05-15-2010, 10:46 AM
Boppa, going back a few posts with regard to dcc outside on ho, I don't think it would work. It definitely would not work with sound decoders. ANY disruption of power with sound causes the decoder to shut down and then restart. At the modular club when we set up all of our rails have wire drops to the buss for power, except the 4" long joiner tracks we use between modules. Those rely on the rail joiners making the electrical connection. With our old school dc system, most locomotives would bridge the joiner tracks so either the front or rear truck of a locomotive would pick up power. Steam engines were more finicky, but with flywheels they would coast over the dead spots and pick up power on the other side. Not so with dcc, and interruption of power caused the decoder to "start over." We have also found that the track must be extremely clean for dcc to work. Any dirt or corrosion acts like an open circuit. Large scale is heavy enough to crush through corrosion and crush dirt out of the way. Ho is just too small and light to do the job. I'm not suggesting that it won't work outside, but it will require a lot more maintenance than large scale, and I'm not convinced that dcc is doable at all in ho scale outside. I think On30 with battery powered locomotives and radio control like model airplanes a or rc cars is probably more practical for outdoor use.