Lionel offered a cool two channel system way back in the 1940’s. This awesome before her time system used oscillating electrons and a transmitter to shoot messages through rails where your locomotive took in orders and delivered them with railroad precision!

The operator could control the locomotive through the use of a toggle switch or dial to manipulate train direction and speed. Unfortunately Lionel’s system was unnecessarily bulky and cumbersome.

Lionel’s short comings in the convenience category left room for companies like GE to walk in and introduce there electronic wizardry into the model train industry. GE brought to light a 5 channel system which allowed for the controlling of more than one train per block.

This new system called ASTRAC (Automatic Simultaneous Train Control) by GE used silicon rectifiers to incorporate a receiver in each cab. Signals travel from transmitter to the tracks where your receiver picks up the intel and executes its commands.

Later came other systems such as, Dynotrols Carrier Control which was popular for a while in the sixties and seventies. These early command control devices shared a major setback which held the industry down for a few years. These control devices where not at all compatible. This meant you had to have all the components made by the same manufacture as different companies followed different electrical blueprints and guidelines. You could easily short out your layout or even worse cause a serious electrical fire.

Lenz, a well know European DCC innovator, suggested that then industry device a system in which compatibility of model train decoders, power stations and transmitters be universal. These decisions paved the way for the diverse DCC industry we’re privileged with today.

That’s about it modelers, as long as you have NMRA sanctioned model train electronics you’ll have no trouble commanding control of your layout!

For more information on scale model locomotives visit Daryl’s Website surrounding model train reviews, you may also stop in to read thomas the wood toy train reviews.

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The Origin of Electronics in Model Train Operations