Play it safe and just buy one or two MTH batteries, I'm sure your grandson will be happy to see 2 of them running and if not it doesn't take long to swap them out.

I always go with a new MTH green batterie and never had an issue.  

I use 7-cell NiMh batteries in those, and it's never been an issue.  I'd probably pass on the NiCd batteries.

Guys, don't screw around with cheapo batteries.  Do it right and buy MTH batteries.   Remember, you only get what you pay for.

As John said a 7-cell NiMh battery that is  technically 8.4 volts.  Where as a standard "9 volt" battery has only 6-cells and is technically 7.2 volts.

I concur with GR John.  I have replaced all of my PS 1 engine batteries with a type of NiMh batteries that are supposed to maintain their charge for longer periods of time.   Since I am selling all of my PS 1 engines,  I recently checked to make sure they all were in running condition.  They all started up and ran just fine after sitting for more than year.  NiMh batteries do not have the memory problems that NiCd do.

Larry

Larry, whenever selling a PS-1 locomotive, it is cheap insurance to put in a new battery.  I never let one go out the door with an old white battery.   I have several (ps-1 engines) I recently came by and every one gets a new battery and feature 18 reset.  Before I sell one, I take a short video clip of it running.  That gets emailed to the new buyer.

As always, I'll recommend NiMH batteries that are marked as 'Pre-Charged' or 'Low Self-Discharge'  these will hold a safe working charge for well over a year on the shelf.  I prefer the Duracell brand, but others have reported good luck with some of the cheap, off brands.  

Random thoughts:

All around, the charge circuit employed in these engines is not optimal for long battery life, as NiMH suffer the same problems from constant over charging that NiCD do, though not quite as bad.  In typical operation, it won't be a big deal, but I would expect more battery failures on engines that are run more often than those that see more shelf time.  

As a side note, I don't know if I would consider the MTH green battery as a superior choice.  They carry the specs of an early NiMH 8.4v battery, and current generation batteries offered by the name brands ( and many low cost off brands) are far superior to the products offered several years ago.  This isn't to say there is anything wrong with the OEM batteries, just that current LSD batteries are better for the application.  

Last, as more of a question,  I'm under the impression that PS1 engines can be run without a battery installed with out any problems, you just won't have sound when changing direction and such. Is this correct, or do they require a batter to function?  

JGL

You can pick these up at Batteries plus Bulbs if you have one near by. They sell good batteries.

MHR84V300     $12.99

What is the issue with the charge circuit in these PS1 engines that Johngaltline is referring to, and has the circuitry issue been corrected on the PS2 engines?

Dave,

JohnGaltLine posted:

Last, as more of a question,  I'm under the impression that PS1 engines can be run without a battery installed with out any problems, you just won't have sound when changing direction and such. Is this correct, or do they require a batter to function?  

You won't get out of neutral without a battery, so unless you're doing a static display, you need a battery.

Thanks Barry. Do you know if when using the wall charger if the current passes through the trains charging circuitry to prevent over charging, or is there protection built into the wall charger?  Sometimes I'll forget that I put a train on the wall charger and find it a day or two later.

Dave,

Do you know if when using the wall charger if the current passes through the trains charging circuitry to prevent over charging, or is there protection built into the wall charger? 

I've used the MTH battery charger to charge both 5 volt and 3 volt PS2 engines numerous times and I often leave the engine on the charger for a day or longer before I  get around to disconnecting the charger from the engine. I have never had any issues with overcharging a battery.

The current doesn't pass through the engine's PS2 board.

bigdodgetrain posted:

Why not use BCR's?

Did you read the original post carefully?

Marty Fitzhenry posted:

Larry, whenever selling a PS-1 locomotive, it is cheap insurance to put in a new battery.  I never let one go out the door with an old white battery.   I have several (ps-1 engines) I recently came by and every one gets a new battery and feature 18 reset.  Before I sell one, I take a short video clip of it running.  That gets emailed to the new buyer.

Marty,  none of my PS 1 engines have those original MTH NiCad batteries.  I will recommend to my buyer(s) to check the voltage of those batteries, charge them on the track with at least 12V power applied for at least 18 hours before running or  install new fully charged batteries before using them.   They all ran just fine a couple of months ago.  I may go ahead and set them on the powered track for at 18 hours before I ship them off.  Then I know they'll be charged when the buyer receives them.  Thanks for the recommendation.

Larry

Hot Water posted:

bigdodgetrain posted:

Why not use BCR's?

Did you read the original post carefully?

why go through the expense twice?

better?

bigdodgetrain posted:

Hot Water posted:

bigdodgetrain posted:

Why not use BCR's?

Did you read the original post carefully?

why go through the expense twice?

better?

The original poster stated he has BCR's on order for all his engines from J&W, but will NOT be shipped or about 2-weeks.  He wants to get a few engines running for grandson now.

If he buys all new batteries, they should be good for 5 years, which obviates any need for BCRs for awhile.  I leave it to the experts to opine whether a 9-volot alkaline could be used for the few days that grandson will be there.

No problem using an alkaline for a few days as a "test", just don't leave it in there.