Large Scale Central

RCS in Plymouth switcher

Reviews
#1

I just finished installation of an RCS battery/rc system into my brass Plymouth switcher… I love it.

With Dave’s (TOC) expert advise & support the install was easy. Dave provided a custom battery pack to just fit inside the cab on the floor. I covered the battery with a styrene sheet (painted dark gray) and truncated an enginneer figure to glue onto that sheet. While I was in there I glazed the cab windows.

The RCS throttle is under the hood, and the antenna is located under the floor of the cab. The antenna module is connected to the electrical pickups for one rail… making the rail the antenna (this is a necessity when dealing with brass locos). Also, when dealing with brass, it is necessary to insulate the charging jack and the on/off switch… turned out to be easy. I glued a small styrene panel on each side, under the floor of the cab, inside of the frame. Hidden in the shadows I don’t find them unsightly and they are easy to access.

The marker lamps were removed (seemed out of place on a yard loco) and new bulbs were wired into the headlamps. After a short test run, I decided to add some lead to the front end to offset the batteries on the other end. Sweet! Thanks to Dave at Northwest Remote Control… great product and service. Geoff Ringlé

#2

WAAAAAY TO Clean! Needs some dirtyness!

#3
Bart Salmons said:
WAAAAAY TO Clean! Needs some dirtyness!
Yep, soon come dirt. Geoff
#4

Jeff,
I echo the thoughts of Bart.
You have already destroyed the collector value by installing one of those cheap jack R/C thingummyjigs. So a bit of grime will only add to the appeal.

Thanks for choosing RCS.

#5

Tony, Forget the grime… now that I have 3 RCS equipped locos and track powered rc… four trains can be independently controlled on the layout. The next pictures from me might be of the BIG WRECK!

#6

That switcher’s a beauty! Is it Accucraft?

As for using the rail as an antenna, doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of battery power?

#7

No.
No electrical power needed, and it works even on induction.
We worked on dirty track long before Mr. Ames!

I use it on my rr, all very dirty aluminum.

27MC is the most forgiving for antenna length of any r/c used, if I recall.

This way you get the antenna out of the shell without having a grommetted hole and a sire sticking up.

#8

Great looking switcher Greg. There’s a 3 footer near me at the CT Antique Machinery Assoc. - They pull passengers in a wood car built up on old trailer. I’ve taken many close-up detail pictures with the hopes of someday having one in 1:20.

Jon

#9

Hello Ray,
The problem with fitting battery R/C inside metal locos is they are an impervious box through which the RF signal cannot penetrate.
The RX antenna must be vented externally so that it can “see” the incoming signal.
This can be done a number of ways, most of which are visually annoying.
usually RF requires antennas to be of a specific length. 27Mhz is very forgiving in this regard. The longer the antenna the better. So the rail actually increases the strength of the ioncoming signal.
The 27 Mhz signal can actually jump small gaps in the track and penetrate grimy rails. Cleaning the track is not essential but may improve the signal quality.
However the track as an antenna is not a cure all. Be advised there are a number of criteria which will affect how well the rail works as an antenna.
As long as at least one side of the pick ups is insulated, generally, the simplest way is to connect the antenna to the track via the insulated wheels.
In the case of the Plymouth, both sides of the pickups are insulated meaning motor “noise” radiated from the motor casing cannot get down into either rail and affect the signal being received.

Whilst “range”, as in how far away from the track you can be and still control the loco, may be reduced from that of a free "seeing " antenna in say a plastic loco, the “reach”, as in how far along the track the loco can be, will likely be much greater.
All you need to do to get excellent “reach” is to stand close to the track when operating.

Over the years, there have been lots of “experts” who said this cannot be done and the rail as an antenna users were nuts. Now I see AristoCraft are recommending you do it to increase the range.

Personally I prefer a free “seeing” antenna where possible.
I prefer a track antenna connection in metal locos where at least one side of the pick ups is insulated from the body/frame.

#10

that is a Beauty! Dirty or not!

I too use the “rail” as an antenna for my locos (RCS)-All plastic, and have seen great results!

Nice Job!

Merry Christmas
cale

#11

Here is a bee for your bonnet.

BRASS locos have issues.
However, I have a K-27, metal, with BETTER range than my plastics!
It’s STEEL!

The brass apparently has Mu characteristics that steel does not.

#12

Just goes to prove R/C is another form of Black Magic.

#13

All my locos except the shay use the track as part of the antennae. Works great that way, really increases the range.

#14
Ray Dunakin said:
That switcher's a beauty! Is it Accucraft?

As for using the rail as an antenna, doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose of battery power?


Ray, the switcher is Accucraft.

Plenty of answers, above, about the track antenna… seems to work just fine for me.

Most of my roster is track powered. The nice thing about battery/RC is you don’t have to convert everything. I can run one of the track powered locos with the TE and operate one or more bat/rc locos on the same track… allows complete operational freedom and adds complexity. Fun, fun, fun.

#15

I discovered “not necessarily with all R/C systems” can you run both track power and R/C at the same time. Fortunately I didn’t blow anything. My one battery operation is a battery car using an Aristo RS3 by switching from track power to battery under the hood of the locomotive. I had no problems at Marty’s and I’ve had no problems at other layouts when my train is the only thing around. BUT…when I put it on my track powered indoor layout (and thank goodness the track power was off) and turned up the throttle it lit up the whole layout…!! Bumper lights came on…Cabeese in the yard lit up…and another train on a siding started moving too…!! Egads…!!

#16
Warren Mumpower said:
I discovered "not necessarily with all R/C systems" can you run both track power and R/C at the same time. Fortunately I didn't blow anything. My one battery operation is a battery car using an Aristo RS3 by switching from track power to battery under the hood of the locomotive. I had no problems at Marty's and I've had no problems at other layouts when my train is the only thing around. BUT....when I put it on my track powered indoor layout (and thank goodness the track power was off) and turned up the throttle it lit up the whole layout..!! Bumper lights came on...Cabeese in the yard lit up...and another train on a siding started moving too..!! Egads..!!
OK, so you fed your battery pack to the rails... not good... could have been real exciting. You were probably feeding power to the rails on those other layouts as well. Have you have rewired the RS3 since that near miss?
#17

Seems like whoever set up your system neglected to isolate the pickups from motor power when operating in RC mode. Sounds like an installation problem, not a system problem…

#18

The whomever is me. And there is no issues with the installation. This is a battery car. The voltage isn’t getting through from the car it’s going through the locomotive. It’s just another Lewis Polk SNAFU. When you switch from track power to battery in the locomotive it doesn’t isolate the locomotive. If I have to modify the locomotive, I don’t need the switch to begin with. And if I have to take the locomotive apart to modify it so it works as it should, I may as well just go “on board” and screw the battery car. Some times I wish he would just go back to playing with air planes and leave trains to the more intelligent.

#19
Warren Mumpower said:
[i][/i] My one battery operation is a battery car using an Aristo RS3 by switching from track power to battery under the hood of the locomotive.
I have the exact same set up and have seen that same issue. The Aristo Battery/Track power switch only lifts one side of the circuit. It does not isolate the battery from the track. If your going to co-exist with track power a DPDT Battery switch will correct that.

Personally, I don’t worry about it. I just keep loads off the track when I’m running the battery loco, then park it in an isolated block when I want to move something with track power.

Jon

#20

Jon, I would love to see some of the detail photos you have of the switcher… I’ll email you… maybe you can send me a selection to help with the weathering of spank’in new #11.