I just purchaced 2 Proto E8/9’s on ebay. I got the first one and it was listed as a standard DC unit. I got it in the mail last week and it is indeed a standard DC unit.
I just got the second E8/9 today, and it was not mentioned either way in the auction weather or not it was DCC or DC.
I looked at both power units and they both have a little circuit board in the rear of the locomotive. One of them only has 4 diodes on it. The Loco I recieved today has a transistor, 4 diodes, a zeiner diode, 2 resistors, a couple other electronic parts, and is wired differently than the standard DC unit. Is this loco a DCC model??? (There is no sound in the unit–no speaker anyway)