any one who can answer this question please do.

[momo]

You know how most freight trains have their engines in opposite directions? Well how would you do that in DCC.I want to buy a Bachmann
DCC system but I just noticed something,If you program 3 engines to the same address,and there all facing different directictions,they will all pull on each other.I don't want to put them all in the same direction,because it will look unrealistic.Unless there is some twist to DCC that I don't know,than I think it is impossible.If there is a twist let me know.

[Guilford Guy]

Bachmann's isn't great. Buy a Lenz or Digitrax system. When you consist the locos you can decide what direction you want each on to go.

[Dr EMD]

Do you ever wonder when you google something, how do the Internet know which computer it goes to?

Think of your DCC locomotives each having an IP address. When you throttle up DCC would command only certain IP address will response to the command and to start taking power.

You can program your locomotive to behave in the manner that will make you happy.

If you have a battery powered motorized toy and put the battery backward, it would go backward. Put the battery in correctly and it will go forward. DC motors in both DC mode HO trains and battery powered toys will run in the direction the polarity it is set up to run.

(I wish Mr. Wizard was still on TV. It will make explaining these concepts much easier.)

[ddellacca]

Momo,

Almost all (probably all) current decoders have the capability to set
default direction for the engine.
Just check the instructions for the specific decoder(s) you have to
determine the CV to program and it's setting.

Dick

[fieromike]

You know how most freight trains have their engines in opposite directions? Well how would you do that in DCC.I want to buy a Bachmann
DCC system but I just noticed something,If you program 3 engines to the same address,and there all facing different directictions,they will all pull on each other.I don't want to put them all in the same direction,because it will look unrealistic.Unless there is some twist to DCC that I don't know,than I think it is impossible.If there is a twist let me know.

From looking at the Bachmann DCC manual, you can do consisting if you are determined enough, but it seems to involve reprogramming the engine decoders.  NCE asks you the direction of each loco as you build the consist, and the system remembers it without having to jump through hoops.  I'm sure that the other major DCC systems do something similar.

Mike

[Scott S]

Momo-

regarding the direction concern you had:

If you program 3 engines to the same address,and there all facing different directictions,they will all pull on each other.I don't want to put them all in the same direction,because it will look unrealistic.Unless there is some twist to DCC that I don't know,than I think it is impossible.If there is a twist let me know.

As noted by others it's quite possible to set up which direction each loco considers "forward". Even with the E-Z Command controller. See topic "Programming Forward and Reverse Operation" in the E-Z Command manual. Here's a link to a pdf of the manual on Bachmann's site: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/newez/EZ_Command_instructions.pdf

But perhaps Dick has information that suggests there could be a problem depending on the decoder:

Almost all (probably all) current decoders have the capability to set
default direction for the engine.
Just check the instructions for the specific decoder(s) you have to
determine the CV to program and it's setting.

Dick

I would have thought that something like this would be covered in the standards that all the current products intend to conform to; certainly for interoperability it does make sense that these things would be done the same way. But the E-Z Command makes things E-Z by hiding the actual CV programming and severely constraining the set of programmable options. So while I expect this procedure will work with all Bachmann decoders, and probably Lenz, whose design is the basis of the DCC-on-board decoders, it is certainly conceivable that it won't work on some other decoder(s) due to the CV to control direction being different.

[GlennW]

THis may be a holdover question from the DC side. As long as the loco is wired correctly, it makes no difference which end is the Front. Flip the switch on your controller to go the other direction.