Rich,

Thanks for the info..  Needless to say the reason I was asking was because I didn't know what the function of the "common positive" was and it wasn't explained well in the Bachmann instructions.  Normally a common is usually just referred to as the "common".  But in retrospect the white wire is referred to as the "Function Output A" and the yellow as "Function Output B".  Guess I could have associated "function output" with "function common".  But like you said why guess and smoke it...

I also found a good write up about DCC wiring at the following url:  http://modeltrains.about.com/od/electronicsdcc/ht/Install-A-Dcc-Decoder.htm

I just finished wiring it (Northern 4-8-4 N scale) up and am going to ring it out with the ohm meter tomorrow before I unpack and read up on the E-Z Command Control system. 

Thanks again for the input!

Fred

I've pulled the engine apart and am ready to install the decoder.  Everything on the wire harness makes sense except the (Blue) "Function positive common" wire. 

I'm new to DCC and N scale but I'm guessing that this needs to be wired to the one of the engine halves?

My understanding is that when using the Bachmann EZ command controller a constant 16v AC is applied to the tracks and the decoder rectifies and regulates voltage to the engine motor.   Could someone explain to me what function the blue wire serves?  It seems redundant since since the left and right rail pickup already provide this connection. 

Does it matter which half of the engine I connect the blue wire to?

Thanks in advance!

Fred

These are part numbers 44876 and 44875.  I've been playing with powering the frogs on each of these and as best I can tell with the frog polarity being switched it's always going to be possible to mix up the frog polarity unless you switch both at the same time, each time regardless of direction that the engine is running. 

In other words flipping the green switch plug still isn't really a fix since you can always "un-sync" the frog polarities regardless of switch direction.

I have both frogs powered up.  I'm guessing that unplugging one of the frogs would probably fix the problem. 

Am I understanding the operation of these switches correctly or am I missing something?

Thanks,

Fred

Thanks for the info.  I guessed it was an alloy...   

The N gauge Ez Track is described as "Nickel silver track".   Normally you can't solder to nickel using ordinary rosin core solder.  I have however seen lots of posts that talk about soldering the outside edge of the track connections for a permanent installation. 

Is the "Nickel silver track" just a description of the color?  Based on what I've read it's obviously solderable using rosin solder.

Thanks,

Fred

Thanks for the info...

Just bought the "Empire Builder" starter set and wanted to add DCC to the locomotive which I believe is the Northern 4-8-4.  Should I buy the EZ Command Decoder/NMRA, 9.5x5mm or EZ Command Decoder/Harness, 9.5x5mm?  I'm assuming that both decoders are the same less the  connector. 

Or in summary:  Does the Northern 4-8-4 come with a plug-in connector?


Is it possible to add a decoder with sound to this N scale locomotive?  If so, which one would be best?


Thanks,

Fred