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Im a renewed modeller after having a 4x8 layout with 30+ loco's and 200+ rolling stock and selling it all bout 10 years ago, my interest has been sparked again. I have been buying stuff on Ebay and have 12 loc's and 70+ rolling stock now, all modern with grain and intermodal industies in mind. The big problem is that the biggest room I have for space is about 8x10 and I would like to have a much larger layout. I am wondering if there is any such thing as a radio control unit to install in a loco so I could have an outdoor layout and so I wont have to worry about tarnished rails for electricity. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, CM
That's a very good question and one that's long been debated on other forums I've belonged to.
Seems like the current technology stumbling block is: Finding a battery that is both small enough to fit inside a loco shell [along with motor/drivetrain, decoder, speaker, etc.] and also supplies adequate current for a reasonable period before needing to be recharged.
I'm sure the technology will exist someday, but we probably have to wait another 20 years or so...
In the meantime, I'd like to see a smaller self-recharging battery for power 'gaps' (insulated frogs, dirty track inside tunnels, etc.) so that a loco's motor can keep running for a few seconds until it gets back on powered track. This would solve the problem of sound decoders 'rebooting' when they encounter a split-second interruption in power.
Thanks Ken, this looks like a site of a wealth of info here. I wonder if they could make something like that to fit in a dummy loco since most trains consist of at least 2 loco's and then have magnetic mu hoses to connect the power to the powered loco. Just a thought.
In the meantime, I'd like to see a smaller self-recharging battery for power 'gaps' (insulated frogs, dirty track inside tunnels, etc.) so that a loco's motor can keep running for a few seconds until it gets back on powered track. This would solve the problem of sound decoders 'rebooting' when they encounter a split-second interruption in power.
I wonder if a capacitor would help with this problem... I've used caps in the past on car stereo equipment to compensate for brown-outs when the power gets maxed by a big amp and subs... or would the cap interfere with the DCC signals?
I wonder if a capacitor would help with this problem... I've used caps in the past on car stereo equipment to compensate for brown-outs when the power gets maxed by a big amp and subs... or would the cap interfere with the DCC signals?
