First off, I would like to thank all of those who helped me with my DCC questions regarding Athearn and Life-Like locomotives.
I learned from Atlas that their decoders are really only equipped for their locomotives, since they replace the lightboard mounted on top the motor. I also learned from the same source, Ed Majury, that most locomotives can be converted to DCC using a decoder with a wire harness, such as the Lenz LE102XF and LE104XF. These decoders can be mounted anywhere in the locomotive, and then
the wires are connected to the necessary points.
So, anyone who is considering DCC, DO NOT throw out, or sell off those non-DCC locomotives.
I also found out from Mr Majury, that Lenz also makes power stations, and that he recommended either the Lenz LV101 or the LV200 for the Atlas Commander. You could need power stations if you ran a lot of trains and had a lot of accessories and lighting.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with power stations, they are similar to amplifiers in a stereo system. The Power Station receives a small signal from the Commander, amplifies and adds
power to it and then sends it to the track. The Atlas Commander supports up to 3 power stations.
Again, my thanks to all of you who helped!
-Wolv33