The Christmas thread about having a train around your Christmas tree got me thinking. Could you convert an HO scale DC locomotive to battery powered. Larger scales use battery power. Putting a battery in a HO scale locomotive would result in a very short run time, since the battery would have to be small.
We want a bigger battery so it would be out side of the locomotive. A great place would be in the model behind it. Either a dummy locomotive or piece of rolling stock. The dummy locomotive would look more realistic, especially if it is a slug. You can hide the wires in plain sight as MU and power cables.
Looking for something more unique? You can model a Natural gas test locomotive. Hide the batteries in the fuel tender, and hide the wire in the fuel lines.
Not a new idea .... there are a number of companies utilizing battery powered, wireless controlled systems that even use off-the-shelf DCC decoders.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Couple companies are going to be selling a system that can run HO trains with a smartphone.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Kyle
I have just read your post (been on a holiday). The 45mm guage 'boys' have been using R/C equipment for some time now, and I remembered an article (took a while to 'dig it up') from April 2010 in AMRM (Australian Model Railway Magazine). Neil Stanton was developing on-board power using mobile phone batteries to drive 'Spud' trucks, and I think he was aiming to control it with R/C.
Rob PS He is working in 'HO'
Rob
PS He is working in 'HO'
People who don't follow the battery trade may not know it but new types are on the way that last 4 times as long and recharge in less than 30 min. Lipos as they are will give you a 6 hour run time and the decoder is less than 1/2" x 1/2". All this is comminly called dead rail.