RailPro > RailPro Specific Help & Discussion

Back in the hobby!

(1/5) > >>

SD90:
Hello, I have been out of the hobby for about 8 years. Last time I was in N scale running a DigiTrax Super Chief System. I never liked how archaic the programming was, the system worked good, but the throttle and programming was brutal. This time, I'll be modelling HO scale, and starting over, from scratch. I sold EVERYTHING. So I'm looking at my options for a control system. I have a few questions I hope you can help me with...
How many locomotives can you run with RailPro? I've heard 12-15, is that upgradable? Is it the power supply that governs that number or can the system be upgraded? On my last layout, I had 50 locomotives, all with decoders, so 15 may not cut it. I don't think I'll need as many HO scale locomotives, (trains won't have as many cars, and locomotives can pull more) but I still think I'll eventually have around 20-25 locomotives.

Josephbw:
First of all, let me welcome you to the forum. I'll try to give you a little info that I have gleaned. I have 20 locos with modules in them right now, with about 5-6 more to do. I'm not aware of a limit you can put in the Hand Control, but there are more experienced members that will correct me if I'm wrong. As far as to the number of engines that can be run at the same time, I was told by Ring that 12 is the maximum. But, I don't know if that is the max per power supply, or some other parameter that limits the number.

The one thing that made me decide to go with RailPro, was the absence of CV's. I belong to a club that has been running Digitrax for over 20 years, so I am very familiar with that system. The occurrence of issues with losing contact with engines and the PITA of consisting, made it a no-brainer for me to switch.

Tim, Kevin, Bill and many others are a wealth of information and are very helpful in time of need.

Joe

Alan:
RailPro, like DCC, has a fixed number of locos that can be operated simultaneously from a single controller. Your fleet of RP equipped locos can, for all practical purposes, be as large as you wish just as you can have as many controllers as you wish.

No limiting factors to be concerned with.

SD90:
I started with a DigiTrax empire builder, it can run 22 locomotives, I quickly found out that even when you have engines MU'd together, sitting in the staging yard, they still use up those 22 available address. So if I had 7 trains in staging, each with 3 locomotives on them, that would only leave me 1 locomotive I could run, without un MU'ing a consist. It was a PIA, so I had to upgrade to the Super Chief, that gave me the ability to run 128 locomotives, (I think.) Again, not all running at the same time, that would need additional power supplies, but just being consisted together, takes up the slots.
So if I'm understanding correctly, I could have 40 RailPro equipped locomotives on the layout, consisted in pairs, (so 20 trains ) and I could only RUN 6 trains (12 locomotives ) at once? I'm designing this layout for operations, maybe 6-8 operators during an op session.

Alan:

--- Quote ---I could have 40 RailPro equipped locomotives on the layout, consisted in pairs, (so 20 trains ) and I could only RUN 6 trains (12 locomotives ) at once?
--- End quote ---
From --> 1 <-- controller. Not practical for a single operator. If you had 10 controllers then you could have 10 guys running 60 trains. Invite me, I have to see that in action.  :o

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page