DC/DCC

[Green_Elite_Cab]

As long as I'm still around, there'll be no demise of DC.

Thats exactly it. when you're not doing trains anymore, everyone left will be DCC

Just like those new fangled i-Phones and Xbox 360s replaced home phones and board games, DCC is probably going to replace DC as the primary mode of train control. Its the younger generation that i think is really embracing DCC, as all the young people i know that have moved off the "floor" to a reasonable set up either has DCC, or is saving for DCC.

And don't forget, this is the age of instant gratification. Sure, a DC set up can do almost everything a DCC one can, but DCC does it easier. On a small layout, it adds versatility running the train that you wouldn't get on a block wired layout, and on larger ones, it lets you fine tune all your equipment so it runs the same speed in an MU, and all sorts of realistic lighting and things that would be tricky to do in DC. Again, its possible, but people will choose the simplest path.

I am afraid in some time (years) DCC decoders will be installed in all locomotives by default. That will be true for the entry level market too...

...At that time there are no newcomers asking for a more expensive locomotive without the DCC functionality they are used to from their first day.
That is my prediction of the DCC future.

Thats not going to happen, simply because people want to install their own decoders. In fact, this is exactly WHY many people i know hate those bachmann engines. There is no easy way to install a different brand, and there are questions of bachmann's "Quality", especially with their standard line stuff. I have one of their E60CPs that came with the decoder, and it can be frustrating.