Originally posted by MSP Tuner
Whats DCC?
There are 2 ways to wire/operate a model railroad.
Block wiring uses the technique of electrically breaking the tracks into many individual and isolated sections (blocks), each of which can be independently powered through electrical switches and multiple power packs. This allows running of several trains at once, but only one train per block at a time. Also much electric power routing to have to think about as well as train routing and turnout settings (the electric power must be switched to follow the train). Operation of more than one train at a time gets complicated (but develops skill and character).
DCC involves a small electronic 'decoder' circuit placed inside each locomotive that controls the locomotive motor (and lights etc) and responds only to it's unique pre-programmed digital address. The power to the tracks is heavy-duty digital signalling - enough 'oomph' to drive the loco motors but also contains encoded data packets (from the main DCC throttle controller system) that address and control each loco decoder individually. Thus wiring of the railroad is greatly simplified, and operation too - each throttle controls only it's addressed loco, and power switching as the train crosses into adjoining blocks (now un-necessary) is no longer a worry.
The opposite side is DCC systems require some programming and setup. Not a big deal if you read the instructions CAREFULLY and have a basic understanding of computereese.
See
http://www.digitrax.com for more info. There are many other DCC manufacturers also.
One caveat for Z scale - it does demand precision work. Tracklaying etc can be critical, a slight mis-alignment of a rail joint that barely causes a hiccup in HO can play havoc in Z. It is a challenging scale, but very rewarding when everything finally works. Also the MTL locos may need some tweaking and after-market enhancement to get them to work slowly and smoothly.
Personally i prefer the MTL knuckle couplers to the Marklin couplers - they look far more prototypical.