ON30 Spectrum what's the difference ON30 and ON30 w/DCC ready

[TOMOTS]

Could you please tell what is the hardware differences, between a Spectrum locomotive and a DCC ready Spectrum locomotive is?  I want all my locomotives to run on DCC.  I purchased a Spectrum 2-6-0 Bumble Bee non DCC and a 2-8-0 with DCC on Ebay.  Lastly, does DCC put a constant voltage on the track, regardless of the throttle setting, for lighting? Thanks in advace for all of your help.

[Frisco]

Could you please tell what is the hardware differences, between a Spectrum locomotive and a DCC ready Spectrum locomotive is?  I want all my locomotives to run on DCC.  I purchased a Spectrum 2-6-0 Bumble Bee non DCC and a 2-8-0 with DCC on Ebay.  Lastly, does DCC put a constant voltage on the track, regardless of the throttle setting, for lighting? Thanks in advace for all of your help.

DCC equiped locomotives have a decoder already installed. DCC ready locomotives are not DCC equiped but you can just buy a decoder and plug it in.

Your 2-6-0 is not DCC ready or DCC equiped. I don't know your wiring skills but it does take some work. You can see step by step instructions on this website. http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/mogul_page/

[railtwister]

Could you please tell what is the hardware differences, between a Spectrum locomotive and a DCC ready Spectrum locomotive is?  I want all my locomotives to run on DCC.  I purchased a Spectrum 2-6-0 Bumble Bee non DCC and a 2-8-0 with DCC on Ebay.  Lastly, does DCC put a constant voltage on the track, regardless of the throttle setting, for lighting? Thanks in advace for all of your help.

Hi Tomots,
To answer your question directly, not all Spectrum locos are "DCC ready", the earliest locos must be hard wired to add DCC, while the Shays and earlier Climaxes came with DCC ready plugs installed from the factory. Technically these were the only "DCC-ready" locos Bachmann released in On30. Locos released after (and including) the Outside Frame Consolidation have technically been "DCC equipped",  rather than "DCC ready", since they have been offered with a basic DCC decoder installed at the factory. They have the DCC plug built in as well, so upgrading to a better decoder usually only requires removing the original unit and plugging in the new one. Some select models have also been offered with Tsunami sound decoders installed at the factory, and these are also "DCC". So there you have the 4 basic categories: 1) Non-DCC (must be hard-wired), 2) DCC-Ready (has plug installed), 3) DCC-equipped, and 4) Sound/DCC-equipped. To answer your second question, yes, DCC maintains a constant voltage on the rails, but it is not straight DC, but switches polarity back & forth very rapidly, similar to AC. The reason for this is not just for constant lighting, but C-L is one of the side benefits of this technology. All control is done onboard the loco inside the decoder, rather than at the rails.

Regards,
Bill Nielsen
Ft. Lauderdale, FL