Up until now I ran my trains analogue. But the new analogue. But the new layout will be digital. After all, I do now have a series of locos that are equipped with a digital decoder:
- The BR 64 — equipped with a Märklin “mfx” decoder
- The V60 — equipped with a Märklin “mfx” decoder
- The Köf II — equipped with a Märklin “fx” decoder
- The BR 86 — equipped with a Märklin “delta” decoder
- The BR 89 — equipped with a TAMS “WD-1″ decoder
So I asked a question in one of the Märklin internet fora — the “Marklin Bar and Grille“, an excellent source of information and inspiration — and this page is the result of the responses I got.
Requirements
So, what do I require? Here’s a list:
- The engines shall run digitally on C-track;
- For the time being I’d like to keep the signals and points analogue (I am rather conscious of the cost that is involved with having a decoder for each and every solenoid);
- I do consider digitising them at a later stage;
- But whether they are operated digitally or not, I want engines to stop automatically and smoothly in front of red signals (and potentially also other well defined spots such as in a station);
- I would be happy to control the engines — and the solenoids, should they be digital as well — with a PC (preferrably running MacOS or Linux).
So, what does this mean? The saga continues with a lot of choices:
- What decoders — and decoder protocol — shall I use?
- What controller shall I use?
- How do I enable locos to smoothly stop at signals and other places?
- And finally, how do I play Big Brother and find out where which train is?
Once I have answered these questions I can start a test layout.