Hornby R8214 Elite DCC Digital Control Unit

Ideal for quick control of trains without railmaster and great for children

Excellent device to use with the railway to control dcc trains. Short circuits are handled well and generally sort them selves out. Works reasonable well with railmaster but need to ideally configure everything via rail master because it's easier. My 4 year old can easily control two trains with it once it is setup. I hand elink before that stopped trains every time I had a short circuit and needed railmaster to control trains always. Now using elink as second controller to control points and signals on second circuit.Read full review

Easy to use dcc controller.

A decent dcc controller that is easy to use especially for us older folk as it has a good sized display and large buttons. Would of course be a good choice for people with hand and eyesight issues. The twin control knobs are useful for easy control of two locos simultaneously and the menus are logical and easy to use. Quite a large unit but I find it ok. Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: armstrong8559

This is great dcc controller lots of features

This is great dcc controller lots of features does take some used to the menu system

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: new • Sold by: jadlamracing

Still learning what I can achieve withe kit

i am new to dcc but this item seems to fulfil all expectations of the overall system

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: rails-sheffield

R8214 elite

All seems to be working however I am still getting used to using it as there are quite a few differences in controls to the Hornby select which I am used to using! So I can’t really verify that all the additional features of the Elite actually work!Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: sjhunter88

Past,Present and Future of train controllers

I was worried that using modern DCC controllers might be less fun than my traditional analogue ones. With the Elite I was using basic functions in no time via a pre-fitted decoder in a Rapido engine. Running with basic sound was very cool on DC, but calling other sounds, light, customising volume and performance on DCC were next level, but straight forward. Can this work with my analogue trains? - It’s not recommended, but Yes, one at time. I often run 4 analogue controllers, but the Elite can control up to 250 devices. With a few spring clips Ithink I can continue to use my current points,motors, housing, etc.The Elite can also provide power to appropriately configured HM7000 decoders. Use of tablets to control devices is optional but provides more accurate customisation options. A rolling road provides a quick and convenient programming track. Looking forward to a hybrid set up once Ihave upgraded some engines.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: rails-sheffield

Worth the extra for this than the other version.

I bought for over £100 under list price Which Why I could give this rating. If I had to pay full price I would mark lower but would still recommend it.

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: custom-audio-so...

Does what it says on the tin

Yeah it works without fuss. Controls all my dcc locomotives and is very easy to use

Well worth the outlay.

It has all the bells and whistles that you could want in a DCC controller, very much an upgrade from the Select controller, I am very pleased with what it can do, controlling two separate locos with different controls is great.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: 9000stevet

Still a Role for Elite and Well Worth Considering

Compared to other DCC control devices this can cost less and has a surprising richness of 'F' features and locomotive numbers. You will have to remember what each 'F' function does for each locomotive, which is the main drawback compared to computer/laptop control systems.
Hornby themselves are moving away from traditional DCC control with their HM7000 range which works with your phone or tablet. Despite this controller now being obsolete, it is where the Elite gains because they sell a dongle that allows your locomotives with traditional DCC to also show in the app. The app has more details about the 'F' functions. The HM7000 system costs far less than good quality sound chips in traditional DCC.
Bearing those developments in mind, this can be a good alternative to Railmaster.Read full review

Verified purchase:  Yes • Condition: pre-owned • Sold by: mr-y-66