New to DCC

[Niterider]

Help!

I am just getting back into model railroading after being gone for about thirty years. This time I am starting with N scale for space savings. I want to start a layout with DCC right from the beginning and have settled on the Bachmann EZ Command which I should have in about a week.
My question is, the Bachmann Spectrum series diesel locos state that they are DCC ready. Does this mean that they have 8 pin NMRA connectors ready for decoder installation?
I purchased two Bachmann Spectrum GE Dash 8-40CW diesel locos from a hardware store that was clearing them out. There is no information on their boxes about the product but because they are Spectrum, I thought they were DCC ready. I removed the cover to find no way to hook up the DCC decoder. Are these maybe an older model?

[kevin2083]

I think, for these anyway, DCC ready means that the motor is isolated from the frame, making it easier to install a decoder.

[Niterider]

Thanks Kevin, I see that the frame is seperated and the motor is isolated. I know that many brands that say DCC ready means that they have the 8 pin or 9 pin NMRA plug installed and ready to go with a dummy plug installed that makes it DC until the decoder is installed. I was hoping that Bachmann had that already done for us.

[fieromike]

Thanks Kevin, I see that the frame is seperated and the motor is isolated. I know that many brands that say DCC ready means that they have the 8 pin or 9 pin NMRA plug installed and ready to go with a dummy plug installed that makes it DC until the decoder is installed. I was hoping that Bachmann had that already done for us.

NMRA plugs are few and far between in n scale.  As Kevin wrote, it just means that the motor is isolated from the frame.  The only engines that are truly DCC "ready" are those  that are "plug & play", where you replace a factory light board with a decoder that is specifically built for that engine.

There are still a few engines that are a hassle to install decoders, but if you have even moderate manual skills, are able to solder small gauge wires and have a good degree of common sense, you'll do just fine with most engines.  There are also quite a few installation guides for various engines on the web.

Mike