DCC

What is DCC?

What is DCC?  The simple answer is "Digital Command Control".  The long answer is a little more complex.

You see, normally model trains run on direct current (DC) where the electricity runs through the electric motor and makes the engine move.  DCC is a form of alternating current, where the electricity switches directions many time a second.  This alternating current can carry digital signals to a decoder, a small computer placed between the power pick-ups on the locomotive and the motor that moves the engine, not to mention lights, sounds, and other functions.

DCC is basically a computer system that is capable of separately controlling individual locomotives even though those units might be on the same track, which would normally cause problems on regular DC layouts.