsion …
Hey now! Watch it.
I can only speak for me … barely at that!(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-embarassed.gif)
More than 2 trains is a compulsion?
I run mainline passenger trains with 3 locos… and that is not a compulsion.
Thread about replacing Crest, and consensus was to not “lose” functionality, and now we are looking at railboss, rcs, etc, stuff clearly with less functionality as compared to Revolution system.
No need to rehash the whole discussion, all good comments have already been said… now we are getting into personal preferences instead of what compares, and broken rail joiners, and track power vs. battery…
So, I’m interested to hear the answers to my questions about your friend:
So, exactly how many locos are to be converted? And when giving priority to low cost or low effort which is most important?
The answers would be pretty pertinent to the best solution unless you have already decided that battery is the only answer, and the answer to the first question would really put that into perspective.
So, pretty please, can I please get the answers?
Greg
3 locos on one train is besides a derail, just one train.
Greg, Dave said;
Mike has said that $1000 isn’t out of the question.
So that, to me, answers a few questions. He has 2 locomotives, and is willing to go up to $1,000.
There has to some system in-between that he could get running and expand with as he gets more rolling stock, and a few more engines then the two LGB he now has.
And it seams that track power is a non starter.
cleaning 3200 spots and adding 1600 jumpers, sure seems a lot daunting to someone thats wants to run trains.
So he is willing to spend the money, but not the time to get track power back out there. Answering your question of;
The answers would be pretty pertinent to the best solution unless you have already decided that battery is the only answer
