Model Forum / General / Railroads / June 2004

   Prodigy is not well known to me, however, it should be able to use just
about anyone's decoders (which is what they call the "cards" that go in each
engine).  Lenz, Digitrax, NCE, etc., all make and sell decoders (and
systems, too).  Provided they followed NMRA standards, any decoder will work
on anyone's system.
   A good place to go shopping is www.tonystrain.com or www.loystoys.com
for decoders and systems.
   I know Prodigy is cheaper, but the Atlas Master (made by Lenz) or
Digitrax Zephyr systems are both very good entry level DCC systems for not
that much more, but if you like MRC, go for it.
   BTW, certain kinds of engines already have decoders in them, while
others simply have a plug.  Older or cheaper engines don't have either, and
require soldering skills.  "DCC Ready" can mean different things to
different companies, so ask around first to see what you need for each
engine.
   Also, what scale are you doing?

Paul A. Cutler III
**************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
**************

There are many companies that make decoders, and all decoders are
supposed to work with any DCC system. I have decoders by MRC, Atlas,
Digitrax, and Train Control Systems.

Most any locomotive can have a decoder installed in it, but with
varying degrees of difficulty. The easiest ones to do are generally
labelled as "DCC ready", and there are many "plug and play" decoders
designed to easily fit in specific locomotives. If you're a newcomer
to DCC you may also look at the Atlas "Master" series of
decoder-equipped locomotives.

Your local hobby shop should be able to set you up with information on
decoder installation, or put you in touch with someone who does them.
There are also numerous resources on the net for decoder installation
notes, such as:

http://www.tonystrains.com
and
http://www.loystoys.com/

Hope this helps you get started!
B-Dubya

I agree with Charles - don't buy Prodigy - they will be releasing the next
generation of Prodigy which will include 128 speed step operation. The old
system doesn't, and it's most noticeable in the lack of smooth transitions
between speeds!

Frank Eva
http://www.digitalrailroader.org