Thanks to all of you for the information.

I visited the Kaydee website and found references to "overset", "underset," and "centerset" shanks, but not to "offset" shanks.  What exactly do you mean when you refer to an "offset" shank"?  Please clarify.

This is the problem that I am encountering.  I have Athearn, Bachmann and Atlas diesel engines.   I have found that the rear coupler on the diesel engines is just a little too low (1/8" or less) to line up exactly with the front knuckle couplers on freight and passenger cars.  The freight cars are Athearn and Atlas.  The passenger cars are Athearn and IHC.  I have replaced (and am in the process of replacing) the couplers on the engines and freight cars with Kaydee knuckle couplers.  On a flat surface the couplers lock, but the rear coupler on the engine is so low, that it is only grasping only half the surface area of the front coupler on the passenger or freight car.  The result is that, predictably, on an incline or a slight bump, the engine and car(s) become uncoupled.

What a I have in mind is selecting a few freight and passenger cars where I would (if I can) lower the front Kaydee coupler so that it lines up correctly with the rear coupler on the diesel engine.  The couplers on the freight and passenger cars line up correctly.  The problem appears to be just the couplers between the diesel engine and the first car.

What would be the right Kaydee coupler to use in order to do that?  What else do I need?  How do I accomplish this?  What tools will I need? 

This is a major problem.  Nothing more irritating than having your trains constantly uncoupling.

Does anyone know of any good articles or have good information re: how to
do what I am trying to do?  Or do you have any alternate suggestions?

I did find out that on the Atlas SD-24, removal of the engine shell is a litle bit different from what Santa Fe buff said.  The answer is below:

You have to remove the couplers first by unscrewing the screws that hold the front and rear coupler boxes in place.  Then slide out the coupler boxes.  Only then can the shell be popped out.  You cannot take the shell off of an Atlas SD-24 diesel engine unless the coupler boxes are removed first!   After finding this out, I was able to successfully do so and install the appropriate Digitrax decoder to convert the engine from DC to DCC.  The coupler boxes were easy to reinstall.  I hope that this post can be helpful to someone else.

Does anyone know how to remove the shell from an Atlas SD-24 diesel engine?  I want to install a digitrax dcc decoder.  Do you need to remove screws like you have to do with a bachmann diesel shell?  Is it just supposed to be popped out?

If anyone has had any experience with this, please let me know.

Does anyone know where I can find some good information re: performing routine maintenance on diesel engines (Bachmann, Athearn, Atlas)?

I have some Athearn engines that haven't been out of a box (even though they are virtually brand new) for several years.  It would seem to me that they would need to be lubricated.  Do I need to do anything to the wheels of the engines to improve the electrical contact?  I am cleaning the rails (I have the Bachmann silver nickel rails).

I have no idea what is required and I certainly want to keep my engines in good operating condition.

I just want to be able to do this right.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Re: that last Bachmann engine...will do.  I'll let you know.  Right now, that sucker is just dead...it won't respond at all.  I won't get to that one until tomorrow (if not, the day after), but I will post again and let you know. 

Right now I'm on working another small project...making a 3' x 1' x 32" table for my transformers and switches so they won't be physically on the layout table, which is 36" high.

Once again, thanks!

I'm back.  SUCCESS!!!  They are now operating in DCC mode and were easily programmable using the EZ Command System.  Engineerkyle was right on the money!

For the record, I had 2 DR&G Atlas Master HK-15/16's (#150 and 151) and a Union Pacific diesel.

My mistake was that I had thought that a DCC engine would come from the factory already set to operate in the DCC mode.  My assumption was incorrect, so all of you out there who buy Atlas DCC engines need to take note of this fact.  The ones that come with the 4 function decoders (at least) are all set to run in the DC mode only AND THERE IS A SPECIAL SET OF DIRECTIONS THAT SHOWS HOW SIMPLE IT IS TO MAKE THE CHANGE!

What you have to do is to remove the engine shell, find the decoder and re-seat the jumper plug on the DCC decoder.  It's very simple (I like that part).  In order to get a mental picture of this, imagine 6 pinholes arrayed in 2 horizontal rows of 3 pinholes each.  The jumper plug cover only inserts into 4 pinholes...2 in each row.  In the DC mode (as it comes from the factory), the jumper plug is plugged into the 4 rear holes.  YOU HAVE PULL OUT THE JUMPER PLUG AND REINSERT IT SO THAT THE JUMPER PLUG INSERTS INTO THE 4 FRONT HOLES!

That's all there is to it.  It's very simple and the instructions include a diagram that shows the before and after.

It just never dawned on me that I would have to take this step but the replies to my post triggered the thought that I might have to manually make the change in the decoder's configuration from DC to DCC.  It wasn't a switch...it was just a matter of re-seating the jumper plug.

Thank you all.   This episode really shows how valuable this discussion board is.

Guys. I wouldn't have figured this out in a million years.  Thank for checking this one out for me.  This is some valuable information.  I am going to check this out to see if there is such a switch on the engine and I'll post later and let you know how this turned out.

Again...thank you!

I'n not sure what you mean by "clear bit 5 of CV 29'....How?

The boxes that they came say that they are DCC decoder-equipped and that the decoder has been factory installed.  I'll take off the shells to double check, but I am sure that they are DCC-decoder equipped and not just DCC ready.

I have 3 Atlas DCC engines with factory-installed DCC decoders (I double-checked that both before and after I bought them) and when I put them on the track, they only operated on "0" and not "3".  I don't seem to be able to reprogram them to work on any other number.  In other words, they are operating as DC engines right now.  I want to be able to program to operate on different number codes other than the analogue code ("0").  Is that possible with Atlas DCC engines?

Any suggestions?

I was able to successfully reprogram 1 of the 2 engines that wasn't working.  Yampa Bob, I'll check out your suggestion.

I have another issue concerning Atlas DCC engines and the Bachman EZ Command System but I will make a separate post on it and I would like you to look at it.

Thank you for your help.

Thank you.  Your answers to questions 1 and 3 helped a lot.  I'm still trying to figure out #2.

Today was a landmark day for me.  After months of planning, benchwork, some scenery work (much more will be done here, but that is in the future) and wiring, I finally tested my track and it worked!!!

Scenario:  In order to give you a mental picture of the layout (sidings excluded), the layout area is basically a 9' x5' area AND a 9'x6' area in an "L"-shaped layout with 3 separate tracks...the outer and middle track both run in a "L" around the entire layout area and the inner track is an oval approximately 11' in length.  The inner track has 18" radius curves, the middle track has 22" radius curves and the outer track as 26" and 28" radius curves (except for 1 area where the curve is 22".  All 3 tracks are connected by switches that permit trains to switch back and forth between the 3 different tracks.  There is an access hatch and I have access to all areas of the layout, so don't worry about that issue.


Issue # 1:  All of the track is Bachmann EZ-track (silver rails).  THE SWITCHES ARE NON-DCC (this is important and is related to my first question).

I first tested the basic operation of the track with an old DC transformer and one of my old Athearn DC engines and the track and switches all worked fine.

I then went to substitute the Bachmann DCC system (the EZ Command DCC controller/transformer and the 5 amp power booster).  THE FIRST THING THAT I FOUND OUT WAS THAT THERE APPEARED TO BE NOWHERE TO CONNECT THE POWER TO THE NON-DCC SWITCHES.  When I was using the DC transformer, I could connect the wires from the controls for the switches to the DC transformer.


Question #1:  Can I use the Bachmann DCC system AND connect the power for the switches to a DC transformer and use both at the same time?  Otherwise, I have no power for the switches.


Issue #2:  When I had the DCC system connected, I ran one of my old Athearn DC engines and it worked fine.  I also tried out 3 different Bachmann DCC-equipped (factory installed engines).  These 3 Bachmann DCC engines  have never been out the box and are brand new...I acquired them over the last 5 months.  Only 1 of the DCC engines worked at all and I was able to successfully program it.  The other 2 engines showed no signs of life...they do not move at all...do not run when the decoder address is either 0 or 3 (or any other address).  I tried every address on the DCC controller. 

I was even able to run the 1 Bachmann DCC engine that did work (and was able to successfully program) and the Athearn DC engine on the track at the same time.


Question # 2:  Is there any way I can "purge" the decoder for these 2 non-operating Bachmann DCC engines and start over (assuming that they are working at all) without knowing the decoder address?


Issue # 3 concerns the 5 amp power booster.  Will using it make any appreciable difference in the performance of the engines?  There seemed to be no difference whether I used the 5 amp power booster or not with the EZ command DCC controller/transformer.  The Bachmann  DCC engine that ran seemed to be a little slow. 

I want to make sure that I understood the somewhat sparse directions re: connecting the EZ Command transformer/controller and the 5 amp power booster correctly.


Question # 3.  Am I correct that the connection runs from the track terminal to the 5 amp power booster?  I'm asking because when I discarded the 5 amp power booster and just used the EZ Command transformer/controller, everything worked exactly the same.

As you can see, I have made a lot of progress, but I still have a way to go.  I have some other new Bachmann DCC engines that I haven't tried yet (that's for the near future, plus a couple of Atlas DCC engines and I still have to install DCC decoders in my old Athearns). 


I would welcome any advice that anyone can give to me.  Today was a very encouraging day, but these three unresolved questions remain outstanding.

Thank you in advance for your help, as well as all of the help that you have previously given to me.  I wouldn't have gotten this far without you.