I picked one up for a song about three years back, and as yet, it slumbers in it's original crate (that blue box with the window on top...)...  I have every intention of 'customizing ' it for my road's specs.  In terms of DCC, there will be ensconced a Tsunami sound decoder into it's innards, but all that will wait a bit, as I have other, more meaningful things to approach at present.  Keep us posted on your progress with this mighty steed.

Rich C.

Go to the service information portion of this site.  Bachmann has the manuals on this site for their locomotives.  If you are unfamiliar with any portion of a Bachmann product, and cannot find your solution to problem(s), then give them a call; I am sure they will help you, as they are pretty good bunch.

Rich C.

If I may, I would like to add my compliments to Wayne, Woody, Roger, et al, for their excellent contributions here.  This stuff, once you get the hang of it, really falls into place nicely.  Some of the pictures here are  totally worthy of being in any book!

RIch C.

Roger;
I as well.  What Bachmann carries is pretty good stuff.  You do this in order to stay afloat in a very discretionary-money based business.  A little to portside:  I had mentioned conductive foam earlier.  A long time ago, I was trying to build a project out of Craig Anderton's 'Electronics projects for guitar Players', and had to work with CMOS semis.  It must have been very dry in the house that day, because after removing that foam; as soon as my hand touched the pins, I heard a definitive 'SNAP'.  I never went near a CMOS semiconductor again!  Craig's book was still good though...

Rich C.

Woody;
Your approach makes quite a bit of sense, especially since glare would be cut down considerably, if it occurred at all.

Rich C.

Yardmaster;
To cover myself, I was not inferring that ANY top-quality board is prone to failure.  What I stated was only my experience with semiconductors in general-and 50 years of working with his stuff.
To be sure, this can be something to keep in mind...HOWEVER; The simplest stuff-again in my experience as an electrician-usually makes the biggest noise in it's quest for attention! This is the place I start looking-the simple stuff.  Unplugged stuff, broken/poor solder connections, etc.  I like simple...easy...

Now, to cover YOU:  In the years I have been in HO standard gauge, I have been more than satisfied with Bachmann and the staff I have come into contact with. 
Rich C.

Broken Rail Et Al;
A couple of things to keep in mind with electronics:  Moisture on that board can occur; and if it does then some short-circuiting can likely happen, more so as per the higher command frequencies are called upon.  Those higher frequencies can act just like high voltage in that respect; and can raise holy merry hell with the close-proximity of devices and resistors, etc.; this can readily exacerbate this already touchy problem.
In the industrial sector, the newer sophisticated proximity sensing electronics embedded with-in over-current/under voltage protection can do some pretty "snazzy" things...  For instance,I've gone out to a customer's factory and have found boards covered with 'swarf'; this is a mixture of cutting coolant and tiny metal chips-in this case- collecting on a board, usually because some 'genius' has left an enclosure uncovered, or some other relative collection of stupidity.  I have found this-and EXPLOSION-PROOF JUNCTION BOX covers left off in a 'class-one/division one' environment!  Gives much credibility to "suits", etc...  Right on down the line.  Stupid is as stupid does, I reckon...
The higher 'command' frequencies work very similar to an 'AM' signal; that is, two components present; the control, and the carrier frequencies.  The rest should be apparent.  One trick I have for stuff like this is conductive foam.  If you have ever used CMOS semiconductors, you will know about this stuff.  I try to use it in like a shield, so far, so good.  With nominal voltages(480, 600, etc.), I will bond it to a grounding system; in dcc applications, I just leave it somewhere over the board where it acts like a protective shield.

Rich C.
 

Roger and Wayne;
Thank you both for the great insight on this oft-overlooked part of a layout.  Like most of us, I have seen many ways of approaching this aspect, and to me, I would be inclined to put up my media temporarily to sketch what will be where.  Take it down to complete the process.  This gets around a lot of issues; but especially the detail work.  The only drawback would be a tendency to excessively handle the media.  Like you guys, I would tend toward old habits-like Masonite; however, I saw a product once that is very thin and yet, like Masonite, offers some rigidity.  It is something like Strathmore or Bristol Board.  If I could guess, I would say that Strathmore in Westfield, Mass; makes it.

Rich C.

Roger;
I don't believe-and I have a lot of Bachmann equipment; tenders as well-that I have had too much trouble setting up a Bachmann tender for DCC.  Vanderbilt tenders are a little tricky, but not impossible.  I get the impression that convention says to floor-mount the boards.  I have tried different approaches, and have found some that work well, some better than others, but not necessarily floor-mounts.  Those V-bilt tenders took a fair amount of pre-production engineering, and I doubt that Bachmann or any other manufacturer wound intentionally take an indifferent approach to this subject, as such would be the quickest way to cut one's own throat, eh?

Rich C.

Len;
While you're sitting there doing nothing...

I have about twenty passenger cars.  Most of them are Athearn.  They are 75? feet in length.  I would like to cut them down (next winter's project, should I live that long,...) to about 60 feet, which would traverse 30+" curves fairly well.  My experience with same and the 75+"  cars was disastrous!   Even if there wasn't any such prototype...  I don't want to approach this project with a gleam in my eye, but rather, gather as much insight on this as I can before I start.  My thought is to convert most of them to 4-wheel trucks-which I have; I tagged Branchline before they sold out.  Glad I did, because I haven't seen hide nor hair of these critters since!  FYI:  I model no particular prototype; just a free mind and a fresh heart...  The one thing I would like is to keep them around circa; 1930-40.  Thank you in advance.

Rich C.

James in Florida has the right idea.  shimming the surface of the guard rail that is facing the stock rail will tend to pull the wheelsets away from the frog, thus avoiding hitting both polarities at once.   Hint:  Nail polish, paint, etc., can/will eventually fail and you will be right back to the problem.  James has nailed it.

Rich C.

Twister;
If the switch has retained it's "detent" feature, then one can use a rod or other stiffer wire, springs attached on either side of the switch and the rod, and when pushed or pulled, the switch will be pulled into it's respective position.
Many years ago, Linn Westcott had devised a method in which a slide switch was incorporated.  When the switch was moved from a remote position by means of-again-stiff wire, the slide switch would also serve as a 'detent'.  Now, the slide switch business was intended for a turnout like an atlas, Shinohara, etc; with no integral means of detention.
I hope I explained myself correctly.  This 'rod' system, if installed correctly, is a great way of switching remote turnouts.  You probably know this, but interlocking towers sometimes used the same idea.

Rich C. 

If you guys are running this stuff sans any overcurrent protection, you are asking for trouble.  Get your circuit breakers incorporated with your power supply systems.  Also, make sure your track is clean-no junk on the rails that might cause problems.

Rich C.

Why not buy an inexpensive decoder, if all you are looking for is lights, and motor control.  Install said decoder into that tender and use whichever frame you want.  In for a penny...

Rich C.

Sid;
A can of Weldwood@ cost about the same as a tube of 'Goo".  Not to offend; I just look at the logistics.  I also have found in the past, that contact cement will attack the tie material.  In a way this is good, as it sets up 'tooth' to grab the mating surface.   I have a tube of 'Goo" and it does definitely have it's place-just as a bottle of ACC does.
OK; with any luck, Sunday will be THE day...

Rich C.