Batteries in trailing cars

5H17

Railways and Diesel preservation, American cars
Sorry if this has been asked before. I did do a quick search but couldn't find the answer.

Being a new convert to R/C and battery power, I have a question for those of you that run batteries in a trailing car. What do you use as a jumper system between the locos and the battery cars? I thought about using male/female jack plugs but I struggled to find any that I considered small and unobtrusive enough. Any recommendations welcome :D

At the moment I have a rather rudimentary system jury rigged to the socket on the back of my stainz, but it's a bit heath robinson (understatement!) and not all locos have those sockets.
 
I've seen these used by several people - bought some myself recently, quite compact and a very positive connection. Lots of different stockists of them on evilBay, this is just one example:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-Pairs-JST-Battery-Plug-Socket-Cable-connector-wire-/251997570194?hash=item3aac39c492

Jon.
 
thats what I use, also use them for lighting connectors, between coaches
 
This article, written by David Bodnar (in the USA) might prove interesting and helpful.

http://www.trainelectronics.com/Articles/Connectors/index.htm

One thing I would say, however, is whatever connectors you decide to use then make sure they are black and do not stand out.
I use the connectors for my battery cars ( I have three) which mate with those fitted to Aristocaft locos. I have six Aristo locos and find the connectors unobtrusive - even if fiddly at times.

As an aside, any Aristo loco (excepting the Centre Cabs, Lill' Critters and Eggliners), manufactured after 2005 will have these mu/trailing car connectors fitted.
 
I don't use trail cars, but I have started using these for connecting power car and trailer and for connecting motor blocks to loco bodies.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lipo-2s-3s-4s-5s-6s-Balance-Extension-Lead-Cable-JST-XH-20cm-Turnigy-Zippy-etc-/251650565678?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item3a978ae62e

They're compact and make a positive connection. Not black though. The 2S lead has three leads, 3S four and so on. I buy them as is and then snip them in half to give me a plug and a socket - then attach wires to the leads and cover with shrink-wrap.

I see they are mentioned at the end of Dave Bodnar's article.

Rik
 
Coincidently I have just spent part of the evening fitting a battery kit into a trailing car :)

It was a kit supplied by Peter Spoerer and he recommended a JST BEC connector but with a reinforced black sleeve, to protect from repeated flexing.
 


;) Just starting out myself with this battery racket.... I found a nice little connection in the e-junk at work. I only had to file out the 'coupler pocket' ever so slightly to get this fit. The male plug leads out from the loco like a brake hose. Nice tight fit, even keeps the train together when the horn/hook coupler fails.
 
When I converted to battery power, I decided on trailing cars for the R/C and battery. At the time, I was running LGB locos exclusively, so I went with their male-female plug system. For my purposes it works well and keeps things simple.

In the Ebay link below, it states LGB and HO scale plugs. I have no clue what that means. But the plugs are the same ones used by LGB up until they changed their lighting sockets to the square type.

Now, I have tried those also and found them to be much more delicate when plugging and unplugging.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/371399571873?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
 
Zerogee said:
I've seen these used by several people - bought some myself recently, quite compact and a very positive connection. Lots of different stockists of them on evilBay, this is just one example:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/10-Pairs-JST-Battery-Plug-Socket-Cable-connector-wire-/251997570194?hash=item3aac39c492

Jon.

I use those too on BH tender pick-up mods (the Annies already have a power lead so thats even easier).
 
Tony Walsham said:
Some Annies do not have a power lead between the loco and the tender.
Only the Annies with a reversing light have that.

That's probably the difference between an Annie and a Bug Mauler ;) ;)

I think the Anniversary edition of the Big Hauler introduced wheel pickups on the tender - I don't think previous versions had that.
 
I must be lucky - all my Annies have twin connecting leads ;D

... and unlucky (no tender pick-ups ex-works :( )
 
I have a LGB DR 0-4-0 and tender to fit a Revolution to..
Thoughts are to removes skates and brushes from both. Motor from loco, letting the tender do the work..
Will just need to get power to the lights in the loco (no smoke in this model). Just need to work out how to do sound controlled from the Revolution.

Any thoughts from those who have done it, on a suitable steam sound card?
 
Although I do not use trailer cars for battery, I do have some Aristo locos (with the trailing leads already in place) and also my own `motorised` rolling stock to help my locos with the very heavy gradients on my layout.
I use these which are in effect the same as those that were used by Aristocraft.
They lock well and are black.
They are also available in all pin numbers up to 12!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Pair-Micro-JST-1-25-2-Pin-Male-Female-Connector-Cable-Wire-for-LED-Strip-R1BO-/161170985474

SM-2P-Connector-with-Cables-20CM-22AWG-2.54Pitch-02.jpg
 
When then Annies first came out they were light years ahead of the train set locos.
Much better drive and better detailed locos with metal valve gear.
Eventually the set locos were fitted with the Annie drive but the plastic side rods and valve gear were still being used.

I am installing battery R/C and sound in the latest Annie. This has more elaborate decoration on the tender and loco. Alas still no track pick ups. They do however have a much improved front pony truck mounting which will make operation much more reliable.
Very impressive loco if a little gaudy for my tastes.

As far as I know there have never been tender track pick ups on any 4-6-0 Annies or Big Haulers
 
Tony Walsham said:
When then Annies first came out they were light years ahead of the train set locos.
Much better drive and better detailed locos with metal valve gear.
Eventually the set locos were fitted with the Annie drive but the plastic side rods and valve gear were still being used.

I am installing battery R/C and sound in the latest Annie. This has more elaborate decoration on the tender and loco. Alas still no track pick ups. They do however have a much improved front pony truck mounting which will make operation much more reliable.
Very impressive loco if a little gaudy for my tastes.

As far as I know there have never been tender track pick ups on any 4-6-0 Annies or Big Haulers

That wouldn't be the one on a radius arm would it Tony?
 
Oh, did I dream that bit up?

I fit track pickups to all my tenders, and can't remember which is which ??? ??? ??? ???

Maybe I fitted the track pickups to my whaleback, which is an Annie in disguise.


Senility creeps on O0 O0 O0 O0 O0 O0
 
A little thread drift....... The newest version of the Annie, with the brass gearing and the new pilot truck on a radius arm is a real improvement over the already good Annie that came before it.

I have followed George Schreyer`s tips and made my own radius arms for the Annie pilot (instead of the OEM spring system) and, boy, does it make a difference when going through `sprung` points on reverse loops and on any `humps` that might be in the track ( I have one right at the summit of my heavy incline where the ground under the trackbed has subsided slightly but the concrete, that comes directly after it, hasn`t).
I had weighted the previous style of pilot but it still would buck on one point and also `hang in the air` and sometimes derail after the `hump`...now it just takes them in its stride.
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html


Here is the new `Annie` front pilot. It is far more `solid` and robust.

G91606-W.JPG
 
beavercreek said:
Although I do not use trailer cars for battery, I do have some Aristo locos (with the trailing leads already in place) and also my own 'motorised' rolling stock to help my locos with the very heavy gradients on my layout.
I use these which are in effect the same as those that were used by Aristocraft.
They lock well and are black.
They are also available in all pin numbers up to 12!

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/20-Pair-Micro-JST-1-25-2-Pin-Male-Female-Connector-Cable-Wire-for-LED-Strip-R1BO-/161170985474

[attachment=0][/attachment]

These are the sort I refereed to earlier but was unable to find a UK supplier (other than auction sites). They are quite neat and unobtrusive IMHO.
 
beavercreek said:
A little thread drift....... The newest version of the Annie, with the brass gearing and the new pilot truck on a radius arm is a real improvement over the already good Annie that came before it.

I have followed George Schreyer's tips and made my own radius arms for the Annie pilot (instead of the OEM spring system) and, boy, does it make a difference when going through 'sprung' points on reverse loops and on any 'humps' that might be in the track ( I have one right at the summit of my heavy incline where the ground under the trackbed has subsided slightly but the concrete, that comes directly after it, hasn't).
I had weighted the previous style of pilot but it still would buck on one point and also 'hang in the air' and sometimes derail after the 'hump'...now it just takes them in its stride.
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/big_hauler_tips.html




Here is the new 'Annie' front pilot. It is far more 'solid' and robust.

[attachment=0][/attachment]

Now that's interesting, because I shortened the pilot for my 10-wheeler with whaleback tender, and that was comparatively easy with the previous incarnation of the bogie (which also picked up current) but that looks as if it could be a tad more difficult ??? ??? ???
 
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