DCC Impulses Column - 10
From Mr. DCC’s workbench
– A short guide to consists
Continued ...
can be added to or taken out of the consist by merely program-
ming CV 19 on the main. However, older decoders may not
support this consisting method.
Command Station Consisting
Here is where things get more complicated. Some command
station manufacturers offer a quick way to set up a consist (or
multiple unit block – MU). While command station consisting is
easy, there are some drawbacks. Let’s look at two systems:
Digitrax
Digitrax uses what it calls UniVersal (yes, that’s the way they
capitalize it) consisting. It is easy to set up on their DT40x series
throttles.
You select the lead loco on the right knob and the next loco
on the left. You adjust the direction of each loco until both are
going the same direction on the track. Then you press the MU
button, and then the + button. To add more locos, select the
new loco on the left knob, set its direction, and repeat the MU
and + button presses. The command station remembers which
locos are running together and sends the appropriate com-
mands to each loco. To remove a loco from the consist, select
the consist on the right knob and the specific loco to be removed
on the left knob and press MU, then the – (minus) key.
While this is simple to use, it takes up a system slot for each
loco in the consist, so if you have a limited system like the
Zephyr, you can run out of slots quickly. Also, the consist is
MRH-Feb 2013
