Conversion to Battery Power REA F7 Circa 1990s

[trainman70]

I recently purchased a REA F7 Diesel  and desire to convert it to Remote Control and Battery Power via a Trail Car containing the Receiver and Battery.  I would like to be able to isolate the Track Pick-ups  so there is no electrical feedback to the track. I suspect there have been previous conversions such as I desire and would appreciate any guidance or reference regarding the conversion.

[chocho willy]

Was unable to locate where they made a F7 but imagin it is similar to there FA1 have included a link that will show parts breakdown, but usually removing any wheel brushes and or sliders will do the trick, maybe others are more familar with aristo's products, Bill

http://gscale.net/images/manuals/Aristo_FA1_Parts.pdf

[emdmike]

There is room inside the REA/Aristocraft Alco FA1 diesel to put both battery and receiver.  Removal of the track sliders and electrical pickups from the wheels is the first step, then remove the chassis from the shell and wire up the RC receiver to the lights, motors and sound card(if you are adding one).  Then I mount the battery in place, usually over the rear truck or centered above the fuel tank with clear silicone caulk.  I then allow the whole thing to sit for 24 hours while that cures.  I usually charge the battery during this time.  I get my batteries from RLD hobbies.  The owner is also well versed in battery/RC installs and can provide further assistance if needed.  All of my non live steam locos are converted to onboard battery power.   Mike

[Greg Elmassian]

Not sure I completely agree. Assuming we are talking an Aristo-Craft FA-1, the first thing to ask is there a socket in the loco or not?

 

If there is, then isolating the track pickups from the motor is simple, remove the "shorting plug" from the 12 pin socket.

 

If not, then unplug the track pickup connectors inside the chassis. You can remove the sliders for visual appeal, but tearing open the motor blocks to remove the power pickup components is actually almost impossible, because the conductive path on the swiveling truck is also part of the suspension. Also for the other axle, it's buried in the sides of the motor block if ball bearing, or slightly differently if not ball bearing.

 

If you read this and say, wow that sounds complicated to disconnect that way, it is!

 

If you take a shot of the inside of the loco, we can see wha types of connectors were used for motor and track pickup, and if it has a socket or not.

 

You can go to my site and read this introductory page, and there are links at the bottom of the page with 4 more pages of information on the FA

 

https://elmassian.com/index.php/large-scale-train-main-page/motive-power-mods-aamp-tips/aristo-motive-power/fa-1-fb-1

 

Greg