The drive wheels may move a small amount, but not spin free when you push on them. I don't think you'll see much movement of the wheels if your pushing the engine on the track.

You will have to install a decoder chip in each engine to run them on DCC. Most of them are an pretty easy job or there are a few web sites that will do it for you.

I have an EZ command and a zephyr and depending on what you want from a system either may do the job for you. The RZ is very basic and can't program anything behold the address of the Loco. The zephyr  will pretty much do any programing you need. Either will run a DC Loco, but I have found many DC Locos do not run on the DCC systems and everyone that I have that will makes a bad noise while doing it. Other than a quick test I don't run any DC Locos on my DCC systems. The EZ command works very well for my 6 year old son to run his "thomas" setup, but after a few days using it he was equally as comfortable running them on the zephyr system. If you don't need to program or run more then 3 or 4 HO scale trains at a time the EZ will work for you. If you want to go behold the most basic DCC system then the zephyr is a great starting point (IMHO) that you can build. 

Thanks for the heads up. My cable company has this channel so my son and I will have to take a look at the 2 shows.

I have 8 of the bachmann extension wires that came with turnouts. I have cut the connectors off everyone of them and soldered the wires together since 7 of them didn't work right out of the package. Just make your own and save yourself the headache of fixing them later.

Do not plug the DC controller into any place on your track if you have DCC also run to it. The DC controller can only be plugged into the DCC EZ command unit.

Your problem maybe be the speed control setup. You have to make sure the decoder is set for 128step speed control or if it isn't a 128step decoder you have to change the setup for that Engine in your zephyr to match the whatever the decoder is. That problem should be listed in your manual. I know it is in the zephyr DCS50, but I don't know for sure about the zephyr Xtra.

They make turnouts that you can power the frogs, but that involves adding switches to change the polarity of the frogs based on the direction of turnout. EZ track can not be used as powered frogs since they are plastic.

Quote from: Anthony P2 on January 07, 2011, 04:53:04 PM

Quote from: BillingsRR on January 07, 2011, 01:04:48 PM

Quote from: Anthony P2 on January 06, 2011, 09:11:45 PM

Quote from: BillingsRR on January 06, 2011, 07:55:21 PM

Quote from: Anthony P2 on January 06, 2011, 06:36:57 AM
please don't triple post. G scale trains ARE weather proof, because they're made to go outside. it would be fine to run them in the snow, as long as you clean the track off first. James would be a nice engine to run in the snow because "....red looks so nice against the snow"

no the B'mann engines are not made to be run in heavy rain and heavy snow. Light rain and light snow sure, but not heavy. The B'mann engines do not have the weatherproof, or should I say waterproof, plastic/parts that LGB and AaristoCraft have. If you do wish to run them in heavy snow, don't have them run too long. Just because an engine can run outside does not mean it won't be damaged by rain or snow, or extreme heat. Go to any hobby shop that sells B'mann LS trains and ask them if B'mann LS engines are made to run in heavy rain or heavy snow. I can assure you they will most likely say no.
Hope it helps,
-BRR

well you don't want to run them while in the middle of a hurricane or drive them trough a pond. G scale trains are waterproof.

watch these videos:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpIUWIrEUjo - read comments
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKbdynpyTko
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3eoXy3NgLI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y48PO_WbPAU

"need i say more?"

Yes you do have to say more. The engine in the first is an ARISTOCRAFT engine, which I've stated before is waterproof. Bachmann does not make any G scale diesels. The Aristo engines are perfect for the rain. The engine w/ the plow in the second video is also an Aristo. The engines in the 3rd video are Aristo and LGB, both waterproof. And in the 4th video the engine is an Aristo. They are all diesels, Bachmann makes not a one diesel like that. None of the engines in the video are Bachmann, they are LGB and Aristo. So the videos don't change the fact that BACHMANN engines are not to be run in the snow. The other brands are, not Bachmann. G scale engines are made to go in the snow, but not Bachmann engines.
-BRR

And the creator of this thread was talking about a Bachmann engine, not an LGB or Aristo. A Bachmann which is NOT waterproof. Get a Big Hauler and dumb a glass of water on it and tell me if it works. Then get an Aristo/LGB engine and dumb a glass of water on it and it will still run, because it is made to run in rain/snow.

First of all it doesn't matter what brand the engine is beacuse g scale trains are made to be run outside. And I tried that little experiment of yours it worked. Then I ran it in the snow....so yeahm I tried it with my set I got last year for my birthday.

Only some of the G scale trains I have looked at are listed as waterproof. My local dealer told me some are waterproof and other are not "waterproof"  but are ok in a "light" rain, but not a heavy downpour. If the Bachmann G scales are waterproof and since this is the bachmann forum it seems to me someone from bachmann would have stated that here by now.

Quote from: fighter4luv on January 07, 2011, 07:18:01 AM

Quote from: RGC on January 07, 2011, 07:16:22 AM
Bachmann large scale track is listed as indoor use track by Bachmann themselves

But sometimes that's done so that if anything does happen and it was outside, the warranty is void coz they put that text about it

Yes which means they are for indoor use and if you do use it outside it's now your problem.

Bachmann large scale track is listed as indoor use track by Bachmann themselves

All my "Thomas and friends" are faster then any of my bachmann diesels.

Have you tried a little oil on the axles ?

On mine I believe the wheel is coming in contact with the bottom of the plastic frog which lifts the wheel off the track. I'm going to test this by grinding a tiny amount of the plastic off of the bottom of the frog. 

I haven't had any of those apart, but I think from looking at the parts list for them it should be about the same. My next two trains to DCC are Percy and Toby. I think james and Edward will be the two after that. I might go with DCC sound in James.