Large Scale Central

Passenger cars with battery power!

Modeling
#1

One of the undocumented features of battery power/remote control is that no power in track means no lights in the passenger cars – at first. So when a friend announced his plan to build a new layout with bp/rc, he noted that his lighted cars would no longer be lit. So I volunteered to look at the cars, and see how feasible such a conversion would be.

The cars are Charles Ro old fashioned coach, combine, and observation. They have four to six lights in each car, and were powered by pick-ups on two axles of each car. They also have smoke-generators, which we’ve decided not to wire in, as they draw too much current for the batteries.

My plan is to put a battery in the combine (mission accomplished) and run all the lights with m/u cables between the cars. I’ve found E5 base LED which operate on four to six volts and screw into the existing fixtures, so the battery should last quite a while.

No pictures yet, but will add some if I still have room in the Freight Shed .

#2

Works like a charm, Dick!! That is what I’ve been doing for a number of years. I haven’t been as sophisticated as you regarding the actual LED lights though. I’ve just put LED lights in the ceilings of the cars rather than find LED’s that fit in the light fixtures. I have done this with some Bachmann cars, some Aristo heavyweights, and some Aristo Sierra cars. Doing what you do would have been much nicer in my Sierra cars since they too have light fixtures along the sides of the interior.

Anyway, I’m sure your friend is going to be very happy with the results of your work.

Ed

#3

I would like to do this for my AMS Jackson Sharp coaches…would love to see pictures if you have them!!

Richard

#4

There was an article ages ago in a UK mag where a guy did this in some LGB coaches using the guts of solar powered garden lights - the solar cells charged up the batteries in the daytime, and at twilight the lights came on automatically. My copy was lost years back, but I think he simply bumped up the number of batteries (in parallel with the original and keeping to the same type) to increase the storage capacity - without looking at the circuit for a given donor lamp I can’t tell you exactly what effect that will have on the charging circuit, but he seems to have got away with it.

Now all I have to do is find a good way of disguising the solar cells.

J.

#5

I use LiIon 7.4v batteries in my AMS coaches but i tore all the lights out and put hanging globe lights in. I can charge the batteries and they last most of the summer. Granted i don’t use the lights often. I don’t use LEDs though because I like the look of incadescent lamps better.

T

#6

I’ve been doing a similar thing as Ed has. LED self adhesive strip lights on the underside of the roof. A 9 volt battery box w/on/off switch on the underside of the chassis. The batteries last forever! (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-laughing.gif)