After reading about making consists of 2 or more locomotives, I wonder what a powered F7B unit would add to my F7A.  Is it more realistic to run FA with FB?  Would a powered B unit add more speed & more pulling power?  Does it use about as much electricity as the locomotive?  Would I have to re-program it to run at the same address as the F7A?  I have an Intermountain EMD F7A Great Northern locomotive.  I realize that for appearances only, an unpowered B unit is a cheaper alternative.

  I have been running my Spectrum EMD SD-45 with DCC on the default address 3 of E-Z Command.  Today, I got an Intermountain F7A DCC/with sound.  Following the E-Z Command instructions, I press Stop & 3 simultaneously; then I press Address 1 & press Stop again, but the Intermountain locomotive does not run at the new address.  I tried the Bachmann locomotive, which certainly ought to respond to a Bachmann DCC controller, but it does not change address, either.  This leaves me with two trains running at the same address on different ovals connected by switches.
  I also tried the instructions for re-programming a locomotive from a different address than 3 & the instructions for re-programming a locomotive with an address higher than 10.   I had more control when one locomotive was DC.

  Seeing DC locomotives with sound advertised makes me curious how they work vs DCC locomotives with sound.

 I just got my first Electric Remote Control Power-Loc Switch Track.  I expected to find directions on the back or inside the package, but I found only an ad for Power-Loc track.  The automatic switch track for my old Marx trains was easy in comparison.  Power-Loc's control has A, B & C connections but only two cables.  I connected C to the switch track, leaving one cable for the A & B terminals.  I tried B to the AC teriminals on my power pack, but the switch did not work.  At least, I can turn them manually.
  Even my beginner's book doesn't explain.  Why don't model train companies provide more information about their products & instructions how to operate them?

 The train person at the "local" (60 miles round-trip) hobby shop tried to sell me Digitrax Zephyr "entry level" DCC.  DCC seemed very complicated & the price of $180 made me gulp.  HO Scale Model Railroading recommends wiring it at least every 3'!  Reading recently here about Bachmann's E-Z Command Control, which costs less than half Digitrax, & now having a DCC locomotive, I am reconsidering.
  Does Plug & Play mean that I could plug the E-Z C C into the Power-Loc terminal track where my DC power pack is presently connected?
  If I could get sound installed in my Spectrum SD-45, would the DCC enable me to honk the horn when I want?  I heard the Union Pacific go by 3 times today, honking. 

  I got an excellent price on this locomotive in the railroad & era I wanted.  It arrived today.  It looks beautiful.  However, it pulls my 11 cars (with freight) only half as fast as the cheap Walthers F7 (4-wheel drive) that came with my train set!  The Walthers takes 16 seconds for a lap around my 38' DC track at 4/5 speed on the 7 VA power pack.  The Bachmann takes 30 seconds at full throttle!  Why is this?  Do I need a more powerful power pack?

I currently have my power pack connected to an 18" Radius Curved Terminal Rerailer with Hook up Wire.  I am considering a concentric layout requiring 22" radius Power-Loc track to encompass the 18" radius layout, enabling me to run two trains on the separate ovals, but I can't find 22" radius Curved Terminal Rerailer with Hook up Wire.   How could I connect a power pack to the outer oval without using 18" radius curved terminal rerailer with hook up wire?

 I still have two Marx train sets my parents bought me in the early '50s.  I guess they are called "tinplate" & seem to be about O size.  I decided to try scale model trains & chose HO, because it is almost 50% smaller than my old trains & fits better into a room.  We have a finished basement with a low-pile carpet.  I set up my old trains in the largest room, but I will remove them as my HO layout grows.  I have space for about 6'x13' of track.  At a local department store, I found a Stock Car Express HO train set by Walthers.  It has a passenger style diesel locomotive, 5 boxcars, a caboose, & 12' of power-loc track.  I bought it for $46; Walthers' website prices it at $90.  The only thing I don't like is that they have NASCAR logos, instead of genuine railroad logos.  Eventually, I want to get a freight locomotive & get passenger cars for the locomotive that I have.
   
   The nearest hobby shop is a 50+ mile long round trip, so I can't drop in whenever I have questions & want to compare products.   So far, I haven't found much information for beginners that answers my basic questions.

   I just ordered 6' of Ezlock track & then wondered whether or not it is compatible with my power-loc.  I like the track that comes with its own roadbed, but it is expensive.  Is Flex track cheaper?  Does it require making a roadbed?

   Do you put freight in your freight cars?  I want to do that.  Because I am originally from Minnesota's Mesabi Iron Range, I want a Great Northern locomotive.  I ordered 3 D, M, & IR ore cars & hope to have them carry something to simulate iron ore.

   In Model Railroader (July, 2008)I read about a new locomotive that can pull 100 cars.  I would like a freight locomotive that can pull about 20 cars at a good speed & with several ounces of freight.  I am considering the Great Northern SkyATH-94159-2, but sellers' descriptions often don't tell me what I want to know, like how much pulling power it has.  My present locomotive does not have all-wheel drive, which I guess delivers more power.
  If I buy another locomotive, do I need a separate transformer for it?  How do I know what transformer to get?  I'm guessing that a more powerful locomotive needs a more powerful transformer than the one that runs my present locomotive & 6 cars.
   
   If one can't run two trains on the same track, can the two tracks intersect or must one go under or over the other?