MTH Batteries

It is recommended to replace the battery with a newer battery or a BCR.     There are a few engines that yes will be stuck in Neutral and require a chip replacement.

Jim

I would not run the engine again until the battery is replaced with a 9 Volt NiMH (nickel-metal-hydride) battery, MTH green battery, or a BCR.

MELGAR

Thanks Jim & Melgar......That's exactly want I wanted to know.

I'll take your advice Melgar and refrain from running this and other loco's that have these "white" batteries in them......I am currently in the process of pulling all six (6) Railking diesel loco's I have apart, to find out what type of battery is in them.

Peter (Buco tragic)

This engine is on the list that will go into "Deselect Mode" if you try to run it with a dead battery. At this point it will not operate until you get a new "EE Prom Chip" from MTH. This engine was delivered March, 1997. That battery is 22 years old. If never used it might work for a short time but is not worth the aggravation. With electronic parts becoming obsolete all the time, you might want to replace the EE Prom chip while they are still available.

Forest Zeiders, certified MTH technician.

Further to my investigations as to the type of battery in my Railking loco's, I now discover I do in fact have a PS3 loco and when I opened it up I could not see any battery as such. I have included a couple of photos of the UP diesel that is labeled as PS3.

What do I do in relation to a battery for this loco????

Peter (Buco tragic)

Your correct.  No batteries in Proto3 engines.

Yes, I highly recommend replacing it with a BCR, which I have done for all my MTH Proto 1 and 2 locos. Now, I have no worries. Arnold

Thanks Jim for the clarification on PS3 loco's.....I shouldn't have any future battery problems with this one.

Thanks also Arnold for the recommendation to change to BCR's in the loco's with the "white" batteries. That will now be at the top of my "to do" list before they run on the layout again!!!

Finally guys, the last diesel I pulled the shell off (PS2) had a "green" coloured battery in it. What's the go with this type of battery??? Will it be alright, or will it need replacing with a BCR as well???? 

Thanks for all your help so far.

Peter (Buco tragic)

Buco posted:

Thanks Jim for the clarification on PS3 loco's.....I shouldn't have any future battery problems with this one.

Thanks also Arnold for the recommendation to change to BCR's in the loco's with the "white" batteries. That will now be at the top of my "to do" list before they run on the layout again!!!

Finally guys, the last diesel I pulled the shell off (PS2) had a "green" coloured battery in it. What's the go with this type of battery??? Will it be alright, or will it need replacing with a BCR as well???? 

Thanks for all your help so far.

Peter (Buco tragic)

Peter, I also replaced my green MTH batteries with BCRs, and the trains now run great with no worries. Arnold

Thanks again Arnold:

I will place an order for 5 BCR's, and that should fix any impending problems with the "white" and "green" batteries I have inside my RailKing loco's.

Also thanks Forest for the tech advice about the "EE Prom Chip". Something I need to look into with Midge at MTH.

Peter (Buco tragic)

Buco posted:

Thanks Jim for the clarification on PS3 loco's.....I shouldn't have any future battery problems with this one.

Thanks also Arnold for the recommendation to change to BCR's in the loco's with the "white" batteries. That will now be at the top of my "to do" list before they run on the layout again!!!

Finally guys, the last diesel I pulled the shell off (PS2) had a "green" coloured battery in it. What's the go with this type of battery??? Will it be alright, or will it need replacing with a BCR as well???? 

Thanks for all your help so far.

Peter (Buco tragic)

You should also be aware that the PS3 design uses a capacitor instead of a battery. A capacitor holds a charge, which allows a locomotive to run its shutdown sequence. Essentially, that’s what J&W’s BCR is, a capacitor circuit packaged as a replacement for a 9-volt rechargeable battery.

Thanks for all of the help guys.....and yes Jim, I now fully understand about these BCR's and the PS3 system.

Melgar......I've checked all six of the RailKing loco's and 5 will need BCR's.

My next biggest issue is actually getting them here in Australia. I have made preliminary E-mail enquiries with a company in the US called "ModelTrainStuff" who appear to be able to send them to me through the post. Who would have thought...sending batteries on an airplane and through the post, but in reflection, they are not really a battery as such, but more of an electrical capacitor, so it should be safe. 

Anyway, thanks to all of you O Gauge Forum members who have come to my emotional rescue once again.

Peter (Buco tragic) on the fabulous Gold Coast in sunny Queensland, Australia