Review
This book and the DCC standards are the result of thousands of hours of volunteer and professional effort. To those who worked long and hard to develop our standards, and to the authors of this book, all modelers owe a debt of gratitude. -- Robert W. Charles, President National Model Railroad Association, Foreward DCC Book, 199907
This softcover book is an excellent reference that explains Digital Command Control...With the growing popularity of DCC, this important book answers a lot of questions for modelers working in any of the popular scales. -- Jim Hediger Model Railroader, November 1998, p54
From the Author
New inventions are difficult to explain to those not familiar with the technology employed. Digital Command Control (DCC) is no exception, and this is the fundamental reason for the preparation of this book. Our goal is to provide readers with accurate and comprehensive information regarding DCC technology.
Historically, technical advances suffer from erroneous reporting. When the first steam locomotive was unveiled, it was widely -- and erroneously -- reported that the human body could not survive speeds above 29 miles per hour. Reports of the first Model T automobile included predictions of social upheaval due to speed, accidents, and death. Recently, claims have been published stating that cellular telephones might cause brain cancer.
Following this historical trend, errors and misconceptions about DCC sometimes arise. This often results in confusion about the benefits of this new technology and often makes DCC look much more difficult or expensive than it actually is. Our intent is to clarify these misunderstandings and dispose of myths surrounding the use of DCC technology.
This book's emphasis is educational. It is not written for entertainment, and does not contain beautiful color photographs of gorgeous scenery or superbly detailed locomotives. But knowledge it does have -- and lots of it! With careful reading and reasonable thought, everyone can become well-versed with this new form of model railroad control. We hope you enjoy the information.
NMRA DCC and this book are the result of a community effort. Since 1992 the DCC community (manufacturers and model railroaders alike) has worked long and hard to bring forth a high quality, multi manufacturer, modern model railroad control system. DCC would never have evolved without their efforts. We are all indebted.
