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Atlas Trainmaster Review Re: your review of the Atlas HO Trainmaster. One thing that was not mentioned and I found terrific, was the verbal announcements when programming in the Ops Mode. When you want to change CVs, the locomotive speaks the CV number and the value that is programmed. This verbal announcement also tells you the scale speed at which the locomotive is operating when you push F10. But the most amazing programming to me is the shut down procedure. From the full operation sounds, the locomotive slowly shuts down as you hear all the valves slowly closing, the headlights turn off, and then the air pumps turning off, the cooling fans shutting down, louvers closing, and finally the engineer’s door opening and slamming shut. Truly remarkable. Denis Dunning Wofford Heights, CT
Thanks for bringing all this up, Denis. We’ve had the good fortune of doing many reviews involving locos with Quantum Sound decoders in them, and they all have similar features, including the ones you mention in your letter. We’ve touched on these items in the past, but haven’t recently. As a result, we appreciate your attention to them. The sound details in the Quantum decoders are truly awesome! — John
DCC Problems I have noticed that you install North Coast Engineering decoders in most, if not all, of your test locomotives. Do you have an NCE system, or are you just using their decoders with another brand of DCC? I am asking because I need to talk with someone who has some experience with NCE systems. I have had a Digitrax Big Boy system from the start, and I have had nothing but problems with it. When it works, it is a wonderful way to run trains. When it doesn’t work, which is getting to be a common problem, it is a nightmare. Several months ago, my throttle stopped working. It wouldn’t respond to either of the knobs being turned. Reluctant to contact Digitrax because of the shabby treatment I had received from them, I contacted Loy Spurlock of Loy’s Toys (just across the state line from me). He was willing to fix the throttle at a fair price, so I sent it to him and he repaired it and returned it to me quickly. However, last week my booster would not power up, but kept showing me an overtemp/fault light all the time. After several e-mails to and from Loy, he determined that my booster is fried, and I need to return it to Digitrax for repair. Apparently, the Big Boy is quite sensitive at start-up and needs to be isolated from the track while powering up (something that is not in Digitrax’s instruction manual) — Loy suggested adding a switch in the line between the booster and the track and keeping it OFF until the booster is powered up. I could just pay to have it repaired and tell myself that now there is nothing else left to go wrong with the system, but I know that Murphy’s Law will prevail and that something else is likely to happen. I questioned Loy extensively on the reliability of DCC in general and Digitrax specifically, and whether I got a “lemon” and should switch systems or upgrade to Digitrax’s latest (and maybe more reliable) system. Loy is an avid Digitrax fan, and felt that if I had the booster repaired and installed with previously mentioned switch, that it would be OK, and that I only needed to upgrade if I wanted to. I questioned him about NCE, but he doesn’t carry them and has had no experience with the NCE system. Having had a disappointing experience with Digitrax, I am really leaning toward junking my current system and switching to NCE. But I would like to find someone who has NCE and can tell me about its reliability. If it’s no better than Digitrax, I might as well junk DCC altogether and go back to DC cab control. If you have an NCE system, and I hope you do from all the NCE decoders you have been installing, can you advise me on this? (Privately, of course - I wouldn’t want you take a public stand and jeopardize advertising revenue.) Or do you know someone else who runs NCE that you can point me to? Our local hobby shop only deals in Digitrax, so there is no one in my area that I know of who runs NCE. I appreciate your advice in this matter. I need to make a decision soon about the future of DCC and/or Digitrax on my layout, because I’m getting tired of not being able to run trains! Dave Woomer Springfield, MO
Sounds like you’ve got the “Technology Blues,” Dave. It happens with TV sets, cell phones, microwave ovens, computers, cars, and so much else in our lives. All electronic devices have a “bathtub failure curve.” Imagine a curve which is high on both sides and flat across the bottom, like a bathtub. When a device is first powered up, its chance of failing initially is quite high. If it survives the first few hours of operation, the chance of it dying as the result of a component failure approaches zero. After some period of time, some vital component in a particular product begins to fail. At that point, the probability of the product auguring in goes up very rapidly. You may have paddled across to the other side of the tub, Dave! Also, technology improves both reliability and features with each new offering. The Big Boy is no longer made and the new systems are vastly improved. This helps to explain why you are shopping for a new system. For whatever it’s worth, there are a lot of happy Digitrax users out there, but there are also a lot of happy NCE operators, too. I use both systems, like both systems, and consider both to be highly reliable — so far. My advice would be to go find someone or someplace where you can personally experience an NCE system (Kansas City or St. Louis?) There is a big difference in how the cabs of each system are laid out. When you put your hands on an NCE cab, one of three outcomes will occur: you’ll find the NCE cab to be infinitely superior, you’ll discover you prefer your Digitrax, or the differences won’t impress you one way or the other. I have a feeling that this encounter will help you decide what you want to do. One final note about our choice of decoders: I have talked to the various makers of decoders and have solicited samples. Some locos use a fairly generic design; others require a specialized product. When a new DCC-ready loco comes in, we set out to match that product with a decoder. NCE has been very proactive about supplying MRN with an arsenal of new decoders, increasing the likelihood I will have the right one on hand. I would like to use decoders from everyone, but time constraints often force me to grab the handy item. — John
New Subscriber Sounds Off! I just recently became aware of your publication. I subscribed and yesterday received my first issue. I would like to say that I am extremely pleased. I have been a model railroader for more than 40 years. I have been a member of NMRA off and on during that time. I can’t imagine how I have not heard of your magazine before now. Imagine my surprise when my first copy has a review article on the MRC Prodigy Advance DCC system (December 2004). I ordered one prior to its release and recently received the unit. I am totally happy with all aspects of its operation. I totally agree with everything you said about the unit in your review. How about that? A new control system and a great new magazine subscription all in the same month. Who says there isn’t a Santa Claus! Bob Huber Chico, CA
Not me, Bob. I’m another one of the elves in this wonderful industry. Perhaps the reason you haven’t heard of MRN before is because we’ve been changing over the years. We’ve always had a potent mix of product information and large photos in an easy to read tabloid-sized publication, but the past couple of years have seen us move to glossy paper with full color on every page so that the photos can show more details. We’ve added more pages so that the subscriber gets more magazine each month, and a switch to new graphics software has enabled us to kick up our layout design a few notches. At the same time, we have taken the challenge to connect not only with traditional model railroad products but also to face up to the growing technology side of our industry. Drop into this month’s “Thinking of DCC” column and read a guest shot from our own writer, Mike Acker. We liked the Prodigy Advance so much that we sent him one to use. From him, you get to see a first-timer’s look at the PA. Santa visited Mike early this year! — John
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