Reply to "Increased American Models locomotive speed"

• a bridge rectifier to allow the passenger car to run on AC as well as DC. It is necessary to keep the LEDs illuminated when you change DC polarity to reverse an engine. (Without the rectifier, the lights would go out when you back up because reversing changes the positive DC track wheels to negative DC and the negative wheels to positive. The rectifier keeps the output current the same polarity even if the input changes. ) Rectifiers cost about $0.44 each.

I covered  this point in an earlier post that also has the answers to a number of questions asked in subsequent postings. I think that any modification should consider use on AC, DC, and DCC operating systems in order to make the lighting work no matter on whose track the cars are going to run. The manufacturers take this flexibility into account in their products, and both Lionel and MTH have wisely taken this approach in the more recent locomotives, too.