As an alternate, if you can hook up an ammeter and test the current draw, just retard the loco so it can't move yet still allow the drive wheels to slip and spin.  If the current draw at wheels spinning doesn't exceed .5 amp (1/2 amp), a 3/4 amp 123Z decoder should work ok. 




Bob is tht a standard for current draw and if it does exceed that do I just add 1/4 amp to the amount of current draw? I do have and use an ammeter?

Geez I feel like I stold this thread from the OP.

 I now suggest using the Digitrax version since it has FX lights and you can install a beacon etc, and it has instructions for replacing the LED's

OK I'm a dummy when it comes to decoders. Does this decoder have sound?
I fried one Bachmann decoder in well 4 years now out of 26 dcc loco's. That was a year ago and it's still "deadlined", just too busy doing my scenics and addition, I bought a replacement, lenz, that I got cheap on eBay, but thinking maybe a better decoder, I've been doing a lot of research on all this stuff and I think I can do this. I want to put in a few decoders and take a break from the scenics for awhile, got about 20 cars with bad couplers and bought Kaydee's to replace, gave up on Backmann EZ mate, even the Mark2 are becoming problematic, they seem to get weak. I pull more than 20 weighted cars and they uncouple. They are at the proper height, I used a gauge.

It is possible but  it is a lot of work

I have 2 of these and was thinking of doing the same thing. I do believe the motors are insulated from the chassis and there seems to be enough room in there. I would think all you have to do is solder the 2 motor wires in parallel add the harness and decoder and go! Could I be right ?

Try this trick, lay a 1K resistor across the track and then proceed to program your loco. When I came back to the hobby my LHS guy told me to lay a couple feet of track for programming. I insulated 3 feet of track with gaps and power up only that section when I program. Not sure if it's necessary, but it works for me along with using the resistor!

I've built the Elkins, WV (my hometown) WM yard in my daughter's Basement for my grandson

Hello Elkins, WV....I live in Elkins WV, in the old Phillips Store on RT 219/North Randolph Ave, and my layout is in the store front.

I have the same system that Yampa Bob has and I can't add anything that he posted. Been running the Bachmann System 3 years and no problems.

Oh I totally agree about Peco being the finest and if I were building from scratch I would be using nothing but Peco. However I used mostly Atlas, 47 turnouts with Tortise machines under those. I was refering to filing on 2 or 3 of the Peco where I had a slight alignment problem. I have 12 curved Peco turnouts and using their machines and they are flawless.

Nothing ridiculous about it just the facts! And I don't comment on "what I heard", such as this statement by you "I think you run 9 locos then can hit function and run 9 switches, that's what I've gotten from people"

I comment on my experience only!

Geez you guys bring back a lot of memories. I guess I fit in your age group. I too was born in 1944. Got my first all metal train with the bent tabs and wind up when I was 5, about the same time I got one of them double barrel shotguns with the corks in the end of the barrel tied on with string. I shot all the balls off the Christmas  tree that I could reach, before the folks got up. That's when I got my first lesson on gun safety.

Got my first Lionel when I was 9 years old, 2 switch's too! My dad and I built our first layout in the cellar on a piece of plywood. Went to HO when I was 15, and still have all of that layout and use it on my current pike. In the 70's I built a nice layout but we bought a new house and moved and I never put it back up until I retired 3 years ago. Raising them young'ns and putting them through college was most important. Model railroading is more rewarding now than ever.

Funny, I became a competitive high power rifle shooter, master class, and have shot in the nationals in Camp Perry Ohio every year for the past 28 years except one. And I still love model trains, prototype too!

If you are going to purchase the unit below it is only 1 amp, you can only run 2-3 DCC loco's with it. If you plan on running more and all your switch's you will need the 5 amp booster, or the Dynamis, like I explained in a previous post.

The track is very reliable, I have run trains almost every day for the past 3 years with no problem whatsoever.

Turnouts...I have had no problem with Bachmann EZ track turnouts, except when they were brand new, had the same problem with Atlas turnouts. A couple of them had a flat point on the movable rail. In layman's terms, I carefully filed the inside of the movable rail to a point, without bending the point until the point layed against the outside rail.

Derailing..never a problem going through the turnouts, but I run my trains about HO scale speed. If you go helter skelter, it will no doubt derail.

As far as addressing switch's in your unit, I don't know. Again like I said before I switch mine using a toggle and push button on my panel, I don't have the newer DCC powered turnouts. Best to wait for someone who has, maybe some poster will come along with that knowledge.

E-Z Command ® Digital Command Control System

If you look over to the far left of the page, in the red area, click on easy command, pages of knowledge there and expansion goody's available. I would advise you to do just that before going to a LHS, some of those clerks don't know anything about DCC. Been there, done that!

One more thing I might add is you can buy EZ track in 3 ft lengths, but the problem is you can't bend it like flex track. I agree with the above poster pretaining to easements. I neve tried it with EZ track. But do a search and see what modellers accomplished using strictly ez track. You'll be amazed!

Quote from: Old Jedi on February 04, 2009, 01:18:25 PM
I am considering EZ track for my new layout, and have never used it before.  From reading elsewhere on the net it seems like the hardcore modellers don't like it, especially the turnouts.  I like the idea of #5 and #6 turnouts with DCC decoders already built-in.  My question is this:  Is this track reliable, including the turnouts?  Do you have trouble with trains derailing on the turnouts?  Also, can two turnouts be switched via the same address or is each one separate?  I have heard you are limited to 8.  True?  Thanks for the time, and for objective feedback from users of the product. 

I use some EZ track turnouts, but the older version, I use a switch to operate, I don't mind, the switch's are not DCC, though I run it DCC. I have a 2 line subway beneath my layout most of which is Bachmann, it does however transiton from Bachmann track to Atlas since I put in an addition, ballasted you wouldn't know the difference. It travesl approx 70 ft from end to end. I haven't had any problem with the Bachmann EZ track switch's installed 3 years ago. I would think if you're using EZ Command to operate your switch's, you can only program 9 DCC devices unless you run a consist or operate 2  switch's the same time. If you plan on that much you will either need a 5  amp booster or the dyamis system. I have the 5 amp booster and run dcc on six main lines.

As far as Bachmann EZ track, well all I can say is that yeah some of the other modellers hate it, others imbrace it. I've seen some real nice layout's finished in EZ track, but you are some what limited. I really prefer flex track. On my main layout on top it's all flex and I used both code 100 and code 83.
Code 100 in the mountains and tunnels and code 83 where you can see it, tell the truth, once ballasted, I can't see the difference, and I had to change wheels on some of my old rolling stock, the deep flanges on some would ride on the code 83 track plates and spikes, the plastic part.

You dont have the option of using flex track if you just use EZ track or the much greater variety of turnout types, ie; curved turnouts, tripple turnouts or number 10 or 12  turnouts like Peco offers. Also EZ track only comes in code 100.

Excuse me but I have Bachmann EZ track running right in to Atlas flex track. I used a long piece of homasote, 4', sanded from 1/2", full thickness of homasote to about 1/4", the thickness of Bachmann EZ track.  I used homasote for my Atlas code 100 for roadbed, literally kills noise. Cork roadbed will match up with the Bachmann EZ track. I used Atlas connectors from the Bachmann to the Atlas.

Also I have code 100 transitioned to code 83, atlas makes connectors for that purpose.

The Peco turnouts are European and require some attention with the track, a bit of filing here and there to match the gauge.

Wish I had a local hobby shop. I'd be glad to pay the $4.00 extra. My nearest hobby shop is a 120 mile round trip.  I buy all on line so I wait 3-10 days and pay postage. Have you been to the PO to mail a box of anything lately, it ain't cheap more than $4.00.

I have a friend who owns a quite large outdoor sporting store, hunting and fishing stuff. One time a customer was complaining he could get his item on line for $6.00 cheaper. He paid for the item and the owner took the item and put it under the counter. The customer looked at the owner and said what the (expletive's) are you doing. The owner told him to come back in 3 days to pick it up, after all it would take at least that long to receive it through the mail after he paid for it. The owner put it on the counter and the customer left in a huff with his item. The owner exclaimed, I'm (expletives) glad he won't be back!

The customer was a rude dude from the get go. Sometimes I wonder if I would have told the guy to leave with his attitude and please  don't come back long before he bought anything, complained about everything.

The way I'm reading Fosters post is that I believe he is talking about analog, not dcc. I came back to the hobby with my old bachmann, tyco, model power, atlas, etc after being stored for 30 years. Ok he's talking early 90's that's why I assume analog. The first thing I did was pop the covers off the gear mechanism's, took the gears out, cleaned and regreased or reoiled. Cleaned the  wheels also from the gunk that's  been on there hardened up after all those years, I used a small piece of basswood and made a 1/4" flat chisel point and got most of it off with that and then I cleaned the wheels with isopropyl. Also I cleaned the contacts on the wheel pickups and sort used the rule of breakin when I first ran them.

Then I discovered DCC and how quiet today's loco's run, heck I ain't even disappointed with Bachmann compared to the old Bachmann they are very quiet to me. I also own Atlas, beautiful and quiet as are the Proto 2000 and Athern, Stewart, the best to me is the BLI, all I bought new since coming back, all in DCC and some with sound, LOL, you don't have to do what I did, I bought approx 25, I was like a 10 year old kid in a candy store with a dollar in my pocket. After hanging out here and learning, I'm gonna go ahead and convert some of my old time favorites to DCC. Hope I helped and welcome back!

PS I use homosote for roadbed, old timer stuck in some of my old ways but homasote litterly kills noise, LOL they run quiet with that even if they are noisy otherwise.

I used the Bachmann EZ track only on my subway, 2 lines. When it came to the curves, I used the black only, and only because I couldn't get 22" radius in the gray. I could only find it on eBay and when I bid I would always get outbid even @ $3.00 per piece for the gray, it was hard to come by 3 years ago. And then such as the previous poster pointed out, I couldn't find the "pieces" I needed,my subway is lined up exactly plumb with the edge of the top, curved corners too, and when I did find the pieces, they to me were expensive. So I would take a full piece and cut it to fit square so the pieces butt each other, and shimmed if need be. I attached it in place with my special glue nails I made and some plastic glue here and there as needed. I have a wire buss under the entire 70' feet from point to point and separate buss's for each line. I merely dropped feeders to the track that I cut to fit and soldered on the outside of each rail, hence no connectors.  A lot of modeler's don't like steel or brass at all, in  fact they hate it with a vengeance.  I must admit I used all 3, but all my mainline track, especially in hard to reach, like mountains and tunnels, I used the NS Atlas flex, in fact all the lines and yard on the main top layout is all mostly atlas flex, NS code 100 ( I can't tell the difference once it's ballasted from code 83), and I did use some brass in the yard spurs and even steel on some siding's Anybody that's seen it don't ever complain or ask about it, too much other stuff to look at, they just like the scenery, the tunnels, and the train running, seems to go unnoticed, don't believe I had a rivet counter see it yet, then I suppose I'll get told, but I'll have the last say with my words to him if it ever happens! Hope the door don't hit him in the butt when he leaves!

I have to chime in here.....normally don't come this thread, but I am a MRR'R and 64 years old. I have used some steel track back in the 50's to the 70's, along with NS and yes even brass track. I packed it all away in the mid 70's. I was married with 3 small children at the time. We moved and the layout was not put up until 3 years ago when I retired. I didn't realize how far MRR has come with DCC and all the beautiful detailed rolling stock, pricey, but it always was even the old analog loco's at my time was expensive even @ $9.99 in the 70's trying to raise a family. any how I jumped into DCC with a vengeance. I bought the Bachmann track and used it both NS and steel and even some of my older track that was stored for 35 years. The NS and Brass was more corroded than the steel, which only had Zinc oxide dust and a tiny bit of rust where the connectors were. Now I've been running my DCC trains on the Bachmann steel and NS track for 3 years DCC, I have had no problem whatsoever with it, they run smooth and uninterrupted. I clean the track with Flitz or Maas polish once every six months and that's all. I use no abrasives whatsoever and never have, not even bright boy. Any abrasive, and I don't care how fine the grit, it will leave fine scratch marks that will collect dirt, dust, bits of plastic and steel. oil and grease. I've read on other sites about guys using NS and having a problem especially in DCC, that they have to clean their tracks every time they run trains. I believe it's all in what they are cleaning it with. Like I said I use the Bachmann steel and have not had a problem whatsoever!