Quite a few are sold on eBay; you might get one for replacement parts.

Are there reasonably priced, safe for both plastic and metal, and readily available (like at regular stores) items that are recommended for:

1:  regular lubrication of wheels and misc moving parts like the steam linkage; and
2:  greasing of gears and whatever else gets grease; and
3:  gluing random items (like trim pieces or fallen off parts) to cars and locos?

Preferably there would be only one item needed for each category.

Hopefully there

Try this:
http://www.tcsdcc.com/decoderpics/Bachman%20GE%2044%20Ton%20Diesel%20Switcher/Bachman%20GE%2044%20Ton%20Diesel%20Switcher.htm

IMhO, the Bach-man's reluctance to add a DCC forum was mostly due to a desire to give the new forum a chance to get settled before starting in a whole new raft of changes.  Perhaps he thinks that there may be other issues that may develop that could also be changed/introduced at the same time.  Perhaps he needs a little time to get over his original decision not to have one in the initial version (no doubt he considered it originally).

Anyway, the fact of DCC cutting across the scales does make it somewhat of a problem - are there any other potential forum subjects that also cut across scales - if we came up with at least one, then there could be the set of scale forums along with another set of forums independent of scale.  Perhaps that would make it more palatable.

Dan (stj_lc)

There is an advisory somewhere (like an old thread here or on a site offering help on decoders) that warns of problems with the 'DCC ready' socket/terminals being miswired.

As I recall, two of the lines were switched and this could lead to problems under certain circumstances.  I believe that the problem does not affect the simpler decoders as they do not use the miswired contacts.  Probably headlight only decoders and likely headlight/taillight decoders would be OK and more complicated ones would be vulnerable or something like that.

There was a simple fix involving cutting a trace or two on the bug's pc-board and the problematic trace(s) can be apparently be easily seen as well.

I don't know that EZ-track comes in 24 in radius, but then again you may not be using the EZ-track anyway.  If you are talking about large locomotives, the loco may be the limiting factor around the turns rather than the heavyweights.

I have a similar concern about heavyweight cars - my interest is in running a 2-track main around  the outside of a room or two.  I was planning on using crossover switches in various locations, said crossovers which seem to have a 2.5 inch spacing between the tracks.  What radius of curves work with these and also with the heavyweight cars around the 90 degree corners?

There is a single cut through each rail in virtually the same point on each rail - it looks like they might be ever so slightly offset from one another (in other words, it may not be perfect), but if they are is is so close as to make no matter.  I rolled a car across the gap by hand and it felt as if the wheels on both sides were contacting the gap at the same time.

The gap is nearly in the center (offset a little to go between ties as there are an odd number of ties).

On the reverse, there is are 2 copper (?) jumper strips that whose connections can be opened or closed to either connect or disconnect the two halves of track from each other.  Either or both ends of the track can be powered by two of the aforementioned oddball connectors.

They can be bought on-line at a number of places including MB Klein and NHS Hobbies.

I just purchased an EZ track 9" power terminal with insulated gap (#44597).

It uses what look to be the same connectors that the standard terminal tracks use - the two spade-like connectors on about 3/8" centers (imagine suitable editorial comment here).

Does anyone know if there is a source of matching connectors for making my own connections? 

Can the connector lugs be directly soldered to, or are they an inappropriate material?  I know that I could buy BMan's extension wires and cut them in half, but I might prefer to use different (thicker maybe) wires.  Crimp-on connectors might also work, but I wonder about the quality of the connections.

Any thoughts?

Walthers has a variation in their lighting system for DCC - presumably those lights wouldn't burn out on a DCC system.

Would they work on a DC system (if so, would they be too dim)?

Mr. B,
Did I understand you to say that the repair department is able to send out copies of the documentation?
I recently purchased an E-33 and the parts diagram that came with it was a really terrible print - very faint and nearly illegible.  Access to a good downloadable on-line copy would be satisfactory, but a replacement copy would also work for me. 
How do I proceed?  From what I understand here, emails are unlikely to be answered and phone contact could lead to phone tag - is snail-mail an option?

Does that delay also apply to the various decoder enabled turnouts, or are they acually available somewhere?  (They are also promised in "2005")