I wasn't really looking forward to the coming Autumn and Winter months as every running session would have to start with cleaning the track. I've got an LGB track cleaning loco, but I've been warned off from using it on wet track and, as our garden is on the north side of the house, my track will seldom be truelly dry in the coming months. The other problems are that I use analogue control (which I'm convinced needs cleaner track than digital), I prefer to use smaller 0-4-0 & 0-6-0 loco's and I'm quite fussy when it comes to scale speed. Don't get me wrong, if I'm going to have a good day's running I'm more than happy to give the track a good clean (during the warmer months the track seldom needs much cleaning anyway as trains are run almost every day), but if I just want to run something for an hour or two, having to clean the track often puts me off.
Over the last few months I've had several goes with the battery powered / remote controlled kit that Bram has fitted to some of his LGB locos, both on my own track and on the West Mids G Scale Society test track. Bram uses Cliff Barker products for these conversions and I was very impressed.
http://www.cliffbarker.talktalk.net/index.html
We came up with the idea of installing the receiver/controller and battery pack into a coach with the power being taken to the loco's motor via leads with plugs and sockets. This would allow any (easily) modified loco to be plugged in for battery running. What I had in mind was to modify my small fleet of 3 0-4-0 trams with control and batteries being carried in the Kiss coach that Mike kindly gave me some time ago (known as the ex Bolton Corporation Coach).
This Hartland tram was a particularly poor performer as it only picks up from it's wheels (no skates).
