Good article. Topic was one I

Good article. Topic was one I would not have read about had it not been written by you. Because of this I am aware of something other than dead rail society applications. Another great job Bruce.

Emerging Technologies

It is too bad that this interview didn't get into some of the interesting ideas that Dave has with regard to the BlueRail (BR) board expansion. DCC is entirely possible using the BR board as well as onboard sound. The idea on a keep-alive will expand to the point where the track is the back-up power and not the capacitor or battery. 

I would like to see the system become open source as well so that custom throttles could be developed rather than using the smartphone or Bluetooth game controller (which, btw, will provide the tactile controls some prefer). 

Another amazing aspect of this technology is the two way communication. This will allow real time feedback of the locomotive speed as well as the future possibility of location (surround sound in N scale, for example). What about easy consisting? Take this a step further and freight and passenger cars automatically "consisted" to and engine could alter the momentum by suggesting mass. 

DCC isn't dead. It is just another step in evolution of our control. A some point we will have controllers that are as realistic as the engines, rolling stock, and scenery of our layouts. 

Neil Erickson, model rail futurist, idealist, and chief bottle washer

I rated awesome, because it

I rated awesome, because it was a good article. I am not fully convinced this is the wave of the future. From what I have seen and read there are a few things still lacking. One is sounds specific to the locomotive. Right now the sounds are generic diesel or steam. Second is consisting, there is no way. Both of these, of course, have the qualifier YET on them. I am sure the technology will develop and these things will be added as features. So, is DCC dead? No, not by a long shot yet. As well, we need to see the ability for other manufacturers to join the party as we have with DCC. Will the developers and Bachmann allow that? We also have a great number of users who have invested heavily in DCC. They won't be too quick to switch systems. I waited a long time to enter the DCC world. I feel getting into it in the past 2 years has been the so called "sweet spot" for DCC. Sound has come a long way, as has motor control and miniaturization. 

...

What part of this doesn't make sense?

No more command stations...direct communication between the controller and the unit...we we advance this far enough, we have an OS inside the unit, where we can do an unlimited number of features, because at that point it's all just a matter of software and file loading.  If you want a command station to use your old throttles, you have a bus that ties into a central transmitter, and you have your old throttle tied in...

The next steps are here..

"What part of this doesn't

 Mainly that it's a solution looking for a problem.  Most folks don't have a problem with running trains with existing methods. So no reason to be in a rush to find something better. When it's fully developed and mainstream then it will make sense......DaveB

Excellent, but what about DC?

Specifically, how will this work with a non-DCC compatible locomotive? Will I have to install one of those 9-pin JCC boards?

Host Loco NOT "DCC Ready" = break out the soldering iron

Dear ??? (Pflarrian),

Yes, if the loco is not "DCC Ready", then you'll have to approach installing a BlueRail Receiver just like you would have to approach installing a DCC decoder in the same loco, 

IE
- test on Analog (ensure mechanically all is OK)
- gut the system of all existing wiring
- and hardware the BR Receiver in....
(whether one uses a commercial 9-pin "motherboard" as a host for the BR Receiver or not is up to the modeller)

Happy Modelling,
Aim to Improve,
Prof Klyzlr

No board - cable

No, one does not need to install a DCC board into a standard DC locomotive to install the blue rail board. As the Prof stated if the locomotive is not DCC ready you would hardwire the bluerail board in, but to do that you need a cable or harness such as this:

mixed into a Digitrax duplex radio system ... interference

Bruce,

A few years ago I brought in some friends with a spectrum analyzer to our club (www.smrhs.com) to sniff out sources of interference with our Digitrax simplex and duplex radio networks (UR91, UR92).  We found the Bluetooth signal from cell phones splattering all over the same chunk of spectrum the duplex throttles utilize.  It is a broad band signal, jumping all over the place.  Turned off the Bluetooth option on the cell phones in the building and the noise floor dropped way down.  And the duplex throttles started behaving well again.

In radio, receive signal strength is everything - the cell phone Bluetooth signal was much higher than the Digitrax duplex signal, thus winning the battle in favor of the cell phones, and to the detriment of the Digitrax duplex throttles.

But this was a fascinating article.  

Dave Megeath

What about N scale

I have to admit this would be an awesome option for a garden railway but at the moment I only have my N scale and it looks like it will be a long while before they ever get to making those decoders that small.  Would be nice though.

Now for a look at other control scenarios such as RailPro

Interesting article but the technology though it's been in development for the last 5 years seems very archaic and simple yet with a lot of limitations. Seeing as how an article has now been done on something outside of the realm of DCC I think the next thing to look at is RailPro. I'm new to the hobby and don't have a layout yet or way to control the trains, but as much as DCC does, I personally think in today's day and age of technology, that system is way too complicated. The programming that is done in DCC can and should be done in the background of a better user interface. I've purchase a couple locomotives for a future display but I'm really waiting for something easy to use so I can spend time having fun instead of programming. This is where RailPro really seems like a win-win for someone new coming into the hobby. 

 "I'm new to the hobby and

If you gave it a try you'd find it's very easy. To select a loco takes a few seconds,to change a cv a few more. All the complicated features are rarely used in real life.Mostly it's grab a throttle, key in the loco road number hit select and start operating.It's simple and self contained, no need for a computer or wifi to be on or even in the building.The ability to buy locos with DCC plugs or factory DCC and even sound more than makes up for any time spent learning basic DCC operation......DaveB  

A lot has changed since the 1990s

A lot has changed since the 1990s when DCC was introduced. Today's DCC systems for the most part still use 1990s technology - which is over 20 years old now. How many of us are still using computers from the mid 1990s?

If DCC systems were designed to use circa 2015 computer technology, they have a touch screen and you would set the most common loco settings using meaningful names rather than "CVs". In the next decade, some enterprising entrepreneurs will design and release a DCC system that uses a touch screen throttle and finally take DCC into the 21st Century. AND, that touch screen throttle will also have a big knob for speed control - the best of both worlds.

Let's hope its one of the existing DCC vendors who does this - and once somebody does it, the rest will have to follow to compete. Obviously, RailPro does this, but then this system was designed new since the touch screen revolution - which is why it looks like it does. Right now RailPro is a very nice product but it's not DCC - wait until a custom-designed touch-screen enabled DCC system hits the market ...

....

Some DCC Manufacturer will create...

Um, ESU has done it with their ECoS - simplifying things with touch screens where it makes sense and tactile controls where it makes sense.  I'm really surprised how little ECoS is talked about, perhaps it's the price tag?  Or that it is used mostly in Europe?  At some point, I'd love to try out ECoS and see what it does.  It looks pretty amazing.

Dave, that looks like a great

Dave, that looks like a great idea.

• 

  ECoS 50200 DCC System

  The new ECoS is the latest state-of-the-art multi-protocol command station by ESU. Fully equipped with a coloured touchpanel display, two motor-driven cabs and 4A output load, it leaves nothing to be desired.

  There is a great deal to read about on this site and it just might be the best system out there. At this point it sounds almost too good to be true. It seems that everything you wish to keep can be kept and used. The throttles seem to have the best of both worlds, knobs and screens!

Blue Rail/Dead Rail

Seems to me that BT/BR is the future for new layouts with relatively few locomotives: a small switching or logging railroad only needs a few locomotives so you don't need to spend the time or money on all the infrastructure a mainline railroad needs.  If the railroad is run for display or solo there is no concern about multiple locos on one device.  I'm sure someone will offer a blue tooth "Operator's" throttle at some point. 

The big concern about any new control scheme is availability of ready to run locomotives as many modelers are put off by decoder installation, especially sound, and few have the skills or equipment to do milling to do the retrofits for speakers and on board batteries.  Happily Bachmann has a good Portfolio of small steam and switching locomotives which fit the bill well, and I expect they'll be over offering them with BT.

For larger layouts with massive rosters and detection it will take longer if only because of the effort convert such a fleet.  OTOH I think the single pairing issue will be overcome in good time. 

Looking down the road, I can imagine some of the Internet of Things (IoT) protocols and WiFi (allows multiple connections) becoming competitive in the locomotive control space.  There are limitations to the number of connections most home routers can support today but the rising tide of IoT will prompt the manufacturers of routers and carriers who provide them to upgrade.

What a fantastic concept

Thanks for this article  Bruce it's the most exciting thing I have read in MRH. 

I am sure there are going to be some unforeseen teething problems but controlling independently powered trains from a Bluetooth controller such as a phone app, what's not to love. This is technology we all have easy access to. If they can keep the cost of the boards down and sort out an easy sound module, perhaps pairing the module to the speakers rather than the phone with control through the main board?......wow

i have a small layout and generally do operations alone so this solution would suit me in its current form.

the only wrinkle for me would be the need to switch from n to ho scale , but hey, I think it may well be worth it. 

Do we use 20 year old technology?

We have upgraded our hardware, but many of our protocols are ancient. ASCII encoding for the characters you are looking at was first developed for teletypes early in the last century. (It has since been expanded, but the old encodings still,work.)The protocols used in email (Rest in Peace, Ray Tomlinson) date from 1971. So DCC is a youngster as such things go.

pqe

Sounds Great!

It sounds GREAT!  Is there be a board small enough for N Scale on the horizon?

Assembly Language

There may not be much assembly language programming any more, but the computer still uses 0's and 1's.

I don't use my XP computer anymore, because it's broken, but I wish I could replace it.  A lot of my software doesn't run on Windows7.  And yes I wish I still had my computer from the mid 90's so I could still run some of that software.

And that's the problem with new technology - lack of backward compatibility. 

While this latest new thing is interesting, it's proprietary.  What happens when the company no longer supports the current version? or goes out of business?  Or the standard finally comes along, but this isn't it?

My under construction layout is using DCC with wireless throttles.  But I still like to run my old HO stuff from time to time using DC.  And I can still run my 40 year old locomotives on DC.  Will my DCC locomotives still run when they are 40 years old if my command station breaks?  The possibility is high that they can because there is a DCC standard so there is likely to be a replacement that will run them.

Paul

Protocols vs interfaces

Agreed - the protocols can be ancient indeed. But the interfaces for getting to and using those protocols are constantly updated with new, better, easier-to-use technology.

...

And do you see anybody writing their instructions in zeros and ones to make their programs work?  That's the point here.  The interfaces have drastically improved, and yet here we are still dancing around in CV land...

Is DCC Dead?

Good to see another article on the idea of Dead Rai!.  I was disappointed, however,  as I usually am, that there was little mention of size requirements and developments made to meet those requirements.  Mention was made of first dealing with Lionel sized locos and those locos needing the equipment to be installed inside a following piece of rolling stock.  Then, just a few months later they had gotten the size down to where it would fit inside an HO loco!  And nothing seems to have been done to improve things since then!  I model in HOn3.  Narrow gauge locos need much smaller components - not to mention old time HO locos, small switchers in HO, N scale models and so on.  What is being done to reduce the size of these components?  In Pasadena, at the 2013 NNGC, I saw a Blackstone K-27 with Dead Rail capabilities and sound installed in it and operating.  Why has there not been more mention of this sort of development? A local hobby shop tells me there are developments being made with batteries.  I know of European DCC decoders that are much smaller than those produced here in the States.  Until more is done in this area, I am afraid Dead Rail will just be a dream for the future, not something we can think about in any reality, at least for those of us in the narrow gauge world, or these other arenas needing smaller parts to enable us to play.  Duncan Harvey