Dear Colleagues, hello from Spain.
after some months reading and reviewing almost every post within the DCC section, I don’t seem to have found a specific thread clearly comparing the Digitrax Zephyr and the MRC Prodigy Advance. So –please- excuse me if this newbie question has been reproduced elsewhere…
Though they differ in price, both have enthusiastic followers and few detractors.
So let’s imagine you have 250 US$ in your pocket, and a point to point (with fiddle yards or multiple return ovals at each end) pike which you have to turn onto DCC. There will be a double track mainline with one additional regional branch line ending in the middle of it, plus a goods yard with six or seven sidings to mess it all up.
Eight line engines doing continuous traffic over the main line, double consisting included; two locos adding occasional traffic via the branch line, and another couple of switchers in the yard. Maximum fifteen engines on the board (though not all of them running at the same time, but ready to move anytime –maybe eight at a time with continuous dispatching under schedule from the ends), and the necessity to address –at least- 25 engines (what –I guess- is not a limitation anymore).
Digital control for the switches is not a priority, since I would be using block system run by signals, as it was customary in the ‘60s in Spain, but maybe –in the future- I would leave open the possibility to control track sectors from the trains themselves.
Dead-slow speed is mandatory.
System should be semi-automated (from the point of view of the scheduled dispatching), and all I will need is a couple of control throttles for my son and myself to play with the switching in the yards and the branch line traffic, plus some occasional foray into the mainland.
Now, would you go for the MRC or the Digitrax ?; another stupid question: are all Lenz and Digitrax decoders compatible, and usable, with the MRC or Digitrax ?
I take the opportunity to add some compliments to the excellent Atlas and Life Like material from the USA I’ve used to re-motor all my old Spanish material. They made the difference with regard to quiet and smooth running. And finally, why I have chosen Digitrax or MRC over European systems (Lenz, Ühlenbrock…) is because DCC seems to be largely better understood in the USA than here.
Sincerest congratulations for a forum as knowledgeable as kind, and one which is a thorough pleasure to read every day.
Thank you for your time and kind regards,
Antonio
after some months reading and reviewing almost every post within the DCC section, I don’t seem to have found a specific thread clearly comparing the Digitrax Zephyr and the MRC Prodigy Advance. So –please- excuse me if this newbie question has been reproduced elsewhere…
Though they differ in price, both have enthusiastic followers and few detractors.
So let’s imagine you have 250 US$ in your pocket, and a point to point (with fiddle yards or multiple return ovals at each end) pike which you have to turn onto DCC. There will be a double track mainline with one additional regional branch line ending in the middle of it, plus a goods yard with six or seven sidings to mess it all up.
Eight line engines doing continuous traffic over the main line, double consisting included; two locos adding occasional traffic via the branch line, and another couple of switchers in the yard. Maximum fifteen engines on the board (though not all of them running at the same time, but ready to move anytime –maybe eight at a time with continuous dispatching under schedule from the ends), and the necessity to address –at least- 25 engines (what –I guess- is not a limitation anymore).
Digital control for the switches is not a priority, since I would be using block system run by signals, as it was customary in the ‘60s in Spain, but maybe –in the future- I would leave open the possibility to control track sectors from the trains themselves.
Dead-slow speed is mandatory.
System should be semi-automated (from the point of view of the scheduled dispatching), and all I will need is a couple of control throttles for my son and myself to play with the switching in the yards and the branch line traffic, plus some occasional foray into the mainland.
Now, would you go for the MRC or the Digitrax ?; another stupid question: are all Lenz and Digitrax decoders compatible, and usable, with the MRC or Digitrax ?
I take the opportunity to add some compliments to the excellent Atlas and Life Like material from the USA I’ve used to re-motor all my old Spanish material. They made the difference with regard to quiet and smooth running. And finally, why I have chosen Digitrax or MRC over European systems (Lenz, Ühlenbrock…) is because DCC seems to be largely better understood in the USA than here.
Sincerest congratulations for a forum as knowledgeable as kind, and one which is a thorough pleasure to read every day.
Thank you for your time and kind regards,
Antonio