Finally going to try DCC

After that I'll be tackling two Weaver FA-2's with end tower drive; that will require a different approach.....

Those Weaver chain drives can be very good runners IF you don't have hairline splits on the sprockets or axel gears.  Weaver had production problems with molding the industrial plastic used in the drive train.  Replacement parts were available from NWSL and P&D Hobbies.  If you haven't already done so - be sure to test the units under DC power before installing the decoder to make sure they run smoothly at low speed.

Ed 

Replaced all of the sprockets and the gearing on the axles already, Ed. Had to, they all split. Since the overhauls, The RS-3's and the FA's run very smoothly at low speed.....

I've ordered the large oval speaker and enclosure; should fit comfortably in the long hood under the fan grill...unless there is a reason that these are usually installed facing downwards.

I really like DCC.  I run it with my N-Gauge stuff.  There's no sound to deal with when things are that small but the silky smooth STANDARDS based operation is quite nice.  Installing the electronics can be tedious, even with the "plug and play" setups.  Everything is just so small.  In O-Gauge I suspect that would be mitigated to some extent.  

Did I mention silky smooth?   I can run consists at 2 speed steps - the point where the motion is barely detectable - and they will creep around the entire layout with out even a hint of a stall.

The big issue for me is signal quality - my experience has shown that DCC is not as forgiving as DCS.  Unless you run power drops fairly frequently, things can get erratic. Kato Unitrack (which is the BOMB...) makes this easier.  If Kato make O-Gauge track my Fastrack would be up for sale within minutes of the announcement.    

I'm sorely tempted to try some of the HO DCC offerings with sound, but I'm scared I'll like it too much and wind up getting lured back to to the "dark side" of model railroading   I had some bad experiences with HO a while back, but now that I've learned a few things, I've found that most of them were my fault.  Had I gone DCC from day one with better quality motive power and rolling stock, I might still be running HO today.   

That's funny. I've had quite the opposite experience. My current layout is a 5x9 with 2 loops of 3 rail track running DCS. One loop is Lionel Fastrack and the other loop is MTH Real Trax. I have no power drops. Just two wires to the track and even on such a simple layout I still was getting the "ENGINE NOT ON TRACK" and "CHECK TRACK" messages. Not all the time but every so often.

My previous layout was 18'X9' 2 rail layout running DCC (NCE 10 Amp system--no radio). This one just has one loop and it was all Atlas sectional track. This layout also had only 2 wires going to the track. I never, not once had an engine not respond to a command from my throttle. The signal got there every time.

I am also a little scared of buying any of the MTH HO engines. I don't want to get hooked on them.

I will have to watch the signal issue, we will be using micro-engineering flex track and switches, code 148 on the mail line......and I know about isolating the switch frogs.

I have the Kalmbach books about DCC coming before we actually install it so we will have reference guides, as well as the info in this forum(where the idea for the QSL large oval speaker and enclosure came from)

I was stunned when I saw just how small the DCC card was...makes sense remembering that it is for an rs3 in HO scale, O scale certainly changes your perspective on things...

The decoders for my Intermountain GEVOs were about the size of a micro SD card - maybe smaller.  I had to use tweezers and a magnifying glass, but they literally just plugged in to a 4-pin socket under the radiator that pops off.  The ones for Kato engines were a little more reasonable in size, but required complete shell removal and fun with kapton tape - occasionally a blob of solder depending on my sill level with the tape.  

Still, amazing the detail the get for that size.  

Well, I certainly won't have to worry about finding space to fit it into a Weaver RS-3

Progress report: The MRC card was bench tested without a locomotive yesterday, no problems, plenty loud(important as the usual complaint about MRC sound decoders is that they don't have enough volume. It was programmed for engine, bell and horn prior to installation in the RS-3. The NCE card was bench tested as well, address was changed so that it didn't have the same one as the MRC(the default was the same) resistors for lighting were removed from the pittman motor leads, and the leads from the trucks were removed, it is ready for the NCE first, then the MRC(when the new speaker and enclosure arrive)