Dead Rail (how to get back into it after 20 years )

A Forum SEARCH for Dead Rail will yield a few messages.  John

@Dave Koehler posted:

I am not a fan of white smoke, so I have removed the smoke units ( if any one invents black smoke I might re=install them) .

Black smoke is bad, except maybe on Halloween.

White smoke, i.e. "a clear stack", is what every good fireman is shooting for, isn't it?

Mike

(I hate it when people butt in with questions like this, but I just had to.)

BTW -- While your at it tell us why you don't like Lionel's sound.  Specifically what's wrong with it?  You may have many people here agreeing with you.

I am familiar with Phoenix in a large G scale body with a good speaker in a nice speaker enclosure.  Sweet!!

With Phoenix done right I can see how Lionel does not measure up.  However all things considered the Lionel system is a pretty good system although a tad bulky.

Tom  The  L board is is huge, and often their steam rate is out of sink with  the pistons and wheel rotation and then there is the cab chatter

Mike  aside from the color, it is  a big drain on a battery  pack

I love deadrail.  There are a few of us here who do, while the rest scoff at us.

I run BlueRail and RailPro.  Both have their plusses and minuses.  It all depends on what you want and how you want to run them.

I have have several posts and videos on the subject.  Search for ron045 and BlueRail or ron045 and RailPro.

Or go to YouTube and search ron045 and you can see my stuff.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have.  My email is in my profile.

If my son and brother in-law didn't run their stuff on my layout, I'd rip every last wire out.  That is how passionate I am with deadrail.

Ron

Like Ron045,, I've been running battery power for years. When properly done, it works quite well. Some of my conversions are four years old and still running great. I have authored a number of articles on this subject.

Ron , Bob do either of you have a list of what out is there, in the way of trans miter's  and receivers

@Dave Koehler posted:

Ron , Bob do either of you have a list of what out is there, in the way of trans miter's  and receivers

I don't have a list.  You could try deadrailinstalls.com to see various systems.

Bob has a more diverse collection of systems.  I only have BlueRail and RailPro.

Ron

thanks looked at both

(Sigh)...

'Someday'...perhaps...there'll be a separate forum category...or two?...to capture the collective, budding knowledge/experience/encouragement for all things "Dead-Rail", "Battery-Powered", regardless of scale...in keeping with the scope of this forum.

Seems like the lack of any nascent endorsement by one of the popular/established 'gorillas' of the hobby is...stifling.

Among the realities of age setting in day-by-day...as I pen this from our home-away-from-home in Floriduh..., I become more acutely aware of concepts such as 'Down-scything', K.I.S.S, Getting-Down-Is-Easy/Getting-Up-Is-Hard, etc., etc..   Frankly, I'd rather have another colonoscopy than face tracing another under-table layout wiring problem, running another 100 feet of buss wire, connecting up another couple dozen track taps...while lying on my aching back on a cold basement floor...recalling the necessary veeblefetzer (tool) I forgot to bring along...down here...to complete the job, creating blue clouds of commentary on the condition of my antiquated knees, ...and now yet ANOTHER lump on the head from that $%XY#@ table girder!!!

Converting to Dead-Rail or Battery-Powered for a sizable investment in today's O3R paradigms, for instance, is ludicrous.  (Ditto the preferred prospect of total conversion to Kadee couplers)  But, as the OP suggests, returning to the scale (O...or even S or HO?) after an absence and/or venturing into a far more simplified, limited scope of model railroading without the concomitant under-table PITA requirement can be a really welcome option for the gray-and-balding demographics...of which I'm a card(s)-carrying member, thank you.

But, what the heck...the mirror and I haven't been very productive with some of these opinations, either.

Yo, DK!...another cup o' Joe?

KD

There are over ten available wireless control systems that are compatible with battery powered operation. These included bluetooth, wi-fi and 900mhz.  I have tested nine and they all work. It boils down to what control device you are most comfortable with. Conversion is not inexpensive, but model railroading has become expensive in general.

For someone wanting to dip their toe in the deadrail pool, a LionChief engine might be the least expensive option.  You just need a battery and a charger.

Ron

Ron I considered that , but then I would have to deal with their boards, and from what I see they have issues

Ron's suggestion to start with LionChief is a good one. I converted a LionChief Plus to battery power two years ago with no issues. It still runs good today.

Ron , Bob  taking you advice , have one coming

Does any one have a  good supplyer for batteries and chargers? not a soul around here to ask.  Last time around I was using Nicads

Try deadrailinstalls.com.

I've used BlueRail and Deltang.  I get my batteries and chargers from Tenergy, using 9.6 and 12v 2000Mah NiMh battery packs or 11.1v 2200Mah LiPo battery packs.  The Deltang receivers are no longer made I'm afraid, or at least not presently made.  I have over 2 dozen engines converted and have not had a single failure in over 5 years, doubt I'll be getting any more engines (spending more $$$ these days on firearms than trains).  I run 3-rail equipment on 2-rail track.  You can convert one 3-rail engine just to see how you like it and run it on any existing, wired layout.  Bob and Ron have been more constant on the forum than I have and are more up to date on the current offerings.

Here's a basic wiring diagram using the Deltang receiver:

Another:

There's also Remote Control Systems, Australia, owned by Tony Walsham.  Tony has helped me tremendously and really started me on this journey.  He has a website and usually I got things within 2 weeks from Australia.

Dave, For batteries and chargers consider MTO of York PA.  They specialize in batteries for almost any application.  They have extensive experience with model trains.

Their batteries and chargers have a safe charging circuit which preempts problems.   Use their charger with their batteries.  They make train batteries for many different configurations.

MTO Battery

237 Church La

Red Lion PA 17356

717-751-2795

MTObattery.com

Scroll down on the product list to "Train", click to open.

All of my batteries are MTO

@Dave Koehler posted:

Does any one have a  good supplyer for batteries and chargers? not a soul around here to ask.  Last time around I was using Nicads

I have had good luck with Bob Buck at gscaleinstallations.net.  I'm lucky I only live 30 minutes away, so I have no idea what shipping costs are.  But his batteries are MTO also and slightly cheaper than the MTO website and have the built in PCB protection to protect from overcharge or under voltage use.  Chargers are simple plug in.  Since these are LiIon and not LiPo, there is no balancing of cells. These batteries are meant for trains and not RC cars or planes which need a lot of energy fast.

3 of my engines run on 4 cell 14.8v 3000mah batts.  My smaller 44 tonner runs on 3 cell 11.1v 3000mah.  They all run great.

Ron

Bob Buck has done quite a few installations for me also.  Very reasonable.  His contact number is 717 309 0706.  A nicer person would be hard to find.  He also can get custom MTO batteries to fit anything.

Bob also fixed an earlier installation which needed adjustment.