Hey Bill. I got the decoder in this afternoon and hooked it up correctly. Sound is incredible and the whistle nearly blew me out of the train shed. It is running well, very slowly and smoothly. When the model is complete I will work on the CV's to customize the sound and turn down that whistle! TomTo establish which motor pole is the positive one, figure out which end of this is the front.
With locomotives like this that can be almost arbitrary. I have not yet decided on my CN 60 Shay, but decide, and then hook up a 9v battery to get it to go the direction you want to be forward when it goes forward, note which motor terminal is hooked to the + terminal of the battery. And that is your + terminal.
Looks like a fun project.