I got my first train for Christmas. I got the Bachmann E-Z Command with DCC-Equipped Locomotive. And I also got the Bachmann “Your First Railroad Track Pack.” It uses E-Z Track.
The only problem that I’m having is hooking up the switches. I don’t see this in the instructions. It comes with two left switch sections, two right switch sections, four green switch wires and four actual little, black, switches. The little black switches have two prongs on one side, three on one, and two coupler looking prongs on the other side. How do you do this?
Are the switches DCC operable also? I’m not familiar with Bachmann’s track system, but I think it’s a system that everything works together (Well, after you get it hooked up, that is!)
If no one here can help you, there is a forum on the Bachmann website, http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/index.html
Look for a link to “Ask the Bach Man”. You can post your question there, I’m sure someone can help! ’
Welcome to the forum, JBK76!! There are a number of EZ track modelers on the forum and they will know for sure, but first of all, there should be wiring instructions somewhere’s in your packaging material. Hopefully you didn’t throw it away when you unwrapped the items.
If there are no instructions, your local hobby shop may be of help. Take one track switch, two of the black switch devices to the LHS and ask them to show you how to wire it up. Or…while at the LHS, buy a book on wiring your layout. It shouldn’t matter the type of track and switches. They are all pretty much the same.
As far as the switch controllers, they sound similar to the Atlas ones. You hook them up in series. That is, the two prongs for one go into the two screw-in terminals to the next and so forth. Power gets hooked up to the two screw terminals of the first controllers.
The three screw terminals from each of the switch controllers go to the switch machines located on the turnouts. To throw the turnouts, you slide the switch over and then push down momentarily (do not hold).
If you have a power pack with a pair of accessory terminals, wires run from those two terminals to the first switch controller. The power pack could be the missing piece of that puzzle.
on the button switch ( the part that makes the switches work)
on one side you’ll see two male prongs- the RED wire from your power pack connects here
on the “top” you will see three male prongs- the GREEN wire from the track switch goes there.
On the third side you will see two female prongs. You can either 1-connect another button switch to that (just like using the red wire, only the button switch plugs right in) that way you only need one power (RED) wire and work multiple switch buttons, of 2- not sue it and just forget it.
So maybe I need a power pack? I’ve tried doing as you say but I don’t have a power pack so I tried plugging the red wire into the rerailer and have had no success.
The only thing that came with my set is the Bachmann E-Z Command.
Thats what he probably means when he says power pack. A power pack is used to run DC trains. Bachmann EZ Command is a DCC system, which is wonderful. Your track works with both types of systems. Here’s how DCC works:
The Command Station and Throttle (your EZ Command) send signals to specific locomotives identified by number addresses (for this to work, your locos must be DCC decoder equipped) This allows you to operate multiple engines operating in different directions at different speeds etc.
DC control is different. All a DC Power Pack (implyed by its name) controls is the amount of current flowing to the rails. This means that if you put 2 locos on the same track, they would do the same thing: same direction, same speed etc. People fix this by dividing their track into electrical districts, each seperately controlled. However, this is far more complex.