Stafford Central

A modern image DCC controlled "OO" gauge loft layout
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This page is designed to advise what I use and why - I hope as time goes by to expand on it somewhat however for starters.....
 
Why DCC?

Why did I decide to construct a DCC layout?

1. I wanted to be able to control multiple trains easily.
2. I wanted to have more than one train running on the same track.
3. I wanted easy wiring.
4. I wanted to run elements using a PC.

Let’s park the PC idea as I have not got that far yet but it does have a bearing on some of my decisions.

Why Lenz?

After reading several reviews and making sure it could do what I wanted (or thought I wanted with my limited knowledge at the time) I purchased the Lenz Set 100 at Warley 2005. I chose Lenz based on reviews and also on it being an established and respected player in the market – being new to DCC I didn’t want to see my investment (and believe me DCC doesn’t come cheap) disappear. Was it the right decision……Yes, No, Maybe.


• Yes - Because it works and so far with much head scratching I have managed to achieve everything I have wanted to do though not always as easily as I would have liked. The Gold decoders with the power 1 modules attached are great especially on dirty track (but expensive at circa £50 each).

• No – With the pace of change I perceive is happening in the market place I see little advancement and basic detailed information in a language a beginner can understand (or me at least) is hard to come by.

• Maybe – I don’t know any better – this could be as good as it gets.

Is DCC a cheap option & What do you need?

No, no, no, no, no, no and no. Well that depends on what other hobbies you compare it with I suppose.

So what do you need….In basic terms you need something to send DCC signals, this needs power and a device connected to it to tell it what you want it to do. This needs to be connected to the track. The trains you run need to have something in them to understand what the DCC signals are telling them to do. Other items that you want to operate also have to have something to decipher the DCC signals.

Below are the detailed options and guide prices (as at Feb 07) for what is needed to run Stafford Central (From a DCC perspective), the below works for me and is not a definitive guide of what can and cannot be done:
 
 ITEMPRICEDESCRIPTION
Lenz Set 100 (Starter Set) £222.00

For this you get the brains of the outfit (base unit), an external power supply and a handheld which connects into the base unit. The handheld that comes with this set is push button controlled rather than knob controlled (personal preference). The set can supply 5 Amps – the more amps the more you can run\ control at one time. You will need to connect the set to the track using some wire.

Once you have connected this to the track you can run trains ((without decoders) – well one anyway – if you do you may find it emits a high pitched noise)). This set will allow you to run up to 256 trains and 1024 points\ signals etc (with suitable decoders).
 

Equipment Wire (24/0.2) £14.99

Sold in 100m reels at Maplin – (Current code Black – CK73Q, Red – CK78K) – This is the main wire that runs all around the layout under the baseboards which is basically carrying the electric and dcc signals from the base unit – smaller and cheaper wires connect this wire to the track at numerous locations. It is also used to connect up the other Lenz items. 

Equipment Wire (16/0.2) £11.99

Sold in 100m reels at Maplin – (Current code Black – PA64U, Red – PA71N) – This is the wire that I have used most of (I think I am up to about 600m in total) – it connects the 24/0.2 wire above to the track at numerous locations. It is also used to connect up lights, points, signals and any other electrical item that needs wiring up.

Lenz Silver Decoders £18.00

These are the standard decoders used on Stafford Central for all those trains with a standard 8 pin DCC socket (new Bachmann trains are shipping with a 21 pin socket that needs an adapter). 

Lenz Gold Decoders£21.26 

These are replacing the Silver Decoders above as my preferred decoder when connected to the Power 1 module below – (used on Stafford Central for all those trains with a standard 8 pin DCC socket (new Bachmann trains are shipping with a 21 pin socket that needs an adapter)). 

Power 1 USP Module£25.50 

The Gold decoders are equipped with soldering pads to which the cables of the Power 1USP storage module must be soldered however these are very small and my soldering is not very good so Digitrains provide them pre-soldered (only place in UK I have been able to find so far).

Power 1 is an energy storage module for use with Gold Series decoders. USP means "uninterruptible signal processing.” This storage unit supplies the decoder and the locomotive with power when there is an interruption of electrical connection to the track (e.g. dirty tracks). Ideal on my track at present! 

Lenz LS150 Accessory Decoder£30.00 

The LS150 is able to control 6 accessories (signals, points etc) and is connected to the Set 100 above. 7 of these are used on Stafford Central. 

Lenz LS110 Accessory Decoder £44.50

The LS110 is able to control 4 accessories (signals, points etc) and is connected to the Set 100 above. 6 of these are used on Stafford Central (these were purchased at below cost on EBay hence there use). 

Lenz LK100 Reverse Loop Module £35.50

The LK100 is used to control 2 reversing loops on Stafford Central and simplify’s the wiring of reversing loops by allowing you to operate your trains through a reversing section/loop without manually changing locomotive direction or track polarity. It is connected to the Set 100 above. 

Lenz TR150 Transformer £45.00 The TR150 is the power supply (transformer) - 1 of these are used on Stafford Central - and powers the Set 100 above as well as the track.
Lenz TR100 Transformer £36.00 

The TR100 is the other power supply (transformer) I use on Stafford Central to spread the load - this provides power to the points and accessories, whilst the TR150 does the rest.

Lenz LI-USB Computer Interface  £81.50

The LI-USB connects to a PC via a USB cable and the LA152 by way of an xpressnet cable to allow comunication using a PC.

Lenz LA152 XBus Adapter  £13.50

The LA152 is basically an adapter which is wired to the Set 100 and can be located away from it to allow you to connect the handheld in a more convieniant location for operation - 2 of these are used on Stafford Central with more to come in future 

 
All of the above are already in situ and wired in – I am hoping if time allows to provide some more detailed information on what items are used for and how they interconnect as the layout ages and changes are made.