Everything seems to go digital these days and this hobby is no different. While the track, the loco and wagons are the same as in the conventional sets of previous years, digital controllers incorporate modern control systems, which quickly became a worldwide standard for most model railways. Lets explain the basic principle of these systems: All conventional systems sold over the last 50 years contained normal ‘Analogue’ controllers. These worked by adjusting the voltage on the track and thereby the speed of the locomotive. Each train on the same electrical section would stop or start at the same time, so in most cases you would run only one train per electrical section. Modern microprocessor technology makes life easier. Digital Command Control Systems (DCC) use a constant voltage applied to all track. The hand controller sends digitally coded messages to the locomotive via the track. Each loco is equipped with an electronic chip called a decoder, which converts the digital message to change the speed, switch the head lights or perform other functions like activating the smoke unit or sound. This way it is possible to control almost any number of locos (and other devices) without the need for complicated wiring. Now with the Roco Fleischmann Z21 system you can even control the trains with your iPad tablet or smart phone.

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