Ah, but it depends on how you charge the batteries. The secret to get a system to work as I’m proposing is to put the voltage regulator in the locomotive, and not on the track power supply.
For instance, if you need 13.5 volts across your batteries (common 12V lead acid battery), then you’d calculate your track power supply voltage as follows:
13.5 volts + 2 volt drop (regulator) + 3 volt drop (track) = 18.5 volt minimum supply voltage. If you put 20 volts on the track, and have the voltage regulator (the battery charging circuit) in the locomotive, you’re in like flint.
This type of thing is done all the time in other industries, just hasn’t been applied to model RR’s.
Some of us have been doing battery R/C for Large Scale for 20 years.
The idea of using a constant track power to supply a voltage to constantly charge a battery has been tried in the past and abandoned.
It will work, but you are still faced with maintaining the electrical conductivity around the track and also keeping it clean.
Situations that were to be avoided by going battery power in the first place.
If long run times are the goal, there is a very simple circuit using commonly available parts, that allows for the battery to be charged from outside the loco via a jack that also doubles as a port for plugging in auxilliary batteries (to back up the onboard batteries) being carried in a trail car.
Perhaps you would care to build and demonstrate a successful method of providing track power for traction and battery recharging.
Good luck.
Batteryman, I went looking for the article set you referenced at Kalmbach but I’m not finding it. Could you please give the article title, or better yet, Kalmbach’s pdf order number if you have it?
Jeff:
I installed an RCS Elite, Sierra Sound and batteries in a Bachman Shay that I bought from TOC. I am not talented with electrical stuff. If I can do it just about anyone who can follow directions can too. Using Tony’s information and TOC’s advice it came out fine. I am now on my second RCS/Sierra install.
John