I am looking for information and recommendations on ready-to-run battery-powered locomotives. Ideally, DCC equipped. Are there any manufacturers you can recommend?
If you mean something like a radio controlled locomotive that comes fully equipped with a DCC system and battery, I don't think there is such an item available from anyone.
Bachmann and maybe Lionel and others, made some cheap train sets that were powered by D or C cell flashlight batteries, and some of them came with a remote control, but not DCC. Those that had no remote control were simply ON and OFF.
Wow! Really? I'm brand new to the garden railway hobby but that strikes me as odd and a market opportunity given the protoypical operation that would be possible and the fact you wouldn't have to clean the track for electrical contact. The technology can't be any more complicated than a radio controlled car or airplane or a live steam locomotive and the battery pack technology available today would make for long runs between recharges. The large scale would seem ideal to hide batter packs in a tender or car. They seem to be more available in Europe. If any members know of a vendor or someone who converts track-powered locomotives to battery power, please let me know. Not being able to find any battery-powered American prototype gear would definately make me reconsider entering the hobby.
Even though there is no ready to run models, G Scale Graphics, http://www.gscalegraphics.net/, offers all the parts you need to convert to battery power, except for the battery, which they have a guide for. I would not leave the hobby over this, there is so much more to it than you think and it would be a real shame for this to dissaude you.
Modeling the Bellefonte Central Railroad
Fan of the PRR
Garden Railway Enthusiast
Check out my Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/PennsyModeler
Jerome, RC for trains is no where near as simple as for modle aircraft or quad copters (which I fly). In aircraft you have the need for the following commands, engine speed, left/right, & up/down. In trains, most all people want to control engine speed and engine sounds from their throttle. Some want to conrol whistle/hoen sound from the throttle, others want to control that by sensors/transponders under the rails and ties. In order to accomidate all their customers, the manufactures would have to build and sell 4 or 5 varriations of the same engine, especially if they want to keep the analog dinosaures, like myself. Most all of the manufacrutes do provide "plug ports" that allow each owner to modify to fit their desires. Look for the enines you desire and then look at the vendors in GR Mag for the RC vendors that have the functions you desire. Trains are generally priced to sell at the "analog dinosaur" level, to be expanded to the desires of the owner, otherwise the "sticker shock" would be so great that none of use would be outside in the garden railroad.
The same holds true in aircraft. $175 for my first quad, then as my desires expanded the price went higher. My latest unit ($2,700) has things like geo-stabilized parking, park and follow, auto home (launch point) return +10 ft elevation, and stabilized camera gimbol. All so that this summer I can get a different camea angle of trains.
Get the engine you want then add the accessories you want to accomplish the train operations you want to duplicate.
Tom Trigg
I've installed AirWire900 receiver/decoders into several steam and diesel locomotives, along with Phoenix sound systems and rechargeable lithium battery packs, but only for my own use.
Most of the locomotives were steam with room in the tender for the AirWire and Phoenix components, but in practically every case the battery pack is in a trailing boxcar so it can be easily changed out by exchanging a fully charged boxcar.
Larger diesel locomotives (GPs and SDs) had enough room for everything to fit within.
One dealer that offers installation service is RLD Hobbies, which might be worth checking out.
http://www.rldhobbies.com
Jerome Wow! Really? I'm brand new to the garden railway hobby but that strikes me as odd and a market opportunity given the protoypical operation that would be possible and the fact you wouldn't have to clean the track for electrical contact. The technology can't be any more complicated than a radio controlled car or airplane or a live steam locomotive and the battery pack technology available today would make for long runs between recharges. The large scale would seem ideal to hide batter packs in a tender or car. They seem to be more available in Europe. If any members know of a vendor or someone who converts track-powered locomotives to battery power, please let me know. Not being able to find any battery-powered American prototype gear would definately make me reconsider entering the hobby.
Don Sweet
RCS of New England
www.rcsofne.com
There are radio controlled systems that have DCC and can drive the Phoenix sound units with DCC but they have not yet sold a unit with enough DCC power to drive a complete high power (5 amps or more) DCC decoder.
And I know of no manufacturer that supplies a radio controlled battery system that is not a starter set for children.
And most of us in non-temperate climes eschew dcc.....and because of the activist promotion of same.
I've been doing radio/battery/sound for over 20 years. Works well, no dcc sh...stuff in them.
We were encouraged to provide ready-to-run locos many years ago. i.e., buy a loco, convert it, offer it for sale.
Problem is, what to buy?
First ones were a pair of USA bloody nose SP geeps......and no_body_wanted_that_road name and paint scheme at all.
Now, folks buy what they like (hopefully with some input, like don't buy units for a higher price with factory sound) send them to folks who do the work, and you get it back.
Been going on for a long, long time.
TOC
Jerome I am looking for information and recommendations on ready-to-run battery-powered locomotives. Ideally, DCC equipped. Are there any manufacturers you can recommend?
Jerome
WIth a wide variety of control options out there many of the locomotive manufacturers have chosen to provide a socket to allow the end user to plug in the control system of choice.
Airwire and QSI offer plug in boards for many Bachmann Aristocraft, and the upcoming AMI locomotives.
Zimo also has a plug in board which should work with the QSI radio
RCS and Quest also have plug in boards but these are not DCC
In each case you will still have to select a suitable battery pack and install it in the locomotive or an aux car.
Deb and I have been running track power DCC on our large garden railroad since 1992. With over 4300 ft of track, if cleaning was a real problem we would have quit long ago.
Hope that helps
Stan
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