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A good way to save some $$$ and have quiet operating are the Caboose Industries ground throws. They are about $3/ turnout, and they are just little plastic mechanisms that sit next to the switch, and you throw them with your hand. I like them, as there is no wiring.

Dummy engines are fine for a short train. What some people do is put a DCC sound unit in the B unit, while the A unit is powered. This is easier to program, cheaper, and the only way to do sound in many n scale locos. In HO, it just allows a bigger speaker. Some people will also have dummy...

You would of course need a computer to handle the Loconet. Other than that it would work OK, other than a lot of extra wiring. If you use a Loconet based DCC system, you can have all of the data travelling on one bus around the layout.

Don't give up. DCC is pretty easy. Just get the decoder, and pop it in. If you need selection help, just order it from Tony's, they will be happy to help you.

If you want to save money, you can use DPDT switches, although then you have to remeber to actually throw them. The Tony's reversers are the best, they are solid state.

The Athearn AC4400 has both an 8 pin (4x2) NMRA socket, and a 9-Pin JST socket (9x1), but only the JST plug actually WORKS right. The 8 pin plug, at least on mine, was loose it was worthless. Go the JST route. "DCC ready" means it has either an NMRA 8-pin plug, or the 9-pin JST. Anything else is...

Huh? Thing? New? Old? Please use some descriptive words, so we figure out what you are talking about.

Get a couple of scenery books from Kalmbach, and Joe Fugate's model trains video series. You can learn a lot, they have step-by-step with materials lists and all. And you can just modify the processes to suit your needs/ time/ budget (although the whole dirt thing isn't too expensive :) ).

You can do modules in HO! Either for a home layout, or as part of a modular group. It works great, the only thing is, there is no way to have a continuous loop in HO on a module, there is in N scale. The N scale trains on Ntrak are breattaking, as they are long, and snake through the mountains...

Yeah, basically no reversing loops unless you want to add a reversing module to your DCC system.

Engineer control is cab-centric switching. basically, each cab can turn on or off for each block. Then, an indicator light shows if someone else if using a block. This way, you can enter a block, and then turn off the one behind you for another operator. Forget about walk-around with this...

It doesn't look like there could be a train in each at any one time, and if this is the case, then you only need one. If there is going to be a train in each, then there needs to be two. If you can, make the reversing section longer than the longest train, as this will help to make sure it...

Milled in HO? I thought that was only for N? Or are we talking about N? I am REALLY confused now. I am talking about HO, what about everyone else? Can't find any references to scale.

As for a "staging yard", try a car float that is removable. Heck, you could have it go from that to a lower level that is either staging or another town, as a form of across the harbor interchange. Lots of cool possibilites. You could even have it on an elevator from underneath, so it would...

And you're asking in the HO forum? Well of course HO is better!!! If you ask in the N scale forum, you will find that N scale is so much better!!! :D:D:D

If you need to use a sectional roadbed based track system, Kato is much better, although pricey. They have insulating and feeding rail joiners. The best system is flex track. There are various brands, Atlas, Peco, Walthers/ Shinohara, etc.

Pushbuttons would need some sort of way to "hold", and keep the power going. This sort of sounds like engineer control, another topic altogether. Just stick with some rotaries if you are going to go DC. Or just to the easy thing and get DCC. Check out the Digitrax Zephyr, it is an awesome system!

The standard method is to soder #20-#24 wire to the outside of the rail. This is not hard, and the worst thing that can happen is you melt a tie or two. For the BDL168, you should wire all of the blocks direct home, and gap both rails. You should solder the #20-#24 wire to the outside of each...

yeah, that is a few more decoders than most would use. Most people would just put resistor wheelsets in, so that they could be block detected, but no transponded with. If you really want to transpond with your cars, which would actually be really neat with a passenger car, as you could hook some...

Here in the states, Tony's is the best! I bet they ship north of the border.