Late night, the few brightest stars break through the light pollution of the city.
  The darkness is less than encroaching, as the streetlamps and buildings defy the nightscape of nature.
  The whistling of a freight train rolling through the night echoes low and honestly.
  It hearkens back to a mysterious time, when the American west was a nascent land full of wonder and despair; the juxtaposition that has been romanticized in countless films and books.
  The passing years have diminished the omnipresence of the railroad, but its spirit still slices through the ether.
  In an attempt to remember and enjoy the wonder of locomotives, the hobby of model trains was born.
  A noble attempt to re-create the past through models of tiny towns and scaled landscapes, model trains are a passion and a lifestyle.
    A landscape of the country, the desert and a depot station has been imagined in your mind.
  You want to instill the wonders of the American frontier or maybe the technological minded early twentieth century.
  After research and careful planning, you've built a replica of a town below the mountains.
  On the other side of the range is an open plain spotted with trees and one or two frontier houses.
  You're design for the rail's path is impeccable.
  You're model train set is complete.
  Now you have to pick a train and with that a Digital Command Controller (DCC).
This decoder will control every electronic aspect of you're model train set.
    There are two types of DCC decoders you'll need to have a working train set.
  A mobile decoder is placed in the locomotive of your train.
  Its installation is quick and easy.
  First, make sure you're decoder is proportionate to your locomotive and has the required current rating to operate on your track.
  Next, isolate the motor from the train tracks, and then place the mobile decoder in the locomotive.
  Finally, test the installation with a tester kit that is available at your local hobby store.
      The mobile decoder has a host of features that make the train authentic.
  Several features control the speed and power given to the locomotive, making you feel like an actual engineer.
  A few examples are loco momentum, which simulates a loaded train.
  A speed table maximizes the engines speed and throttle, simultaneously scaling the movement to miles per hour.
  Mobile decoders also control the lighting and sound effects of the train.
  The decoders have become essential for any enthusiasts, whether an amateur or veteran model engineer.
      Stationary Decoders are necessary to control railway switches, structure lights on the model set, animations in the towns and depots, and signaling along the railway.
  Stationary decoders can be attached directly to the rail power source.
  However, this is not recommended as it draws potential power away from the locomotive.
  It is best to set the stationary decoder underneath the model set and attach it to a separate power source.
  This maximizes the abilities of the train set and landscape you've created.
      It's important to research what type of train you want and the best correlating DCC.
  There's nothing worse than building your dream and having it fall apart because of improper planning and execution.
  DCCs come in many sizes and their functions and features vary.
  But with the right knowledge and proper equipment you're model train set will bring hours of enjoyment for years to come.