The reference to electric powered aircraft provided the answer. Same for cars or freight trucks although in that case the battery weight reduces its competitive efficiency versus fossil fuel power, a currently insurmountable obstacle.
Conversely, the power to weight ratio for batteries is too low for an HO scale model locomotive.
“Power density” has become high enough to fly but you may notice that locomotive design has never concerned itself with reducing the weight of locomotives.
The idea does provoke consideration of electrical power delivery to prototype locomotives. Diesel electric is essentially portable generating plant freeing the locomotive from restrictions to powered track at considerable efficiency costs compared to direct wiring from a stationary electricity generating power plant. Why would we modellers want to have that facility?
For a single operator up to about three operators DCC delivers all the operating flexibility you could need. What intrigues me is the expansion of loconet control of both DC and DCC equipment over your standard home wireless computer network. October MRR includes a very interesting review of TCS wireless networked throttle unit.
In my not so humble opinion, this is the technology direction most worth exploring. Any available space within a model locomotive could better be occupied with a form of network board, probably nowadays this could fit into a standard decoder. If that could be developed then the entire control signal could be delivered over the air and the sole purpose of track wiring would be to deliver DC power. Done correctly, the rails would just deliver 12v DC with one polarity and the locomotives could all be DC only but with onboard decoding of the wifi control signal. The decoder board would control only throttle voltage for DC only locomotives.
Mind you, nobody would need to decide if they were DC or DCC, all locomotives would work in the same way. Only programmable features would dif
The use of the rails to conduct electric power to our trains - where the rail itself is supposed to be a scale model of real rail, and the wheels that pick up that power are also expected to be scale models of real wheels – has always created issues big and small, and many of those issues still exist. Count the threads on this Forum about dirty track and stalling on turnouts for example.
I can imagine that battery power on board will become more practical and less expensive and less bothersome to recharge far faster than the hobby is ready to embrace it. There already are early adapters and good luck to them. I’ll sit back and wait to see who wins this race: model railroad technology, or the grim reaper who has already started to snoop around the house. My money is on Mr. Reaper.
I do love my cordless electric screwdriver. I loved its two predecessors, both of which sit dead in a box because either there is no replacement battery to be had, or that battery costs more than a new cordless electric screwdriver.
I’m a little astounded that there has been no particular ‘pitch’ to the hobby communities that run these batteries intensively in conjunction with intricate RC to engage in some version of model railroading, if for no other reason than to attract more ‘younger blood.’
As mentioned, a standard for control and another for power exchange and maintenance are likely to be needed for any practical development of dead rail as an operating system; I think that regardless of whatever wireless or ‘harmonized’ data protocols are determined for those standards, a default should be full mirroring of the control and logic structure of DCC as a subset, perhaps to the point that a simple WiFi bridge makes existing DCC controllers effective for dead rail as well but without dictating ‘better practice’ for new methods of wireless control…
Standardized dead rail for Model Railroads would solve so many problems. It’s already popular for Garden Railroads. The key is having an industry standard like Microsoft OS did for the PC. The biggest headwind to it though is the existence of all the old DC/DCC equipment out there. Someone with tens of thousands of dollars tied up in older equipment isn’t going to adopt the new technology. But new entrants into the hobby will probably be ectstatic with the idea.
I have maintained for years that, when the technology permits, and when its costs permit all those involved to abide, battery-operated toy trains are going to be the future. How they’re to be recharged is another matter, perhaps some kind of a 'docking station or wireless recharging as many smart phones and watches are currently charged, but built into a track element. But, when graphene batteries, or something just as spiffy, come on line, and can be purchased wholesale for about $4/unit, I think it will improve the appeal and running experience greatly.
If there is one serious drawback to DCC operations (only), it’s the widespread complaint about intermittent movement and sounds. If there’s one thing that could seriously affect the longevity of the hobby, it will be this.
I’ve always used DeWalt, as a former relative who was a professional contractor used only DeWalt, and if it was good enough for a pro - for something I will use a lot, I will spend the money and get the good stuff, for something I might need only once or twice, I don’t mind getting the cheaper one.
ALL of the older tools that use NiCad packs, if used with any regularity, either no longer hold much of a charge, or have outright failed. Nature of the beast. All the new ones use lithium packs. DeWalt has an adapter to let you use new lithium batteries with the old NiCad tools, so my old drill/driver had a new life. I also took a chance on one of the “no name” batteris available on Amazon. It claims to be a 6AH battery, it was cheaper than the 2AH DeWalt battery. In truth, it seems to be more like a 4AH battery - still double (not triple) the life of the 2AH DeWalt for a lower price, so despite not being exactly what it claims to be, it’s still a bargain. I will get more if I need them - I now have 5 batteries and 2 chargers, though two of them are the really low 1.5AH ones that came witht he one drill/driver, they run down fast when building benchwork. I have 2 of the 1AH ones that came with the adtaper, on the new drill/driver and in the impact driver, they last a decent amount of time - more than long enough for one to recharge while using the other. And then I have the big beefy one to fall back on.
Most any of these, if removed from the oversize plastic case, could fit in all but the smaller G scale locos, and probably give a pretty nice long run time.
The rail is the easy part for wiring. Just two wires around the track. Where it gets complicated is everything else. You want signals. Dead track has no effect. You want lit structures? You want remote turnout control? Automatic turnout control? Dead track has no effect.
But the idea of parking a loco on a roundhouse recharge track, has a certain appeal.
I mean really, we have the water towers, the sand houses, the fueling stations, but who uses them. A switcher can go indefinately without ever going to the service area. But with a battery, it has to go.
Kind of like that robotic vacuum cleaner that Finds Its way back to its charging station. Roomba I think?
All your other points were well taken as well Chip. You could have all the modern day technology of lithium batteries and remote control you want. But for some things a power source is definitely needed and old school holds its own.
Randy I was so bummed out when my tool trailer got stolen and all the contents were emptied. I lost my lifetime of DeWalt tools from that scam[:(]
I have always bought more spendy quality tools in a planned purchase. As the old saying goes “You get what you pay for” is true of course.
There were times though when my job was so far away and I would realize I did not have the tool I needed for the job and would go buy a cheap one just to get me through the day.
I still have some of those cheap tools, Ryobi being one of them. The whole key is always keeping a sharp blade on your tool and letting the blade do the work and not the tool. If one makes this a faithful practice, sometimes even the cheap tools don’t wear out.
This is a little off topic, but since we’re talking about tools …
Years ago I was putting porcelain tile in a room. I rented a tile wet saw from the tool rental place for $50 per day. Naturally, it took me several days.
Later, when I was ready to tile our basement, I was looking at a fortune for the rental.
At Menards, I bought a little plastic tile wet saw with a 4½" blade, for $55.00. I figured if I got two days out of it, I was way ahead.
Fast forward 15 years. I tiled the entire basement using that saw. I cut several hundred concrete 2" thick bricks for a patio and walkway. I’ve cut several other materials with it. I’ve replaced the blade several times, but the cheap little saw continues to work just as well as the large rental saw. I have no idea how many hundreds of dollars I’ve saved.
My 10" MK Diamond slide tub saw that disappeared with everything else I owned was not replaced.
I miss that saw but I’ve been getting by with a 7 inch Ridgid table wet saw. I put a $50 blade on it and seems to be doing okay with the few tile jobs that I get now.
Seems your saw has done all right for you as long as you keep a newer blade on it like you’ve been doing[Y]
And I think you are exactly right that something will come about this ever so advancing battery technology these days
I hate to talk about how well something has worked, because now when I use it next time, it will quit. I also know that if I buy another one exactly like it, it will quit after two minutes.
