Will it fit? My Previous Dead Rail Vids: • WALTHERS ML-8 PLYMOUTH... • Will the S-CAB battery... • S-CAB "DEAD RAIL" TINY... • DEAD RAIL INSTALL IN H...
Hey stan I am building a layout in a couple of months (on a eBay budget) and was youtubin a handful of days ago how to wire a dc layout and stumbled across a dead rail video and I'm real intrigued by battery RC power due to me not knowing much about electronics (dc wiring seems real complicated especially when I want to have 5 trains on my layout with 2-3 running at once) and a lot less expensive being on a eBay budget. I have 4 Bachmann 4-8-4 northern lokos and I wanna run 25-40 car trains. Yesterday I found some Lipo batteries, a 12v booster chip, and deltang antenna chip that should all fit in the tenders. (Possible that antenna and booster chip will fit in cab) I found a LiHv battery that might fit in the tender today as well. So the very last thing that I need to find out if I'm gonna go with the battery RC power (which leads me to my big question for you) is will My lokos run the same speed or close to the same speed with the battery, as they do on a Bachmann starter set transformer? And pull a 30-40 car freight? Cause I haven't seen any videos of decent sized freights under battery power in ho or n scale. Lotta dead rail videos are from a bunch a years back though and I'm sure battery sizes have gotten smaller since then. Hope to hear back from ya - steve
Hi Steve! Sounds like a really cool project! You must have plenty of space to run long consists like that. I don't have any personal experience with long trains, but whether you have the power to pull a long or short train seems to me to be a function of the gearing of the locomotive and how much wheel slip, not whether the electricity is from battery or in the rails, unless your battery power is not the right voltage. I think the biggest difference will be that the DC or DCC power in the rails will run for as long as the power is on. However, the size of the battery and it's mA/hr rating will determine how much run time you have in between charges when running off batteries. I started out with DCC power in all the rails before I switched to battery power. So the S-Cab system I have can continually charge the battery packs while running right from the DCC rail power.
Well I got 3 Bachmann N scale 4-8-4 northern lokos with the split axles from the 80s and 90s; and I don't know how familiar you are with Bachmann N scale northerns, but they are... Well pretty much junk. (Dime a dozen on ebay) Anyways I made a mock setup of the toughest grade that's gonna be on my layout outta 2x4s and cardboard; and with new gears and traction tires on 6 of 8 drivers got the northern pullin 25 rapido coupler pizza cutter flanged wheeled cars up the grade in full throttle. That's why I'm trying to figure if the battery will do the same or close to what the transformer will. I think 40 cars would be possible on a solid road bed (track pinned to cardboard is flimsy in lotta spots) and with some weight added to the chassie will help alot with traction. Around the 20 car mark the loko starts to look like its trying to do a wheelie. Also with battery power I could make all 8 of the driver wheels have traction tires and not worry about electric pickup from the rails. And since I'm on the subject of driver wheels, was wondering if you might know someone who might be able to mill grooves for traction tires on my drive wheels? Thanks -steve
@@StanFerris is this possible in DC with a 9v and a small pot & tiny stop switch on the Battery holding car?, As long as all blocks it enters are unpowered? also... I suppose then could you have a car parked on a dead section of siding, not motive, but could provide voltage for lighting ofthe siding and nearby industries. I'm also finding that diodes can be very helpful in model railroad ckts but that is a whole other can of worms😁 just subbed!
Hey stan I am building a layout in a couple of months (on a eBay budget) and was youtubin a handful of days ago how to wire a dc layout and stumbled across a dead rail video and I'm real intrigued by battery RC power due to me not knowing much about electronics (dc wiring seems real complicated especially when I want to have 5 trains on my layout with 2-3 running at once) and a lot less expensive being on a eBay budget. I have 4 Bachmann 4-8-4 northern lokos and I wanna run 25-40 car trains. Yesterday I found some Lipo batteries, a 12v booster chip, and deltang antenna chip that should all fit in the tenders. (Possible that antenna and booster chip will fit in cab) I found a LiHv battery that might fit in the tender today as well. So the very last thing that I need to find out if I'm gonna go with the battery RC power (which leads me to my big question for you) is will My lokos run the same speed or close to the same speed with the battery, as they do on a Bachmann starter set transformer? And pull a 30-40 car freight? Cause I haven't seen any videos of decent sized freights under battery power in ho or n scale. Lotta dead rail videos are from a bunch a years back though and I'm sure battery sizes have gotten smaller since then. Hope to hear back from ya - steve
Hi Steve! Sounds like a really cool project! You must have plenty of space to run long consists like that. I don't have any personal experience with long trains, but whether you have the power to pull a long or short train seems to me to be a function of the gearing of the locomotive and how much wheel slip, not whether the electricity is from battery or in the rails, unless your battery power is not the right voltage. I think the biggest difference will be that the DC or DCC power in the rails will run for as long as the power is on. However, the size of the battery and it's mA/hr rating will determine how much run time you have in between charges when running off batteries. I started out with DCC power in all the rails before I switched to battery power. So the S-Cab system I have can continually charge the battery packs while running right from the DCC rail power.
Well I got 3 Bachmann N scale 4-8-4 northern lokos with the split axles from the 80s and 90s; and I don't know how familiar you are with Bachmann N scale northerns, but they are... Well pretty much junk. (Dime a dozen on ebay) Anyways I made a mock setup of the toughest grade that's gonna be on my layout outta 2x4s and cardboard; and with new gears and traction tires on 6 of 8 drivers got the northern pullin 25 rapido coupler pizza cutter flanged wheeled cars up the grade in full throttle. That's why I'm trying to figure if the battery will do the same or close to what the transformer will. I think 40 cars would be possible on a solid road bed (track pinned to cardboard is flimsy in lotta spots) and with some weight added to the chassie will help alot with traction. Around the 20 car mark the loko starts to look like its trying to do a wheelie. Also with battery power I could make all 8 of the driver wheels have traction tires and not worry about electric pickup from the rails. And since I'm on the subject of driver wheels, was wondering if you might know someone who might be able to mill grooves for traction tires on my drive wheels? Thanks -steve
Sorry, Steve, but I don't know who could do that type of milling. Perhaps one of the N-scale forums could get you that info.
I would love to see that system fit in to an N scale tender. Probably not doable in N scale but in HO I think it could very well fit inside a tender.
The battery and two boards take up a space approx: 19mm high, 23mm wide, and 60mm long. Hope that gives an idea of size needed. Thanks for watching!
That's very interesting, haven't seen anyone really trying dead rail in N.
Yes John, that's pretty small indeed!
@@StanFerris is this possible in DC with a 9v and a small pot & tiny stop switch on the Battery holding car?, As long as all blocks it enters are unpowered? also... I suppose then could you have a car parked on a dead section of siding, not motive, but could provide voltage for lighting ofthe siding and nearby industries. I'm also finding that diodes can be very helpful in model railroad ckts but that is a whole other can of worms😁 just subbed!
@@lectrikdog You could certainly try it. You would have to regulate the voltage to the motor so your loco wouldn't run too fast or too slow.
@@StanFerris it would be perfect for an inspection car when layout is powered down!
Now you're talkin' our language (N scale)! Thanks for trying it out for us!
Just had to see if it was even a possibility!