The Class 73 locomotive is fascinating. These electro-diesel engines, first introduced by British Rail in the 1960s,...
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What is Railcom?
RailCom is a system developed by Lenz that allows two-way communication between a DCC controller and a decoder. The early RailCom system was limited to use with Marklin's MFX standard and has been largely replaced by RailComPlus which is more widely compatible with decoders. Only multi-function decoders that are 100% compatible with RailComPlus standards can carry the RailComPlus logo.
The main advantage of RailComPlus is that you don't need to program each locomotive into the controller. When a locomotive is placed onto a layout the controller automatically detects it, knows its identity and knows what functions are available for use, the system then displays the information automatically on a screen.
The locomotive's unique identity and functions are selected using icons rather than numerical codes on a standardised screen layout making it easier to operate different locomotives.
This is of great benefit when operating your model as a guest on another layout, providing the layout's controller is compatible with the RailComPlus system there is no programming or re-addressing required, simply place your locomotive on the tracks, select it on the controller's screen and off you go.
The two-way communication of the RailComPlus system is also particularly useful when programming CVs onto a decoder because there is no longer a need for a separate programming track. This is possible because the controller can now have a proper two-way conversation with a specific decoder rather than simply barking instructions at any and all decoders that happen to be answering to a particular allocated number.
It is fair to say that the full potential of having two-way communication with decoders has not even begun to be realised yet, so watch this space for an exciting modelling future.
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