Reverse Running commentar
I
n the computer/electron-
ics world, anything over
five years old is ancient
obsolete technology, and
anything over 3 years old is
on the verge of obsolete.
When I look at the current
DCC systems by Digitrax,
NCE, Lenz, EasyDCC, MRC
(and others like Zimo) what
do I find? I find systems es-
sentially unchanged since
the mid 1990s. That means our current DCC user interface and
system technology is now going on 20 years old!
This makes DCC systems a literal dinosaur. These systems were
designed before cell phones, before tablets, and in fact almost
before laptops! I believe we’re long overdue for the next gen-
eration of DCC systems to emerge.
Modern touch interfaces are taking the world by storm, and
there’s one new model railroad system that’s not even DCC,
but it’s clearly in step with the times: RailPro. Its touch-screen,
direct-to-the-loco approach feels a lot more modern than our
20-year-old DCC system technology.
If model railroading is to appeal to the younger generations
who have grown up with computer games and now mobile
devices, moving to updated technology will become a require-
Reverse Running: Stepping outside the box with a contrary view
by Joe Fugate
Next generation of DCC system?
MRH-Jul 2014
