WHAT IS NEEDED TO RUN CONVENTIONAL TRAINS ON A LAYOUT EQUIPPED WITH LEGACY, TMCC & DCS

Greg,

    If you do not have a TMCC, Legacy or DCS system hooked up to your layout then your TMCC, Legacy and DCS engines will behave as a conventional engines. If you add one of the operating system say TMCC then your TMCC and Legacy will sit still until they are addressed by the TMCC system. MTH engine with PS2 and PS3 will continue to operate as conventional engines. Unless you attach DCS to your layout then they will also have to be addressed using the DCS system. The problem are the conventional engines if they are on the layout and you have 18 volts powering the tracks so you can use TMCC, Legacy or DCS then any sequence of power will start all the conventional engines to start up at top speed. The secret is not to have conventional engines on the track if using a command control system unless they are on a separate loop were you can control the power level to the proper levels for conventional operation. Now I think I am confused.

JohnB

Greg,

     To run TMCC, Legacy and DCS engines conventional all you would need is a transformer with the ability of controlling voltage, a directional button as well as a whistle/horn and a bell button. A Lionel ZW or MTH Z400 are top notch transformers.

JohnB

@marshelangelo posted:

Good Evening everyone, I just thought about this question and I needed some expertise.  I have about 12-13 conventional F3's that I would like to convert to TMCC or Legacy down the road to run on my layout.  I'm pretty close to completion on the first level of my layout which had me adding block sections to assist in smooth operation of my DCS locomotives and I'm putting my backdrop up very soon also.  My Question:  When I run my conventional F3's on my layout will my Legacy, TMCC and DCS trains have to be taken off the tracks or ( I haven't done it yet with my Lionel ZW-L transformer) what steps do I have to take before I complete the first level and move onto the second level.  I need information please, Thanks

Well, first caveat: I strictly run conventional, and have no command control systems on my layout. So, take anything I say with a shaker of salt!

With that said, though, ISTM the chief problem is that all command systems I'm somewhat familiar with require the tracks to be powered full time, even if the engine has been halted by command. If you try to add conventional gear to that layout, you will have to instead use the throttle to control conventional motion by varying the track voltage, from full throttle to zero. I'm not sure what killing power to the track would do to any command control consists running (or at least placed) on the track at the same time -- the engine and any powered feature would stop, of course, if power is removed, but I'm not sure what would happen when the throttle is cracked open again. In other words, the command stuff might default to inaction/off, or to the last settings . . .  or cycling through no power might reset it in some other fashion. I'll leave it to those more knowledgeable than me about such systems (hint: almost everyone!) to suggest the likely result, but I suspect you'd do best to keep the conventional away from the command control stuff!

You will need the following for conventional control with Legacy/TMCC:

-Transformers: ZW-L (you have this already), Powermaster and Powerhouse (I use these for my own layout), or Transformer with PH Adapter Cable connected to PM.

-Legacy #990 Set, Cab1L/Base1L, or TMCC Base/Remote

-MTH DCS can run conventional trains using the variable outputs.

The ZW-L works like the PM to allow you to use a Legacy or TMCC System to run conventional locomotives. I would suggest adding a few insulated sidings to park either your conventional F3s or command-controlled locos so you don't have to pull anything off your layout. Just insulate the center rail on each siding and wire a SPST on/off toggle switch to run power to each block. You don't need to convert any of your conventional F3s.

I think I got where you’re coming from Dylan and I’m about to add SPST toggles to my sidings as we speak (but my focus there was to shut off power to the lines when I wasn’t using the locomotives). Now they’ll have a dual purpose. Thanks, I got it, and thanks JohnB and Steve for helping out. The only situation now is that I have about 12-13 ERR boards that I bought for a conversion type undertaking , hey what the ****, the conversions can wait while I build the  layout and maybe I won’t use them at all. Time will tell, but you guys have provide me with an alternative. Much much thanks again, now I can go to sleep and not think about this move in my sleep.