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How to Wire for DCC in HO Railroad

Digital command controllers (DCC) for HO railroading add the ability to create a more-lifelike railroad experience. The DCC module can control multiple functions on the train engine and surrounding environment, including lights, horns, direction of train travel, crossing gates and position indicators. The DCC module can even control multiple trains on the same tracks and in the same HO railroad trainscape. The wiring complexity for a trainscape is determined by the number of devices included in your train layout and is increased not by the presence of the DCC, but by the options it creates.

Things You'll Need

DCC HO command center
HO railroad track.
DCC booster
Digital HO trains and digital decoder modules
22 gauge or 24 gauge single strand bell wire
Soldering gun and electrical solder

Instructions

- 1
  Build the HO gauge railroad track. The entire track must be laid out in a contiguous loop. Whether it goes in and around model towns and multi-room landscaped townscapes or simply around the perimeter of a single room, the track must be a complete loop so that it creates a complete electrical circuit.
- 2
  Break the circuit wiring into two half loops. The digital command center functions differently than the traditional power supply which required a complete circuit throughout the entire system. The DCC and the train booster will communicate with each other directly across the two half loops to complete the circuit.
- 3
  Connect the two wires from the DCC to one half of the train circuit. Connect the positive lead to one track and the negative lead to the other track using the soldering iron or specialized connection blocks.
- 4
  Connect the two wires from the booster to the two rails on the other half of the loop/circuit. Keep the positive and negative orientation the same with both halves of the loop. If the positive lead is connected to the outside rail in the DCC half of the loop, connect the positive lead to the outside rail in the booster half of the loop as well.
- 5
  Connect the booster to the DCC module directly. By connecting these two devices, the circuit is completed and the trains will operate.
- 6
  Complete and test a simple circuit and track layout before adding additional devices into the system. With each device, such as crossing gates, location indicators, derailment power shutoffs, etc., the wiring becomes more complicated. By adding one device at a time, railroad engineers will become familiar with the DCC wiring requirements and options without becoming lost in the circuitry configurations.

Model Railroads