DCC Availability?

All the DCC manufactures are backlogged. Some as much as three months on _some_ items. All it means is that DCC is growing faster than __all__ the manufactures can produce products! That said you might want to try one of the mail-order guys. They seem to stock better than _some_ LHS!

I suspect it might have more to do with the fact that AJ and Zana Ireland were on an extended sailing vacation, moving their boat "Kiwi" from the Pacific Northwest (where it had been since Digitrax was started in Atlanta) to Florida.

They're home now... things should be cooking shortly. ;)

-- Joe Ellis ? CEO Bethlehem-Ares Railroad - A 1:160 Corp. ___a________n_mmm___mmm_mmm_mmm___mmm_mmm_mmm___mmm_n______ ___|8 8B| ___ /::::: / /::::X/ /:::::/ /:::::/|| ||__BARR| | | /::::::/ /:::::X /:::::/ /:::::/ ||

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I think the main problem here is the perception that just because a company "manufactures" DCC equipment that they must be "big". Actually, I'm pretty sure that DigiTrax, and NCE are little more than "mom and pop" organizations founded by one man. On the other hand, the really "big" manufacturers, like Atlas and Lenz, produce equipment for the masses, but folks who have really done their homework know that an Atlas Master DCC system won't fulfill their long-run needs and ignore them. The perception of Lenz I think is well-founded, that they are a European company that doesn't cater to the same desires Americans do. So, you get equipment that supports only one locomotive at a time and that you have to buy from a third party to get a radio controlled throttle.

I'll be interested to see how Bachmann's new DCC system stacks up against the competition. If things go according to Hoyle, they'll probably compete very well with Atlas and not at all with DigiTrax and NCE.

The problem is that Digitrax is the only DCC manufacturer with a bona-fide factory staffed with a company of production and R&D people. The others are even smaller. Atlas, et al, are not even in the equation for reasons that I am sure that you understand. You haven't been trying to buy an Atlas or MRC unit have you? Of course not. You want NCE or Easy DCC or Digitrax. Well, so does every one else

Zana and AJ have been away, true, but they have been in contact all the while and Digitrax has been merrily steaming along under the very capable leadership of Norm, Dave, Stan and the others. The problem is that it is simply not possible to produce product at the rate the demand is calling for it.

Try to contact Paul at sodigi.com which is Southern Digital Hobbies. Paul is my friend as well as my pusher and he usually has stock even when others are in short supply.

He has Digitrax, Lenz and others as well. Edgar Buchannan Jr. snipped-for-privacy@shadyrest.hotel.com

It's Horizon Hobby's fault!

"Woodard R. Springstube" wrote in news:Xns949E67968E6C7springstjumpnet@64.245.249.102:

Thanks to all who answered. That clears things up. I may just have to go the mail order route or else just wait. NO WAY am I going to buy Atlas, MRC, or one of the other cheappos. My money is too hard to come by to waste on something that won't do what I want. As for Atlas, I am getting ready to build a new layout this summer, while school is out and my teaching load is lower. Right now, I am teaching six undergraduate courses (five preps) and too overloaded to do anything but collapse when I get home. But, the extra pay for the overloads will help to support my model RR habit. In any event, I had already decided to not use Atlas track products on the new pike. I was thinking about Walthers and Micro-Engineering track.

Woodard Springstube

WR>I wanted to buy a Digitrax setup, but my local hobby shop was WR>out of anything except the most expensive. They said that the WR>lower level Zephyr had been on back-order for two months. Then, WR>I checked Walthers and saw that they had only a few Digitrax WR>items in stock, and most of the stuff was back-ordered. What WR>gives? Is Digitrax in trouble? Or, is this fall-out from the WR>MTH litigation? Should I try to get something else, like Lenz? WR>Or, has MTH effectively killed off DCC? Or, are there supply- WR>chain problems with chips and components? Anybody know anything WR>about this? By the way, I also notice that Soundtraxx has held WR>up release of their new line. Related?

Try:

One of the better selections around.

Jeff

All the employees are out hunting for $1.50 parts in the warehouse.

Now THAT's an interesting name! :-)

Dieter Zakas Unique, NJ

Shoot an e-mail to Loy's Toys and ask about delivery times. They've always treated me right.

-dave

True, and fast delivery too.

Had to change a Wangrow booster by an NCE one and the thing was at my front door after only a week.

JPJ

I don't know if they have them in stock, either, but try LoysToys.com or Tonystrainexchange.com. You might consider an Empire builder with either a build-it-yourself power supply (I've built two from LoysToys kits without electrocution or fires so far) or the PS515. EB costs more, but you get more for the future.

Ed. in article Xns949E950A51CA4springstjumpnet@64.245.249.102, Woodard R. Springstube at snipped-for-privacy@Diespammer.net wrote on 2/29/04 12:39 PM:

After advising the OP to stay away from the low-end sets because of their various limitations, I'd hesitate to recommend an Empire Builder. Isn't the one that has limited programming read-back abilities? Even though I have a small layout, I bought a Super Chief because I felt it was better to get all the features up front. That way I won't find that I'm missing something later and have to piece it together or worse yet replace something I already have (usually at a relatively great expense) just to get that one missing feature...

Steve

Yes, it is the one with limited read-back and no separate programming track. That said, I lived with it for four years, then got a DCS200 and 8 amp supply and used the DB150 (Empire Builder) as a booster only.

The Chief costs about $80 more than the Empire Builder.

Check LoysToys.com for current prices which is where I got the following:

If you want a DT400 walk around throttle, even with the Zephyr, LoysToys has it for $309, including power supply.

The Empire builder is $280 plus $42. For the PS515 power supply

The Chief is $360 plus the same power supply.

I would recommend the "built it your self" power supply (Model Train Fuel) from LoysToys for $25. I built two: 5 amp for the DB150 and 8 amp for the DCS200 and use them with PS42's for circuit protection. in article snipped-for-privacy@ifyoucan.net, Steve Martinak at snipped-for-privacy@ameritech.net wrote on 3/1/04 4:55 PM: