Pieter,
I caught a bug over the weekend so these semi-legal drugs are having
their effect. Yes you are right about turning the engine around, my
mistake. All this world needs is just a little more confusion. What
I should have added was the ability of then returning that pusher engine
light back down the hill, or even just putting it into a siding without
affecting the other train. This is generally not easily done. I guess I
was flash backing to my days with Dynatrol where I did wire several
engines backward to make up loco sets, if they had the same address.
Bob Werre
Pieter Roos wrote:
> Hi Bob;
>
> Boy, are we mis-communicating.
>
> You said that with two rail DC one could not simulate the N&W practice
> of running a steam helper tender-first without re-wiring the model to
> run backwards. I was pointing out that you are incorrect, you can flip
> any two rail DC engine around and place it back on the track and it
> will continue to run the same direction on the track it was running
> before, just like you can turn around a diesel unit to make an A-B-A
> set and it will run "backwards" while the lead unit runs "forward"
> without changing the wiring. Flip it around again and run the A units
> "elephant style", again without changing the wiring. No DCC involved
> in that case.
>
> I'm not complaining at all about DCC, there are plenty of things you
> CAN do with it that are impossible or difficult with two rail DC. It's
> just your example of running one steam engine "backwards" as a helper
> while the others run forward is not valid.
>
> Pieter Roos
>
> Bob Werre <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
> Pieter,
> I do believe you are mistaken. As example take your ABA setup. When
> you setup your lashup set the A & B to run in the same direction
> and MU
> them. Next set up the trailing A unit to run backward and couple
> to the
> AB set, next just MU it to the consist. Everything should run
> together. I run the same setup with SHS F units all the time. In this
> way the lead unit will have all it's lights functioning and the
> trailing
> unit will only have a headlight in reverse. I also have a set of RR
> FT's and a lone F-7 that I run as ABA or AAB as the need arises. I'm
> not sure about the convenience of all the various systems (Digitrax
> operator here) but I would guess I can make or break a consist in
> well
> under a minute in any combination of directions.
>
> I've personally only tried running a mid engine helper once, in that
> case I didn't mu them, just used the other throttle (dual 400 units)
> and it worked okay. My layout doesn't run that long a train, unless
> they join by accident (accidental mid train non helper in this
> case). I
> have used rear helpers more often when an engine is stalling, I can
> easily send an engine up the rear, MU it and off we go. Just this
> past
> weekend, on my major grade the drive shaft on one of the FT's started
> slipping, so I sent a Sunset GP-9 for a little help. An hour later
> and
> a replaced drive knuckle and the FT's were doing fine by
> themselves. I
> typically run trains of 10-16 cars with 20 being the max. for my
> sidings, so it's a thing I do just to get practice. Now our Houston S
> Gaugers modules have run many trains much longer, but because
> there are
> no grades there's not much need to worry about helper districts.
>
> Bob Werre
> BobWphoto.com
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Pieter Roos wrote:
>
> > Ahhhh, Bob;
> >
> > Lets think about this for a second. Did you ever have to wire an F
> > unit backward to make up an A-B-A loco set? On two rail DC every
> > correctly wired locomotive will run the same direction,
> regardless of
> > facing. So, while DCC has lots of advantages over plain DC, this
> > doesn't happen to be one of them. More to the point is that mid or
> > rear train helpers can actually be operated as on the real
> railroad,
> > by a different crew and at different speeds if required. Also,
> models
> > with different gearing can be run together more easily than with DC
> > systems. The ability to run some units facing the opposite way
> is NOT
> > an advantage of DCC.
> >
> > Pieter Roos
> >
> >
> >
>
>
>
>
> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
>
>
>
>
>
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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