Introduce Yourself...

[Alan]

The only question I have is I started my layout with DC. Do I have to buy a power pack from railpro? Or can I run the real pro on my existing DC system?

What make and model power pack do you have?

[nodcc4me]

Welcome Keith.   

Yes, you can run RailPro on straight DC. Your track will have to be cleaned more often than it would with RP. For about $90, the PWR56 is probably worth it just to save you the time of cleaning your wheels and track.

[KWilhelm]

MRC Maximum Railroad Control HO Train Transformer model 500 Is the controller I am using.

The only reason I ask is I want my 12 year old son to be able to run trains on DC while I run Railpro. I can slowly introduce him to rail pro as we go.

Thanks for your help

[Alan]

That unit is near and dear to my heart. I had two of them on a layout when I was a kid. That was a long time ago.

I would recommend you do not use it with RailPro or with any model railroad equipment that contains solid state electronics. The old 500 and 501 power packs were basic transformers and rheostat with no filtering whatsoever. While RP modules may work on it don't be surprised if strange gremlins occur from time to time or even module failure happens. The RP modules are meant to work on filtered DC. Your MRC power pack is anything but filtered. If you have an oscilloscope and look at the output waveform you would see that is a very wavy DC.

Best you get a RP power supply or if you are on a budget use an old laptop power brick. You need something between 13-15 volt output. Bricks can readily be had for less than $10. https://www.ebay.com/itm/15V-DC-Power-Supply-4-3A-60W-with-1-AC-Power-Cord-UL-Listed-Efficiency-Level-IV/282774353078?hash=item41d6aa34b6:g:tAgAAOSwTQtaNEuf

You cannot run DC trains and RailPro trains on the same track at the same time. The varying voltage used to control the DC train will cause the RailPro train to quit working or at best work erratically. It has to be one or the other.

[KWilhelm]

Thanks.. this is why this forum is so great. Maybe I can set up a switch to let my boy run and then I can run railpro at a different time and teach him. This was a great help.

[KWilhelm]

I planded on purchasing the starter kit from Bill this week but now I know not to run the trains together.

[Alan]

Go ahead and buy the starter kit. And let your boy have at it. He isn't going to do any more harm with RP than he could do with DC. Turning the RP knob is the same as turning the DC power pack knob. If need be Dad can acquire the loco and then hand son the throttle.

[johnsteamer2008]

Hello everyone. My name is John DeJong, living in a western suburb of Chicago. Started in HO about 50 yrs ago, but due to family, job and other excuses, dropped out, and upon retiring, returned about a dozen years ago.  My primary interest is in modeling and building an HO 1940's  layout. Have a Digitrax system with dcc ready and dcc on board steam locos that I will convert to battery power and RailPro. I'm looking forward to tapping into the knowledge and experience of this group to get me through this conversion

[nodcc4me]

Welcome to the group, John. Good to see another steam fan on here. Most of the guys are into diesels. 

[ratajack2004]

Hi my name is Stephen Cotner, I am mechanical engineer in Irvine CA modeling HO returning to the hobby. Since I have many DC locomotives, I am exploring wiring to DCC standards so that I can set up my layout to operate on DC, DCC or Railpro while I transition my locomotives to Railpro. Considering using ME and atlas turnouts for code 100 mainline and 83 for branchlines. Looking forward to learning from experience of this group.

[John Matthews]

I am Johnny Matthews and will go by PJ (for Papa Johnny) which is what my grands call me.
I live in West Texas not far from the oilfields.  My railroad is a protofreelance of what I see in my area.  San Angelo is in west central Texas.  We have mesas and brush land and farming.  UP runs east/west through my home town 75 miles north at Colorado City, Texas.  BNSF runs down from the plains of New Mexico through Lubbock and south to Houston through San Angelo Junction east of where I live.  MOPAC ran east/west through my home town before being acquired by UP in the late seventies.  Santa Fe and ATSF ran on a branch RR through San Angelo in the 1920's through 1960's.  The South Orient (originally the Kansas City Mexico Pacific RR) operated through here  in the past.   Today, the branch from Ft. Worth to San Angelo is called the Texas Pacifico Transportation System.  So, I model MOPAC, ATSF, UP, BNSF, Ft. Worth and Western, Texas and Pacific, and South Orient  RR's.   I call the rail road the Petro Texas and Western because of the oilfields in our area of West Texas. 

[Alan]

Papa Johnny, good to see another modeler using a fictitious name for an amalgamation of real railroads. Mine is the same. My LK&O railroad is actually little pieces of the AC&Y, GT, and WM all rolled into one. Prototype railroading under a freelance name. Unlike yours however, my three railroads did not interchange with each other in the real world. In fact they were hundreds of miles from each other. On my layout they are linked together sequentially to form a single railroad.

[jjwdadof4]

Hi my name is Joshua White I just ordered my railpro system I model HO not after any particular theme or era I'm still green behind the ears just got some track up after being packed away for 20+ years so any help or hints are more than welcome I will probably get on here quite a bit to get some help, I'm in the Kansas City area so if there are any other railpro users around the area I would like to get together and form a new friendship

Thanks,
Josh

[nodcc4me]

Welcome to the group, Josh. Have fun with RailPro. 

[TJMac]

Hello Everyone,

This is Tom McMahon. I've been in and out of model railroading for 35 years. Started in HO and N, then to modern G. Had to sell all the large scale to make room for two beautiful little girls who are now 12 and 9.  Have been following RailPro and it's progress for three or four years. Was super excited when I saw the large scale modules and decided to get back into 'it'......2 rail O scale this time. Large enough for my less-than-perfect vision, and small enough to still build something awesome indoors.

Professionally speaking, I've been in various roles of product development for 20+ years - design, 3D modeling, engineering and prototyping (I was working with 3D printers before it was cool). This translates extremely well to my hobbies and I'm constantly creating 'stuff'.

I'm here for information, and hopefully to add to conversations....share what knowledge I do have  .

Thank you,

Tom