the dcc standard and many systems will support the use of a DC loco at address 0 using "pulse stretching" that results in a DC bias on the normally AC track voltage.

the track voltage continues to be AC outside of the pulse streching period and this AC voltage results in extraneous power dissipated as heat by the motor which over long term can damage the motor.

at the club, i see members using JMRI DecoderPro to indentify the DCC address when unknown on a loco

 

Thanks so bottom line is putting a DC engine on a DCC system will/could damage the engine. Think I need to find someone who can take these little guys apart and see if they are DCC or not. If they aren't, then they can install DCC decoders

 

there's no harm in testing a DC loco on a DCC system. but leaving a DC loco on a DCC system will generate heat in the motor windings.

without knowing if it's DCC and it's DCC address, it makes sense to put the loco on a programming track and reset the decoder to address 3 and try running it at address 3.

i think there'a also a way to read-back the manufacture ID (CV-7) and version (CV-8) regardless of the address. if they are read back then there's a decoder. make sure wheels are clean

 

You're probably going to know right away if you put a DC loco on a dcc track.

It won't respond to the throttle, probably just "sit there and hum".

DON'T leave it on the rails very long!

Do the locos have boxes? What do they say?
If it's already got dcc (motor only) or dcc and sound, it will probably say so right on the box.

 

Digitrax, for one, will allow the owner to run DC locomotives on DCC-powered rails. You use the 'universal' address of '00', as Greg stated. This will allow you to speed up and to reverse the locomotive, and you'll get lights as well. However, the experience was much less than meh for me, the only time I tried it, and it was on an non-DCC Life Like Proto 2000 (pre-Walthers buyout of early 2006) 0-6-0 with tender. The drive mechanism groaned and moaned, and it squealed. It was horrible. I mean, yeah, the loco did move, but if you hate DCC/sound you'd positively despise the experience of operating a DC locomotive using zero-stretching on Add '00'.

 

You're probably going to know right away if you put a DC loco on a dcc track.

It won't respond to the throttle, probably just "sit there and hum".

DON'T leave it on the rails very long!

Do the locos have boxes? What do they say?
If it's already got dcc (motor only) or dcc and sound, it will probably say so right on the box.

As I said, it has been awhile since I played with my trains (so to speak) so have forgotten some of the basics I once knew.
I am beginning to recall more stuff and do recall that a DC train will only "hum" on DCC, with few exceptions.

As for do I have the boxes ... your righht, if I did I would know if they were DC or DCC

Digitrax, for one, will allow the owner to run DC locomotives on DCC-powered rails. You use the 'universal' address of '00', as Greg stated. This will allow you to speed up and to reverse the locomotive, and you'll get lights as well. However, the experience was much less than meh for me, the only time I tried it, and it was on an non-DCC Life Like Proto 2000 (pre-Walthers buyout of early 2006) 0-6-0 with tender. The drive mechanism groaned and moaned, and it squealed. It was horrible. I mean, yeah, the loco did move, but if you hate DCC/sound you'd positively despise the experience of operating a DC locomotive using zero-stretching on Add '00'.

Thanks and while all of my BLI's engines are DCC with sound, I'm not a big fan of sound so, like you, would probably hate your intial possibility

To conclude this though - I have so many engines, many still new in their boxes, I think I'll just worry about them as they ARE DCC and not worry too much about those that I am unsure of.

Thanks for all your input though, it has helped me remember quite a bit for future reference.

 

As I said, it has been awhile since I played with my trains (so to speak) so have forgotten some of the basics I once knew.
I am beginning to recall more stuff and do recall that a DC train will only "hum" on DCC, with few exceptions.

As for do I have the boxes ... your righht, if I did I would know if they were DC or DCC



Thanks and while all of my BLI's engines are DCC with sound, I'm not a big fan of sound so, like you, would probably hate your intial possibility

To conclude this though - I have so many engines, many still new in their boxes, I think I'll just worry about them as they ARE DCC and not worry too much about those that I am unsure of.

Thanks for all your input though, it has helped me remember quite a bit for future reference.

I put a color dot on the loco bottom and box so I know which one has what brand decoder. In my spreadsheet list I also note the decoder model. Just put a locomotive on DC track. If it doesn't run or takes a moment to move, it has a decoder.

 

I find it immensely regrettable that the various decoder manufacturers supply their decoders with factory defaults that include the sound amplified to full volume. It's awful, and with poor speaker combos, it's bloody awful.

The first thing I do with any loco, and I have at least 14 BLI steamers and one RF-16, is to alter the address. Next step, before letting it loose on the layout, I enter the Master Volume CV and enter a value no higher than 50% of the max as stated in the manual for that decoder. Sometimes I have to reduce it even further, or enter some sound CVs such as chuff volume, bell and whistle volumes, some irritating neutral sounds like safety pop-off or blow down, or the wretched injector sounds that, while accurate in almost all cases, are much too loud to be heard well above the hisses and drips one hears typically when standing beside any steam locomotives. The pumps and steam turbo-generator, for example, would have to be much louder than an injector inside the cab.

I can't have a locomotive without sound. The gear noises and high-pitched clicking of metal tires on the various joints puts me off. But I long since learned to reduce the Master Volume to make it all tolerable.

 

If you don't mind the effort involved, I suggest removing the shell from your locos and looking inside to see if they have decoders installed. If something hasn't been used in a while, it's not a bad idea to be performing a "checkup" on the mechanism anyway.

that's my thoughts on the matter, at least. I think all the other input thus far is good too. I don't do DCC (yet?), but am planning to convert a loco or two in the future, so I have something of my own to run on other people's layouts.

 

Pulling my Kato and BLI Deisels apart , well the shells off, isn't a problem. My steamers on the other hand - now THAT'S a different story and something I tried once and am still looking for things

What I need is a darn good N Scale Repair Shop/Person and my probs would be over 😄