RailPro User Group
General => General Discussion => Topic started by: William Brillinger on November 14, 2015, 03:51:20 PM
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We've had a bunch of new members in the last few days.
Welcome to the RailPro User Group!
Please take a moment to introduce yourselves if you have not already done so.
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Hi
Tom from Verona, Wi. I have been in model railroading since college years but have had trains since 8 or 9. I retired last year and finally have started the build. 14 months later I truly am ready to move from DC control to something else. I heard of Rail Pro from one of Allen at LK&O and Bill B forum entries. I started my investigation. I loved it but did come close a couple months ago to going with the Stanton S-Cab because I do prefer the DeadRail. But not enough room in the units.
I joined to get honest opinions from actual users as other Forums do not have a clue when you discuss Rail Pro. It also will convert easily to dead rail when the tech advances. I will be buying in a few months.
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Hi:
Charles from Shreveport, LA. I have been model railroading since college. I too am newly retired and starting a new HO layout in an upstairs bedroom. I first saw RailPro on YouTube & then in person on a local layout that had DCC & RailPro combine in a heavy operations format with all diesel motive power and was very impressed with the comparative ease of use. I have joined the user group to gain more info from real life users. I'm currently using straight DC with several brass steam locos. At this time I'm seriously leaning toward RailPro if steam sounds are equivalent to Tsunami or WOW. Upgadeability through software is very appealing in that regard.
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Hello
I have a HOn3 layout modeling Colorado narrow gauge. Running on DC. Have wanted sound for years but never got too excited with DCC because of cost and complexity setting up CV numbers, etc. RailPro looks like the way to go. A tight fit but I think receiver will fit in tender of my little 2-6-0. Also wireless throttle would be a definite plus.
Dave in SW Ohio
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Hi! My name is Kent Smith. I began railfanning with my Dad when I was 5 and Tyco Trainsets for Christmas at 7. I have read MR since I was a kid and have enjoyed RMC, Mainline Modeler, and other pubs as my interest became more historical/prototypical. I am a member of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society. I still have every train Dad and I collected back in the early 70's in original boxes. As an adult I have collected many more HO trains and brass locomotives and passenger with the idea of building an operating layout based on the Electrified GN Cascade Division 1955, Skykomish to Wenatchee WA. I also may build a small P48 set of modules of the earlier GN Cascade crossing set in 1910. I'm about ready to start a couple HO modules to test ideas for the 1955 layout. I have been reading nodes/posts on MRH re:Ring Eng. and am very interested in learning more, I like what I see thus far.
Kent Smith
GN Cascade
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Hello All,
I am Dan from Gause, Tx and am retired. I am building my first layout, so am having to learn everything. Having a blast! I have wanted to build one since I was a kid in the 50's. Now I have the time, so have done the bench work and am starting the track work now. I have looked at DCC and just have not seen anything about it that impressed me.
My layout will be about 18x16 HO. I am very interested in RP and am impressed with everything I have seen. I learn a lot from forums and am looking forward to being on this one and seeing it grow.
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Hello from Texas! I'll soon be moving to Palestine, TX to semi-retire ( we'll see how that pans out ). I ran across this site on MRH and very glad I did. My new and hopefully last layout is planned to be On30, 1880's - 1920's backwoods mining and logging with an emphasis on hand laid track and scratch built.....well.....everything. Why RailPro? Think KISS theory. My plan is the use of "deadrail"....I think I can see the future of model railroading, at least thru these eyes. I hope to have many conversations with all of you here about our love for the hobby thru the use of RailPro. :)
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Welcome everyone. I'm Jacob from Ft. Worth, TX. I'm a former DCC Run Chief with Free-mo and know the Digitrax system inside and out. I got out of the hobby in 2012 and when I returned last year I made a list of what I wanted and what I didn't. At the top of the 'didn't' list was DCC. I've been using RailPro, thanks in no small part to KPacks youtube videos, and haven't regretted it for a moment. Tim and Ring have an excellent product and I don't think you'll be disappointed either. Welcome aboard!
Jacob
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Greetings all, I'm Kevin from Ellensburg WA. Nice to see a few members from Texas...I lived in San Antonio for 4 yrs and Corpus Christi for 3. Texas is nice, but hot!
I've been a Railpro convert for over 3 yrs now. I liked it so much when I bought it that I made it my goal to spread the word about it. Back when I was first researching it I had a hard time finding any information on the system. The only thing I found in forums was hearsay and rants against it being proprietary. I decided that the best way to learn about Railpro was to buy it, so I did. I've never regretted it. I've tried to make a few videos showing some of the features of Railpro and have been active on various forums sharing my experiences and correcting misconceptions.
I came from a background in both DC and DCC. I was never impressed with DCC though... working with CV's and those awful controllers felt like I was taking a step back into the early 80's. Plus it seemed like there were non-stop issues on the club layout. Dropped addresses, locos showing up in someone else's consist, random locomotives running without any control, loss of control, slot max, speed matching (the most annoying thing ever! even with JMRI), etc, etc. So much so that it made running the trains a real chore. None of those issues with Railpro!
Glad to be a Railpro user and to be part of the community.
-Kevin
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Hello everybody, my name is Mel and I am from Chilliwack BC. I have been a happy owner of RailPro for a little over two years and I love it. I have built three layouts in the last 35 years all of which were DC.
Over the years I saw so many model railroaders on various forums and groups that were having so many problems with DCC. Even today it seems that there is just as many problems with DCC as there was say ten years ago. One would think that after 20 to 25 years these manufacturers would have their act together. Not so. It is obvious that age does not make technology better, it only becomes redundant. It was because of this that I did not purchase a DCC system. Model railroading is supposed to be fun.
Then several years ago I read about RailPro on Model Railroad Hobbyist which really got my attention. The rest is history, RailPro certainly puts A TON OF FUN in this hobby.
It is too bad that all model railroaders can't have a " hands on experience" with RailPro. This system will sell itself.
Mel
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Howdy gents. I'm Al from NY. I became interested in trains when I was very young, thanks to my Dad. Four years ago I decided to build an HO layout, so I joined a club to become a bit more informed about the build. The club's HO layout is DCC. I soon found out about all of the problems as mentioned by others. Then I discovered RailPro, read the few reviews that I could find, and had to have it. I set up my layout and have enjoyed using RP ever since. After showing RP to the guys in the club, three of them have started using it and a couple more are considering it. Aside from the previously mentioned benefits, Tim Ring has been excellent to work with. He is very concerned about his customers and will go out of his way to help solve a problem.
I look forward to sharing experiences and offer whatever help I can here.
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Hi guys
My name is Yves and I'm from Ponoka, Alberta. I'm a couple of miles east of the Edmonton-Calgary CP mainline and like to run down when I hear on my scanner that a train is coming and take pictures. I'm collecting locomotive and rolling stock photos like I used to collect hockey cards.
I'm building a two-level layout powered with an NCE DCC system. I like the fact that RailPro can run on it and while I toyed with the idea of converting totally I'm sticking with NCE for now. I have a Rapido TurboTrain and some hi-rail vehicles that aren't suited for RailPro. I've installed LM-2S modules in a couple of locos and you sure can't beat the consisting aspect of it. I tried doing it with DecoderPro and what a nightmare that is. I've bought a lot of locos with DCC but will eventually yank the decoders out and switch to RailPro.
I hope to see this forum grow and that members will post more installation photos/videos especially with hard-wired examples.
I would like to see an N-scale version module even if it didn't have sound that would fit in something like my Walthers powered American Crane.
Cheers,
Yves from Ponoka
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Am hailing from the Decatur, Al area and am a DCC user with N scale. Have recently been dabbling a bit with HO. Two
of the HO locos are DCC equipped but due to some issues with my 'wireless' DCC system, particularly address holes :o
have been reading up on RailPro trying to decide if it is the right system for me to use on the HO side.
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Hi guys. I'm Rick from northwest Indiana. Got back into the hobby after a 25yr absence and after tons of research decided to go the railpro route. So far I couldn't be happier.
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Hi, I am Richard from Las Vegas,NV. I am not retired but as an electrician I have been into trains since I was a teenager (53 now). I got into electronics and electricity due to my interest in trains first. This has even helped me in my current career as a trade show electrician since I can fix stuff and do hook-ups of customer equipment due to my background with electronics and LED installs related to my hobby. I started building my current 20x20 double deck modern HO BNSF layout a few years ago with the full intention of running Digitrax DCC. I bought all the books and only had a few DCC parts to start with. After doing a lot of research and watching some DCC YouTube videos, I decided that a 20+ year old tech that was very complicated to program just wasn't for me. I decided of RailPro about 3 years ago but waited until last year to start buying the equipment. I waited to see how it would work out with all the bad reviews from guys who didn't even have it. They were concerned about the touch screen, picture files and such. These were not an issue for me at all. I have 8 modules so far and one HC-2 controller with a goal of about 25 to 30 RailPro equipped engines. Been buying mostly new engines so far for conversion and haven't started on my older units yet. Using sound in every unit so far. Can't seem to find any Model RailRoaders in the Las Vegas area other than the G scale guys. Will need a few operators once the layout is finished. Have most of the track down.
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Hi Gang;
I'm currently a DC Cab Control guy who dabbled in DCC about 14 years ago and didn't like the whole CV thing. Tried Bill's RailPro for the first time a week or so ago (I'm the guy in the purple shirt in his Op Session video) and I'm seriously considering RailPro vs. DC Cab Control, especially as I'm at the point of starting wiring!
Ian Lisakowski
Modelling CP Rail & VIA in the early 80's in Winnipeg
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Hi, I am Richard from Las Vegas,NV. I am not retired but as an electrician I have been into trains since I was a teenager (53 now). I got into electronics and electricity due to my interest in trains first. This has even helped me in my current career as a trade show electrician since I can fix stuff and do hook-ups of customer equipment due to my background with electronics and LED installs related to my hobby. I started building my current 20x20 double deck modern HO BNSF layout a few years ago with the full intention of running Digitrax DCC. I bought all the books and only had a few DCC parts to start with. After doing a lot of research and watching some DCC YouTube videos, I decided that a 20+ year old tech that was very complicated to program just wasn't for me. I decided of RailPro about 3 years ago but waited until last year to start buying the equipment. I waited to see how it would work out with all the bad reviews from guys who didn't even have it. They were concerned about the touch screen, picture files and such. These were not an issue for me at all. I have 8 modules so far and one HC-2 controller with a goal of about 25 to 30 RailPro equipped engines. Been buying mostly new engines so far for conversion and haven't started on my older units yet. Using sound in every unit so far. Can't seem to find any Model RailRoaders in the Las Vegas area other than the G scale guys. Will need a few operators once the layout is finished. Have most of the track down.
Richard:
Welcome. I'm a pilot for Spirit and routinely overnight in LAS. I would be more than happy to run some pumpkins if you need operators!
Jacob
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Not completely up and running yet but early next year will be much farther. Have only tested a few sections so far but mostly wired. I live about as far away from the airport as you can be and still technically be in the city but could always pick you up. I work pretty close to the airport at Mandelay Bay. Now that I have 8 engines running, it's time to finish the loose ends and run some trains. Need a second opinion on a few areas for operation before final track work.
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Hi everyone
Name's Antoine, from Sherbrooke, Québec, Canada.
30 years old. I already own Railpro with HC-2 and 6 locomotives equipped with Lm-2S. I have a 12x12 layout in progress. I'm interested in joining this group to share experiences and hear about other's experiences.
Thank you for having me along.
Antoine
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Howdy folks. My name is Rich, and I'm from central Indiana. I'm not retired, but now that the kids are all but grown, I have the time and a little disposable income to revisit model railroading, which fascinated me so when I was young. I may be a bit of an odd duck, as the history of the American railroad, while interesting in its own right, isn't a big draw for me. I imagine my layouts will be largely fictitious, with only a passing nod toward chronological accuracy. My interests lie in those machines of years past, themselves, and modeling the way of life of the people and activities of the crews involved in the industry.
I've never wired a train set beyond hooking up to the two screws on the feeder track section on the old Lionel figure eight set I received for Christmas as a kid, so I've got a lot to learn. I'm starting with an NTrak module, that I can run with a local NTrak club. I'm sure it will be a valuable learning experience for me. My first fixed layout will be a HO scale (space permitting) rail system traversing a number of different environments, incorporating tunnels, bridges, mountains, industries, bodies of water and whatever else I can squeeze into it. I plan to run both steam and diesel locos on it. RailPro will certainly be my control system of choice.
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Hi All,
I'm Jim and I live in Reno, Nevada. My folks gave me an American Flyer set that I and my younger brothers expanded to a flat, no scenic plywood sheet. When I saw the classic Boys' Life HO scale layout in the late-50s I told myself that someday I would have something better and then promptly got sidetracked (heh, heh) about model trains for 40 years. A spinal operation in 1999 gave me time to reacquaint. Altho I bought tons of stuff and put together a 6'x10' table, I couldn't get motivated beyond laying track and running a few consists; but I did keep everything.
I am retired now so have once again turned to the hobby. I am building a bi-level 5'x9' table layout rather than a preferred around the room layout since I only have garage space. The RR is freelanced to include bridges, tunnels and a mostly yard setting on the upper level. So far I'm making more headway, albeit very sporadically, than my previous attempt - I have never been a serious modeler such as most of you. When I assembled gear in 1999 I bought a MRC DCC Command 2000 controller so that's what I'm using. I want something more sophisticated now but my current experience with MRC and the literature I've read by DCC vendors such as Digitrax and NCE just doesn't have much appeal. I discovered the Ring Engineering approach on the Model Railroad Hobbyist website and it makes the most sense to me intuitively.
I recently found this users' group by fortuitous accident and have joined in the hopes of expanding my understanding of Rail Pro - especially what it's like to operate as described by real users instead of unfounded opinions of non-users that I have seen on the internet.
I have just finished reading literally every post in all the forums on this site and the information has been beyond great. Although I am not a participating type person, I am hoping that once I commit to Rail Pro that I will have some worthwhile observations to contribute.
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Welcome here Jim, and all the other recent new members!
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Hello! I'm Jim from Colorado. I received my first model train set around 8 years old, an American Flyer set, but switched to HO around 12 years old, or around 62 years ago! I'm semi-retired, but keep very busy. Because I've been modeling so long, I have a fairly big collection of HO locomotives, both steam and diesel. Most of those are in DC, and I've only recently acquired DCC with sound in a few of my diesels. Obviously, I have far too many locomotives to convert them all to DCC. The main reason I went to DCC at all was to get sound. (There is nothing that stirs me as much as the sound of a diesel horn in the night! As a kid, I rode the original Burlington Zephyrs with my folks going to see my grandparents in downstate Illinois.) I'd like to have some of my steam locomotives rigged for sound and consisting, but the ones I would convert to DCC or RailPro have Canon coreless motors, and I don't know how they would react to the higher voltages of DCC. RailPro sounds interesting, especially for consisting/double-heading. Since I mainly run trains by myself, I'm not too concerned with running more than one train at a time, and my layout is a folded dogbone around a 14' x 14' room.
So any comments on how RailPro works, and tips about converting some of my engines would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, in advance! :)
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Hi, I am a retired electrician with some electronics experience. I have a 13'x20' layout that I have been working on for 20+ years. My layout is DCC controlled using an NCE Power Pro system. I recently purchased a RailPro HC-2 and 4 LM-2 decoders for consisting. Hoping to learn more about RailPro here in these forums.
Tuscarora
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Welcome to Terry, the 100th member of our group.
Looking forward to #200. It's nice to see this group growing.
Yves in Alberta
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Note: I moved Mike's (alias 'MustDecide') question post to it's own topic:
http://rpug.pdc.ca/index.php?topic=240.0
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Hello and Merry Christmas,
My name is LeRoy and I joined this forum a few weeks back to help myself understand RailPro. I am a retired mechanical engineer with just a basic understanding of electronics.
I do not have a layout yet and I am “Homeless by Choice”. I live and travel in my truck camper: the desert southwest during the winter months and more northerly during the summer months. I will be getting an enclosed cargo trailer to use as my hobby area while traveling and I plan on building my railroad empire in the lower level of my son’s house next summer. Over the pass year, I spend a lot of time reading, researching, and planning.
My original plan was to go DCC but then I stumbled onto RailPro. RailPro caught my attention because it seemed to be an advanced technology and simpler to use.
Homeless by Choice
LeRoy
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Welcome to the RailPro User Group LeRoy!!
Your itinerant life sounds like a great time!
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Hi iam Justin from sandpoint Idaho.Still building bench work but still run trains on what track I got down.From what I've seen I have no reason to use any other system,I've never had anything other than a simple old dc power pack.Never ran or used any dcc stuff.l have not had any type of layout before but have always wanted one,and now iam building one.So iam really looking forward to getting started with this railpro system.Just wondering about what I should get to start running trains with railpro thx for any help
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Hi Justin, Welcome to the RailPro group!
To get started from scratch with RailPro I suggest these items:
- RPK-1 controller and power supply
- One LM-3 or LM-3S per locomotive
You'll want DCC ready locomotives if you are looking at buying new ones.
If you want sound, choose the LM-3S instead of the the LM-3.
That will get you rolling!
RailPro products are available from many online retailers including my online store (http://pdc.ca/rr/catalog/product/railpro-and-accessories/51).
If you're looking at a purchase over $500 feel free to contact me about an additional discount.
Cheers!
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Thx for the help William.Better to start with the Hc instead of the part you can plug into computer?I'm thinking money wise if I can get going with that I could do it quicker.will that work or is it better to just get the starter pack.?
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The CI-1 works well if you have a computer at your layout. But it lacks the wireless convenience of the HC. It also does not work with touch screens currently, so it's not tablet friendly in terms of using it as a hand held. It requires the mouse and a scroll wheel on the mouse to work.
If you don't already have an adequate power supply the RPK-1 is the cheapest way to get a fully compatible power supply and an HC.
A 14VDC power supply and the CI-1 will get you going for less, but operationally it won't be the full RailPro experience.
However, if that gets you running trains sooner, it's a great way to go. That is exactly what the CI-1 was designed for.
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Ok sounds like package is the way to go thx. So will I be able to use the ci-1 later as a second throttle?Iam totally new to this lots of dumb questions lol thx again.
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Yes, technically you can use the CI-1 along with the HC Simulator software to run trains, but the real beauty of the CI-1 is that you can download, copy and delete files to and from the modules without the high battery drain on the HC-2 controller. The controller will run trains for hours if you do not use it to copy files into the modules. Also, I don't think the CI-1 radio has the same range as the HC-2 controller, so depending on the size of your layout that would also be a consideration.
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Starting to make more sense to me now.My layout is a around the walls two rooms.Just a square that goes over the stairs.Not real big but two separate rooms. Thanks for your help.I can't wait to get this thing it looks like a lot of fun.
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Starting to make more sense to me now.My layout is a around the walls two rooms.Just a square that goes over the stairs.Not real big but two separate rooms. Thanks for your help.I can't wait to get this thing it looks like a lot of fun.
Then you definitely want a HC-2. Still would be nice to get a CI-1 for the programming reasons. It's not that expensive and will save a lot of time.
-Kevin
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Hello,
New member from Jacksonville, Florida. I started HO scale when I was 11, changed to N while I was serving in the Navy and back to HO after retirement. Just started Railpro could not be happier. My railroad of interest is Edward Hines Lumber and the Oregon & Northwestern (ONWRR), GN, NP, SPS, MILW and UP, Great Western, Southern Pacific. I was running DC before, the effort to modify my turnouts and track to support DCC is unbelievable, and I could never program a VCR, the decision was a no-brainier. Thank you for the discussion, and support. So far I have converted an old school Bowser (Stewart) AS-616 to Railpro, working on a newer Bowser AS-616 (DCC Ready) and 2, S-3 Switchers. Trying to work a keep alive circuity into the next one, can't wait to read the discussions.
-Monte
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Hello this is new member Lee Nicholas from Corinne, Utah. I just recently switched to RailPro (RP) in Jan 2017.
I have been modeling railroad for over 60 years the last 50 in HO Scale. My proto/freelanced UTAH COLORADO WESTERN has been featured in MR, Great Model Railroads and MRP as far back as 1985. My first venture into command control was with DYNATROL in 1979 and stayed with it for 13 years. I started looking at a different system in 1992 which lead me to Rail Lynx which is IR direct to locomotive eliminating all signal through the rails, similar to RailPro. I was the very first Rail Lynx customer, beta tester and assembled all the hand held throttles until I left in Jan 2017. I first became aware of RP when their first ad hit the magazines and immediately logged onto the web site after RF direct to locomotive caught my eye. RF would eliminate the line of site issues with Rail Lynx and I was already aware of the benefits over DCC but the price seemed a little steep. My Rail Lynx worked fine and was paid for so it was hard to justify replacing 18 throttles, 80 decoders and 16 circuit breakers.
My good friend and Rail Lynx user Rod Loder from Salem, OR jumped ship 2 years ago and his visit to the UCW last Oct and excitement over RailPro caused me to reconsider. I too jumped ship and joined the RP fraternity in Jan. Although the $10k investment was a little daunting the complete liquidation of Rail Lynx and the great service from Bill made it possible and I was off and running.
To date I have installed 60 modules (40 with sound big deal for me as Rail Lynx had no sound), 13 HC2's and counting, 4 PWR 56 and 12 circuit breakers so I'm all in and very happy so far.
I've had numerous conversations with Tim Ring getting to know a little about him and his company (large investment after all) and his excitement for the future of RailPro. I happy I made the switch.
I look forward to associating with all of you and our journey with Rail Pro.
Lee
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Welcome Lee! I just went through the website of your layout...wow. That is really, really nice. Great scenery, track, etc. Very cool. Glad you made the switch to Railpro! It's a ton of fun to use, great support, and a very active community. Welcome to the group!
-Kevin
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Welcome to the RailPro Group Lee. I like your layout and think it's great that you have a bunch of guys who are all using RP. :)
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Yup, Welcome here Lee!!
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Hello all,
When I was young my dad and I used to visit the Tehachapi Loop and that inspired me to build a layout. I last had an N scale layout when I was a teenager. I've been involved with RC vehicles since. I'm looking to get back into model railroading after 35 years. Anyway, technology has changed model railroading and I like the idea of battery power. I really like the idea of simplification the RailPro products are aiming for. So, I'd like to glean as much information from this forum as I plan my new layout.
Thanks in advance.... ;)
Bill
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Welcome WyldBill,
Battery power is certainly doable with Railpro; there have been a couple of goes with it by a couple of members here and it works very well, though they do feel the technology still isn't there to consider a wholesale change to battery power.
Enjoy reading the forums and ask away when you have any questions.
- Tim
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Hello everyone my name is Tom, I wanted to introduce myself to the group. I am currently working on my layout and have chosen to use the Railpro system. Thanks for letting me be apart of the forum!
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Welcome to the group Tom and all the other new members!
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Welcome to all the new members!
As of today we have 200.
Please take a moment to introduce yourselves, we'd like to hear from you.
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Hello everyone, RailPro has gained my intrest about a year ago and I just couldn't pull the triger until this past week. I saw the new update and I made the decesion to go RailPro. I am coming from a DigiTrax and LokSound system to RailPro. I have my system on order and I'm looking forward to diving into it. I will admit my knowledge of decoder installs is limited to plug and play so this system seems as it will be a challenge to install. It seems most loco manafactures are leaning more heavely toward complete DCC installs and it will make it harder for RailPro to be installed.
Any how I'm sure I wil need help and advice in the future and if anyone out there does custom RailPro installs I am looking for you.
Thanks
Campbell Rice
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Welcome Campbell to RPUG and the RailPro world. We have a few residents here who are brilliant on all things electronics and installation. Ask away with any questions!
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Evening everyone. I started in trains at birth. Dad would set up Christmas layout. Lionel and American Flyer. 1950s. Still have Lionel and the American Flyer. Last 50 years HO. I have DCC MRC unit but never got into it in a big way. Older engines required a lot of tinkering to set up for DCC thus not much got done bought new DCC ready.
Read the latest article in MRH by Bruce Petrarca and sounded great. No programming no CVs to set, etc.etc.etc.
Retired for the 3rd time, gotta keep busy you know, and will buy the RP system when I return home. Bill can you quote me on a starter set please. G-Kids occupy a lot of my time as I fly in and out of JAX.
So Monte if you like to get together sometime let me know. I live near Lake City and I-10.
I look forward to learning from this forum and please pass on the best practices for RP system. Also, Kevin you have a lot of info and videos and presented a very informative video that helped me make the decision to go RP. Thank you.
Carter Morgan
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Welcome to the group Carter!
I've sent you an email..
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I look forward to learning from this forum and please pass on the best practices for RP system. Also, Kevin you have a lot of info and videos and presented a very informative video that helped me make the decision to go RP. Thank you.
Welcome Carter and all other new members.
There is a wealth of information for the new RailPro user to be gleaned from this forum and it's members so spend some time reading the posts and when you have questions ask away.
One thing I'd consider "best practice" is to strongly consider ordering a CI-1 as well, it will save you a tonne of time (battery time that is) when you want to copy files to modules and tweak settings. I'd say most of us here that actively participate on the forum have a CI-1 for just that purpose.
+1. Another score for Kevin's videos!
- Tim
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I am returning to the hobby after over 25 years away. When I left the hobby Hornby was the only game in town unless you built your own. Now that I have returned am Have been amazed at the changes in the hobby. I recently read the article about Rail Pro in the October issues of MRH. Since returning to the hobby I have made a small investment in Decoders as Our local club has Digitrax system. My biggest complaint so far is the difficulty programming to get the sounds and functions. If I wanted to spend hours programming I would have become a computer nerd or geek whatever the correct PC term is. I live in Hawaii and we have no hobby shops that stock railroad much less DCC systems so everything I have learned is from my club members or the internet.
Rail pro peaked my interest due to the easy of programming and the easy of consisting. We spent hours at the club trying to consist and have had marginal results. I watched several excellent videos on you tube by Kpac, which is Kevin I believe. Those videos have all but sealed the deal for me.
I am looking forward to learning and hopefully sharing ideas and results with all of you. I have lots of questions so please bear with me.
Aloha
Gary
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Rail pro peaked my interest due to the easy of programming and the easy of consisting. We spent hours at the club trying to consist and have had marginal results.
Aloha
Gary
You will be amazed. And so will your DCC club members. ;) Wait until you see how insanely easy it is with RP. Eat your heart out DCC people! CVs are so 90's.
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I am returning to the hobby after over 25 years away. When I left the hobby Hornby was the only game in town unless you built your own. Now that I have returned am Have been amazed at the changes in the hobby. I recently read the article about Rail Pro in the October issues of MRH. Since returning to the hobby I have made a small investment in Decoders as Our local club has Digitrax system. My biggest complaint so far is the difficulty programming to get the sounds and functions. If I wanted to spend hours programming I would have become a computer nerd or geek whatever the correct PC term is. I live in Hawaii and we have no hobby shops that stock railroad much less DCC systems so everything I have learned is from my club members or the internet.
Rail pro peaked my interest due to the easy of programming and the easy of consisting. We spent hours at the club trying to consist and have had marginal results. I watched several excellent videos on you tube by Kpac, which is Kevin I believe. Those videos have all but sealed the deal for me.
I am looking forward to learning and hopefully sharing ideas and results with all of you. I have lots of questions so please bear with me.
Aloha
Gary
Welcome Gary. Several of use owe our new found RailPro existences to Kevin (KPac).
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Hello All
I've decided to take the plunge! It wasn't an easy decision until the recent upgrades including the Dual Mode DCC. Now it's a no-brainer.
I recently set the Golden Spike on my large HO layout of MRL's Mullan Pass. I'm heavily invested in DCC with 30+ locos decoder equipped. This is mainline layout that's all about getting long trains up the mountain pass with helper service. Of course this requires lots of consisted locos and speed matching is the key to successful operations. I've spent untold hours in the past speed matching locos and testing different decoders looking for the right combination of excellent motor controls, great sound and reasonable cost. Most fell short on one count or the other. With the new layout up and running I knew I had to up my fleet by at least 15 locos. I was 95% sure I was going to standardize on Soundtraxx because they always run the best in consist, even thou other brands had features I really wanted like loadable sounds.
On top of that, I planned to buy a few more NCE throttles too. Needed for op sessions.
Railpro caught my eye when it first came out but it wan't mature enough for my needs. Now with the latest upgrades it absolutely is. Bruce Rogers brought over a few of his locos and we did some testing on my layout. The Dual Mode sold me. Especially when we ran his Railpro consist with Engine Driver (smartphone) throttle via JMRI.
All my new locos will get Railpro and I will replace existing decoders as budget permits. Until then I can easily live in both worlds simultaneously. Outstanding! Thanks Ring.
I look forward to working with all you guys on this list.
Chris Heili
MRL Trains