Yeh.  EZ Command is just the thing in certain settings.

I don't know about calling EZ Command a "standard" system, Ralph.  If you don't want to call it a training system I can understand that, but I myself think "economy" system might be a better term for such a stripped down system.  I'd think that what you call "advanced" is more akin to "standard" in the model railroad world as a whole since I suspect a lot more of them are powering DCC layouts than EZ Command.

None of this, of course is meant to denigrate EZ Command.  For what it is, it is very good, and got me past the DCC Intimidation Stage, which DCC can really do to a beginner.

Maybe very dirty wheels and poor electrical connections within the locomotive.

You may have a voltage drop problem, either within the track itself being loose in places or with the power source.  It doesn't take much power to light up the headlight, it'll come on before the motor moves in many cases.  So the headlight might only say that something is there, not how good it is.  Get a multimeter somewhere and get a reading on your track.  My DCC system delivers between 13 and 14 Volts, apparently some others vary somewhat.

As much trouble as that thing has caused you, you should consider calling the Bachmann Service department and see if they'll work on it for you, or even better, replace it with a similar one. 

https://www.world-of-railways.co.uk/techniques/how-to-wire-a-reversing-dc-loop/

Make the track level.  You'll never have level track on carpet. Put the track on the table or a piece of plywood.

  Carpet is terrible for Trains.  Inevitably, little fibers will get into every moving part of the Train.  The locomotive mechanism, the wheels, couplers, Everything.

The two words on eBay that make me smell a rat are "rare" and "vintage."

I stated the same in some other post.

"Consist" joins the list of bygone Railroading terms that includes the term "switch" that have changed meaning in recent times. 

Or disappeared, like "bindle stiff," "ashcat", "ballast scorcher", "hogger," and such.

If you like playing with a train, a limited function system is fine.

If you really want to more closely approximate real railroad operations, you need more.

I don't think it can be put more simply than that.

There's no such thing as gold with train set trains.  Unless they are from the early 1950's or earlier.  The myth persists that all old trains are solid gold.

Ok. No dancing.  EZ command can't support addresses above 9, or maybe 10, can't remember.  It can't modify control values (CV's).  It can't perform functions above 0.

None of these are negatives when EZ command is viewed in the light of what it's intended to be - the DCC version of the old transformers that came with the AC train sets of decades ago or the power packs that came with HO train sets in more recent times. It lets you stop and start the train, blow the whistle, ring the bell and work another sound or two, just very basic sounds much fewer than real trains really make, but enough to satisfy someone's interest that doesn't go beyond basic train set play.

If you want more than that, you have to get a more advanced DCC system.  I have to say that DCC really intimidated me at first.  I bought a full-blown system and left it in the box for a year, reluctant to fool with it.  Then, I finally opened it up and read the instructions for setting up and they gave the best advice I ever got for that stuff.  Which was to first set the new DCC up to just a loop of track separate from the layout and use that to learn for a couple of weeks before you change your layout over to DCC.  I did that, Changed a couple of CVs like the Whistle.  And a whole new wonderful universe opened up.  Never looked back, gave the EZ command to a kid who was just starting, that was the best thing to do with it.  That was maybe 15 years ago now.  I would not call myself a DCC guru, but I probably know how to set up a DCC steam locomotive better than anyone in the immediate Gulf coast area.  There's nothing like it. 

The big thing now is Bluetooth Control from your phone instead of a handheld cab.  I'm receiving five locomotives today in the mail that had such decoders installed by a professional. The next week is going to be spent getting up to speed with that. One advantage to of Bluetooth control is that you don't need a cab to run the engine, you can run your engine on anyone's DC layout using your iPhone as the cab. Regardless of the brand of the system, your phone will run the train, You don't need to bring your own cab with you.  Another advantage which I'm aware of, but need to learn how to manipulate, is extremely simplified Control of CV Modification.

But like an old man I digress. If you are at the point that you want longer extended addresses, You need to move on from EZ command.

A murky term that's become more so in recent times.

So then, "consist" means "everything" in the train? All locomotives AND cars?