The KISS instructions for new Digitrax users

OZARKS MODEL RAILROAD ASSOCIATION

-OMRA-

CONSISTING: Multiple Unit Operations and Double Heading

 by Jim Quarles

Locomotives can be added nose-to-nose, tail to tail and any combination there of.  You can also consist locos on the head, middle and/or tail of a train.  All consisting means is that you are controlling a group of locos with one throttle. Where they are on the track makes no difference to the system.

 

Procedure - DT-300 throttle:  Get the two locomotives near each other on the same track.  The system terminology is you start with a TOP loco address.  So assume that one of the locos you have chosen is the one you wish to have leading the consist.  Let’s make that one the TOP loco.  Select that loco with the RIGHT throttle of the DT-300.  Then drive a few inches it in the direction you wish to go with the consist.  Now select the next loco (behind the TOP loco) with the left throttle knob and get it going the same direction.  At this time you could drive it to the rear of the TOP engine and couple them up.  So you have two engines coupled, but not linked so the system can control both.  At this point you would press the MODE key twice rapidly which would give you the prompt to add the left engine to the consist (CN) in the throttle window.  If you press the key for + or YES the locos will be linked so the right throttle will control them both.  At this point you can go run trains with this two engine consist.  If you wished to add another engine, you would park the consist remembering which direction they were traveling, move another engine to the rear of the consist, couple up, moving in a direction so they are all going to go the same way, then hit the mode switch twice rapidly again.  Take the yes answer and you have added another engine to the consist.

 

The right throttle is the MASTER throttle.  It is the throttle that always controls the group.  You add locos from the left throttle to the right.

 

Always make sure the locos are traveling the same direction.  Otherwise you won’t pull much when you open the throttle, but it might be an easy way to clean driver wheels!

 

Break down the consist – you can’t just physically grab the loco off the track.  That is probably the worst thing to do. Rather with the consist TOP loco selected with the right throttle, select the decoder number of the loco you wish to separate from the consist, with the left throttle, hit the mode key twice rapidly and then tap the key for – or no and this deletes the engine from the consist control.  Now you can control it with the left throttle, while continuing to control the rest of the consist with the right throttle. 

 

When you become proficient with this procedure you can build consists on the fly as the locos are moving.  Better yet, as a train is climbing a grade, when the caboose clears the helper, the helper moves out and accelerates to a soft coupling on the rear of the caboose, synchronize the throttles, then hit the mode key and take the + option and drive the train with one throttle.  When you get to the end of the grade you’d better stop because trying to uncouple a helper on the fly would probably overstretch the train and pull it apart or off the tracks.

 

Problems I have encountered.  Losing track of which engines are consisted.  When this happens to you nothing seems to work. 

 

Scenario - If someone has physically picked up his engine from a consist and gone home, without his engine being removed from the system it can cause all kinds of havoc with the other engines in the consist.  Possibly not, but what happens if you can’t remember the number of the engine that has gone home, but the consist still exists. How do you remove it?  I’ve not found a master button that eill let me erase all consists.  Although on the Chief system at the club when you turn off the power then come back another day it has forgotten ALL consists you might have set up.  The Empire Builder I have handles it’s memory another way and doesn’t forget when it’s turned off.