Hello,
I am interested in the Bachmann 1:20.3 Forney and want to know if anyone has been able to convert it to battery power by installing the batteries in the loco itself. Is there enough room in the tender or boiler for the batteries?
Thank you!
I don't own the Forney, so much of what follows is speculation based on my experiences with the Climax, which is also a not-very-large Bachmann locomotive (a good chunk smaller than the Forney.)
In looking at the exploded drawings of the Forney and photos I took of the model when it was first released, and comparing it to what I found in the Climax, you should be able to fit a 14.8v. Li-Ion pack in the bunker where the speaker is supposed to go. With the battery there, you have a few options for the speaker. First, you could use a wafer speaker under the battery. These are the really flat speakers similar to what you find in greeting cards, kids puzzles, etc. The trick would be to find one that's 2.5" or so, but that's where Google is your friend. Wafer speaker, battery, electronics, and you're all set.
As an alternative to the wafer speaker, you could probably fit a 1.5" speaker in the boiler itself. With the right enclosure around the speaker, you should be able to get some pretty kick-butt sound, and have it come from where the sounds should come from.
On my Climax, I'm running a QSI Titan, which has two speaker outputs. I've got the battery in the boiler (the battery is a flat 2 x 2 array as opposed to the more common flat 1 x 4 array), a 1.5" wafer speaker in the smokebox, and a 2" speaker in the bunker under the electronics.
You may also be able to fit a 2 x 2 flat pack in the boiler of the Forney. I don't know what they've got stuffed in there in the way of weight or electronics, though. On my Climax, I put the power switch and charging jack behind the smokebox door, replacing the stock switches for smoke or whatever it controlled.
Good luck!
Later,
K
Kevin, Thank you for your reply! I downloaded their drawings and was also thinking about both the boiler and speaker locations. In both cases it doesn't look like I could easily swap out battery packs so I would need to charge them while in the loco. Do you agree?
Thanks again!
I'm not sure how much room you may have on top of the electronics in the bunker. If you went with a wafer or fairly low-profile speaker in the bunker, you could possibly lower the rest of the electronics, leaving you room on top of the electronics for the battery. (The Li-Ion 4 x 1 packs are around 3" x 3" x 3/4") If you could make the coal load removable, then you can swap out the batteries. But--yes--failing that, you're looking at a charging jack on the loco to charge the batteries. I try to avoid that whenever possible, but with a 2600mAh pack, you're still likely going to get 2 - 4 hours run time per charge.
Here's the front of my Climax, showing the power switch and charging jack.
Whose R/C system are you using?
Kevin,
Thanks again for the info.
I'm just starting out with the railroad. I should start building it in 2-3 months after the patio is built.
I have your book and am deciding on what components to get. I haven't decided on the R/C system and any suggestions are welcome!
How crazy insane do you want to get with regard to controlling lights, sounds, and all that stuff? R/C systems range from the very simple to the very complex in terms of what they can control and how you interface with it.
I personally use the Crest (formerly Aristo-Craft) Revolution control and the Airwire system. I reviewed G-Scale Graphics' "Rail Boss" system not too long ago, and if you're looking on the not-so-many-frills side of the equation, it's very good. There's also RCS (Australia) and RailLinx and a few others. I've got my favorites based on my operating criteria, but operating criteria are very individualistic.
There's not a ton of difference between the systems in terms of installing them, just what they can control and how they control it.
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