Command Stations

You may have had a model train set when you were younger. It was possibly one circular track, maybe two. If you recall, locomotive speeds, track switches, and even lights were all controlled by a boxy command center. It took some time, and a few derailments, before you got the hang of it.

Command Stations Today
As you grew up, so did your model trains. No longer was it one or two tracks. It expanded to multiple tracks, switches, bridges, unloaders, and decouplers. This increase in electrical equipment required an equal increase in command and control capability. This is where Digital Command Control (DCC) came in. And, subsequently, the DCC command station.

Defined by the DCC Working Group of the National Model Railroad Association (NMRA), the command station sends digitally encoded messages to tracks while also delivering electricity. Locomotives receive these DCC signals, decode them, and route power to the electric motor. Since each locomotive receives a separate signal, their movements are individual from others in the model.

Command Station Advantages
If you have been to a museum or a store with a huge model railway, you can see the advantages of a DCC command station firsthand. The locomotives are not controlled by individual stations. Rather, each is provided a certain task by a programmable digital command.

And as wireless technology has progressed, so have command stations. Now, commands can be programmed by computer or smart device and sent to the station via USB. This allows for additional intricacies in the number of tasks a locomotive can do.

Training May be Required
If you are considering taking on the hobby of model railroading, don't go into it without training on how DCC and command stations work. Streamlined Backshop and similar sites dedicated to model railways offer tutorials on current command station technology, recommended models, and basic locomotive programs. By following these tutorials you'll soon become an expert conductor for your virtual railway empire.

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