TMCC compared 2 DCC

TMCC is like DCC in that both allow you to control multiple trains at one time with a single remote. But thats where the similarities end.

 

TMCC and ALL o gauge 3-rail trains work on AC. Your old HO DC power packs will not work, especially if you are wanting to run TMCC.

 

TMCC works by having a constant 18 volt AC supplied to the track. The signal to control the trains is actually a radio signal that consists of two complementary parts. One part of the radio signal goes through the track. The other part of the radio signal goes through the air to the antenna in the locomotive. Both parts are needed for a train to run.

 

All TMCC sounds are provided through Lionel Railsounds. There are various types of Railsounds boards for the different types of steam and diesel locomotives. I'd say most Railsounds are pretty good.

Railsounds can operate with or without TMCC. So you may find that there are some locos that have Railsounds but not TMCC. And there are some TMCC locos that do not have any sounds at all.

 

The Atlas O GP15 you are looking at is a very good loco. Although that $169 price seems kinda low for a TMCC engine. I would double check to make sure it is equipped with TMCC. You cant assume that all o gauge trains are equipped with TMCC.

O gauge locomotives without any kind of command control are called "conventional" locomotives.

 

The biggest complaint that most people have about the TMCC GP15 is that is does not have cruise control.

Cruise control allows your loco to maintain a steady speed while going uphill, downhill, and through curves. For some operators, who like to take their hands off the controls and just watch trains go around, this is very important.

I dont have cruise in any of my locos.

TMCC uses two diferent radio signals:

 

1.  Cab-1 to the command base, in the radio control part of the CB band.

2.  Command base to locomotive, which uses a 455 hz signal.  Half of this signal is using the outside rails of the 3 rail track, and the ohter is the ground wiring of your 110 V electricallines!

TMCC (the upgraded version is called Legacy) will cost you from about $180 (cab-1L and command base) to $300 (Legacy system) if you buy it from a discount dealer.  This is all you'll need to get high quality speed control on TMCC or Legacy equipped locos and high quality sound.  This is significantly cheaper than wireless DCC systems, which, as you know, tend to be in the $450 and up range from Digitrax or NCE.

 

You can upgrade conventional locos to TMCC and digital sounds for about $150-200 each, or as little as $90 if you don't want sound.  This is if you do it yourself.  Check out the website of the Electric Railroad Company or the Lionel catalog for these modules.

You can also swap out the conventional and PS2/PS3 guts from MTH engines with components from Electric Railroad (ERR).  ERR is TMCC.

 

I recently replaced the old Locosounds electronics with the ERR Cruise Commander and newest Railsounds Commander boards and it runs and sounds great.

 

This gives you a wider option, especially if you see an engine from one company that others don't have.

 

If you get an engine with PS2/PS3 and want to swap it out, you'll have no problems selling the MTH components here on the forum.

Thank you for the great help regarding TMCC.
I keep getting mixed signals regarding converting the oversized truck mounted couplers out for scale couplers because the couplers were mounted to the trucks&to not have the trucks converted over to fixed,I'm told,won't work well. And if I'm going to have to do that,then I'm told by 2 railers,you might as well convert over to 2 rail,if you're going to have to go that far anyway. I plan on using no less than 0-54 radius anyway,so am not 100% sure what the risk is?
How do you detach the MTH trucks&mount couplers on rolling stock not equipped with Kadee mounting pads?
When purchasing from Atlas,(I've got 4 Atlas 2 rail cars to date),what do I do with the 2rail wheels? Can I take out the scale axles&slip in 3rail axles? This brings up the question since I want scale couplers,do I buy Atlas 2or3 rail cars? I want kadee compatible couplers which 2 rail will have,so from that angle I should buy 2rail. # rail wheels are what I want so buying 3rail seems right,plus it's cheaper,but then I've got the coupler problem again? HO is looking better evert day again!
Confused!!
Thanks,Alan

I am new to this myself, and being prototypical does not bother me. I'm in it for the fun and doing what I like, not necessarily the way the real railroads do it.  I also prefer 3 rail to 2 rail, so I will be using all 3 rail stuff.  I am going to try and convert some of my 3 rail cars to Kadee couplers someday, so I can do some switching. Others here have said that the Kadee's are the only way to do switching reliably, so I am going to try it. I don't really like the magnet way of uncoupling with the Kadee's, but have seen videos of others using them and they seemed to work well in the videos.

Kadee O-scale couplers are about $8 or so for 2 pair (4 couplers). I think that will be cheaper than the wheel sets. I recently bought a set of MTH 3 rail trucks, just to have some extras and I think they were around $16 or $17 for 2, so the Kadee's are much less. I don't know a lot about it, but Kadee (I emailed asking about it) and others here have recommended the new Kadee 740's as the one to use, so that is what I have purchased a couple sets of so far.

 

I have been told there is no good way to use Kadee's with (or in place of) the remote couplers on the engines (also an email from Kadee). Although I was planning to ask here someday and see if anyone has a solution. There are a lot of very ingenious folks on the forum here, with solutions to problems I don't even know I have yet.