I think this hobby is about doing whatever toots your train whistle and enjoying the process. I really enjoy all the different aspect that a person can focus on based on their personal enjoyment.It does seem that for those who are extremely detail oriented it's a great outlet for that.

In terms of MRR layout I'm still wondering if prototype refers to attempting to recreate a specific railroad in full detail. Not just the rolling stock and locos, but all of it.

Thanks guys. I think I've heard that "rivet counter" term once or twice, too. 

I see the term "prototype" used in message boards but I don't know what all it entails in regards to model railroading.

Good job! Makes me want to start thinking about sound.

I just wanted to give an update on how this turned out. The box (see picture) that my loco came in had an item number indicating it was a DCC ready model (item # 80035). I had ordered item # 62201 which is the DCC onboard model. This was a seller error (which I don't believe was intentional after corresponding with him). Therefore I couldn't send the unit to Bachmann as having been mislabeled and the seller didn't have the right replacement unit so we agreed on a partial credit back. Since then I purchased a decoder, soldered it in and all functions of the switcher are working great and the E-Z  command control is doing everything it's supposed to. In the end I still got a good deal on the total package and learned quite a few things in the process (not to mention brushing up on my electronic soldering skills).

Following is a link to a site I used for a reference to what colored wires to connect to which contact points on the circuit board. It includes pictures.

http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/2010/08/bachmann-ge-44-ton-decoder-installation.html

Here are my pics:

Thanks, Jerry. I think that may be the best thing to try. I'm not having much luck contacting the seller. I think he probably sold it in good faith and I doubt he would have replacement inventory as he mostly specializes in N and Z scale. This was a unique situation where I did not test the loco (with DCC) for nearly 3 months after purchase because I didn't yet have a DCC control. That won't happen again.

I have to say though, after this little learning adventure I may just pay that little extra and support my local model train shops. It's about two to three hours round trip depending on which one but it's a pretty drive and I get to talk face to face with train nuts 

Thanks Jim. That cleared up a lot for me. I appreciate having access to your electronic knowledge. If I can't settle with the seller I may have another learning experience in store attaching a decoder.

OK, I'm trying the Photobucket thing. Best I could do was to get the link here.

http://i1256.photobucket.com/albums/ii495/skooksteve/GE44ton.jpg

I can't get a picture uploaded. I keep getting this message "The upload folder is full. Please try a smaller file and/or contact an administrator. "

I've resized my jpg file to well below the 128 KB max.  Mr. Administrator...help!

I was sold this unit as "DCC onboard". And I do know the difference between "onboard" and "ready" from reading past posts on this message board. I was very careful to make that distinction when shopping online. That said, I appreciate the pictures because I wouldn't know looking at the pcb just what I had in front of me logic-wise. My board looks mostly like pic 1 but has some characteristics of pic 2.

I have been trying to upload a picture but keep getting an error message no matter how many times I resize the pic to meet website requirements. I'll try putting it in a separate post.

I apologize for not being more detailed in my initial posting. I thought it was a more simple thing at the time. Sometimes us newbies don't know what we don't know. However, the steepest part of the learning curve can be most rewarding. Regards to all who have taken the time and had patience with me.

The loco runs fine in DC mode (10) on the e-z command control. Just can't get it to run on any other number as DCC. I've been reading old posts and documentation on this site and have tried a couple of different ways to assign numbered outputs to the loco but to no avail. 

mf5117 - Thanks for the idea, although it didn't make a difference (still makes a motor noise like it wants to run but doesn't) I've done a lot of diagnostic work in my life but I'm new to troubleshooting MRR problems. It helps to have lots of things in your bag of tricks.

Rich - it runs just fine when I disconnect DCC and hook up my old DC control so I guess I've at least determined that the motor is still good. Thanks for that. I'm still planning to try the switcher on someone elses DCC layout when possible but that make take awhile. I'm really not in a hurry to ship it off to Bachmann until I know for sure that something is broken or defective.

Thanks Jerry. I'll get right on it. I appreciate everyone's help.

After doing a fair amount of online research and trying everything a novice such as myself can do I have concluded that I purchased a (new) defective switcher loco. As Dr. McCoy said to Captain Kirk, "It's dead, Jim". Guess I'll learn how to make a warranty return to Bachmann. 

Thanks for taking time to reply, Jim. It didn't solve my problem but I'm happy to know how to do the reset. I didn't see that procedure in the documentation that came with the control.