Wiring a Reverse Loop in DC - not DCC

[CRL]

...Or perform small precision soldering on the decoder circuit or the motor.

Each system has it’s positives & negatives.

DC can run a huge string of locomotives together, until you run out of juice or blow a fuse.

[peteski]

DC can run a huge string of locomotives together, until you run out of juice or blow a fuse.

Why? You can't do the same in DCC?  I don't get it.  If you use a 10 Amp booster you can about 50 non-sound equipped locos at the same time.  Isn't that huge enough?    If you have too many locos, the breaker will trip (same as in DC).

[djconway]

...Or perform small precision soldering on the decoder circuit or the motor.

Each system has it’s positives & negatives.

DC can run a huge string of locomotives together, until you run out of juice or blow a fuse.

But with DCC you have INDEPENDENT control and you can speed match those locomotives.   

The thing that sold me on DCC in 1996 was helpers.  I was in Altoona watching trains being made-up for their assult on the hill, locos we being added and cut on both ends simultaneously.  Another helper adventure was on the east slope of The Berkshires neat Chester the train stalled mid hill, the power was cut off the following train to shove the first over the hill.  It can be done with DC but the short block toggle dance is a fun killer. 

Even hard wire decoders can be added with minimal effort and a mill file in about 1/2 an hour.

[Jbub]

If you're doing a small layout like on a hollow core door then DC is great. Look at what DKS does and Lee has done.  If you're doing a larger layout the question begs to be asked, do you want to run trains or a switch board on a layout?

[mrhedley]

I have a similar layout with two track parallel main with loops at each end.  It is standard DC, with two independent walkaround mainline throttles, segregated in to four blocks.  Each block has DPDT switches on each track to allow changing throttles to perform switching to sidings along the mainline line. 

I tried the AR initially, but found the simplest approach was to wire the loops to independent power packs.  If I want I can run up to six trains in the same direction, continuously around the layout, depending on the length.   Of course you can't perfectly match the speed between sections, but this is not really an issue since due to slight differences in voltage drop due to varied wiring arrangements from block to block, there is always some slight variation in speed as a loco travels from block to block.  And of course the ability to do this with DC also depends on the motors characteristics.  There are some locos that simply run too fast (Atlas RS-3 is most notable) to operate in this manner as even at slow speeds they can over run into an occupied block.  The operating strategy seems to work best with no more than 3 trains.