The real meaning of DCC Ready is that the loco is pre-wired with an NMRA-recommended socket. All you have to do to install a decoder is unplug the dummy plug that is plugged into that socket and plug a decoder in that has an NMRA-recommended plug that matches the socket.

Most manufacturers offer a variety of decoders with the NMRA-recommended plug. Most use a "P" in the part number to indicate that it has the NMRA Plug. Loy's Toys not only offers all the plug versions offered by Digitrax and Train Control Systems, but can install a plug on decoders that do not come with a plug.

Further, there are many different lengths of wire harnesses with the plug. The standard length is about 3.5" long. Digitrax's short harness is about 1.25" long. We make harnesses of all different lengths, some for specific types of locos.

Even as simple as all this sounds, some loco manufacturers fail slightly.

First, the plug is ambidextrous, meaning it can physically be plugged in two different ways. But there's only one correct way. It doesn't hurt anything if you plug it in backwards - the loco will just run backwards and you won't have control of the lights. But it would be nice if all loco manufacturers using the NMRA socket would mark pin #1 so we'd know which way to plug the plug in. The orange wire is supposed to be plugged into pin #1.

Second, PC boards can have shorts that will allow the loco to run properly with the dummy plug but not work with the decoder; or worse, fry the decoder. When you remove the dummy plug to plug the decoder in, that is supposed to isolate the motor and light circuits from the power pickup circuit. It's the dummy plug that shorts these circuits together to make them work without a decoder. But if there is a short circuit on the PC board that mirrors the short purposely caused by the dummy plug, removing the dummy plug does not remove that mirrored short. When a decoder is plugged in and operated, that short circuit can fry the decoder.

While this never happens too often, it was more prevalent in the early days of DCC, and more prevalent with the lower-cost DCC-ready locos. Fortunately today, this is a very rare occurrence. Never-the-less, if you want to be absolutely sure, you can test your loco for shorts before plugging the decoder in.

Using a multi-meter, with the dummy plug removed, be sure that pins 4 and 8 of the loco socket do not have continuity with pins 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, or 7. Further, be sure pins 1 and 5 do not have continuity with pins 2, 3, 6, or 7. If there is any continuity at all, find and remove the cause of it before plugging the decoder in.

Another type of loco that is advertised as DCC ready are those that are designed specifically for a custom made decoder to fit - without using the NMRA plug and socket. This is most prevalent in N scale because there usually isn't enough room for the NMRA socket. However, there are two drop-in decoder boards Digitrax makes for HO scale: one for Atlas frames (DH165A0) and one for Kato frames (DH163K0).

While this isn't exactly what was originally meant by DCC ready, it does fit the true meaning of DCC ready - easy installation. Typically all that's necessary to install one of these drop-in decoders is: remove the shell, loosen the chassis, remove the original light board, drop the decoder board in, and put everything back together again. The HO drop-in boards Digitrax makes require disconnection and re-connection of several wires. However, this is easy because the replacement boards look just like the original board and connections are in the same places. Also, connection is with plastic caps that snap off and on. While these caps generally work very well, some people prefer to solder the wires to the board instead of relying on the caps.

The next level that a manufacturer calls DCC ready is when the loco comes with a light board that has places marked on the board to cut traces, and pads to solder the decoder to. All of Life-Like's Proto 1000 locos have this type of board, and at least one Proto 2000 is this way. While this is not what DCC Ready is supposed to mean, it's really very easy.

Getting further away from what DCC Ready really means; there are locos advertised as DCC Ready simply because the motor is isolated from the chassis, and there is room for the decoder. The Bachmann N scale 2-8-0 steam loco is this way. While this makes a fairly easy hard-wired installation, it is not really what is considered to be DCC Ready - even though it's advertised that way. It is a hard-wired installation, not DCC ready with a socket or set up for a drop-in decoder.

Lastly is the loco that isn't set up for a drop-in, doesn't have an NMRA socket, and doesn't even have a place to put the decoder, but is still advertised as DCC Ready. While I'm sure it must be an oversight on the advertising department's part, Atlas' new N scale GP7 loco is NOT DCC Ready. It requires frame modification to make room for the decoder which has to be hard-wired in.