I have just purchased a Spectrum DC Locomotive Item No 86011, GE Dash 8-40CW, date inside box is 04 05 28, will this loco run on a EZ Command DCC layout ?
It looks, from the diagram, like that is DCC equipped. It will run in DCC or analog. On the left on this page you'll see product reference, click diagrams and you'll see your engine listed.
Thanks for that - i checked but the model i have while it says CW it has the circuit board shown in the "C" model - no decoder.
I have heard that some of these older versions overheat and burn out if placed on DCC , so dont want to take the risk.
Not sure if I can get a decoder retrofitted?
Bachmann item #86011 is an older "DCC Ready" model. Without a decoder being installed, the locomotive will run on the #10 address of EZ Command, however there is danger of overheating the motor if left standing idle.
http://tinyurl.com/oglcch
Suggest installing a Bachmann #44915 "plug and play" decoder, then you can run it safely on your DCC powered track. The Bachmann decoder is designed to be compatible with the noise suppression circuitry on the PC board. Using other brands of decoders may result in erratic operation, requiring modifications to the circuit board.
Regards.
the difference between a c40-8 and a c40-8w is in the body, not internally. the same board with a decoder should work in either.
i have never had a dc locomotive burn up on dcc. i have done extensive running of my non decoder equipped fleet on dcc including many older locomotives. some have sat there humming away for significant periods of time. i think the fear of burning out the motors on dcc is yet another common fallacy. it may happen on older low quality train set locomotives from the 1970s, but anything with a decent motor in it should be ok. after all, before dcc we ran these locomotives on pulse power for many years and nobody worried about burning out motors then. the dcc wave is a form of pulse power.....