Garden Railway Forum

I have relocated the motor from it's usual position slanting up into the engine compartment, to below the frames. Why they chose not to put it there in the first place I can't understand, it's so much neater there. So I now have lots of space for batteries under the bonnet. The motor is the original from when it was track powered.

I plan to fit Deltang RC and later perhaps a sound card.

What voltage does a track powered motor usually run at? And how much battery capacity do I need to run it for a reasonable time?
I can change the motor for an equivalent 12V motor if needs be.

Hi there,

Trackpower from LGB when we used to use it was 0 to 24V DC. We have a Baguley with a replacement Friog chassis and motor. It also has soundcard and lights and uses a deltang controller. It runs for ages on 10 x AA (12V) which are under the bonnet. This voltage is fine for the speed we want. I have never timed it but it has never run out completely when used in a running session for a few hours with some other Locos.

Dave

Not got a Baguley, but the majority of my locos are based around LGB, Piko and USAt motor blocks originally intended to be 24v track powered. They all run happily on 11.1v li-ion batteries (ie three li-ions in series - 3S). Most of my li-ions are 18650 cylindrical batteries.

Rik
PS Most of my batteries are 2300mAh or thereabouts and I get a full day's running session out of them (with soundcards). Of course, they are not running continuously all day - I usually have around 3 locos in operation during a running session and they take turns to negotiate the line - occasionally two will run simultaneously.

Boustrophedon wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2017 10:42 pm What voltage does a track powered motor usually run at? And how much battery capacity do I need to run it for a reasonable time?
I can change the motor for an equivalent 12V motor if needs be.

0-24V according to the Accucraft instructions. Presumably that's DC.........

http://www.accucraft.uk.com/content/upl ... Y-Mk-2.pdf

Deltang RX-65b receivers are only rated up to 18V DC, although other ESCs will work up to 24V DC. No idea about sound cards.

As a rough guide to running time, my Merlin Motor Mule is fitted with a 12V DC MFA-Como motor which draws just under 1A when the loco is slipping. That runs for about 3 hours on a battery with eight AA size Eneloops cells (9.6V, 1900mAH nominal) with a manual electronic speed control. At the speeds I run that suggests it is drawing about 600mA with a load.

You may not need to change the motor, as voltage ratings are nominal. A bit of bench testing and a multimeter will soon tell you what current the motor draws and what voltage it needs for the performance you want. Then you have to see what batteries can be physically fitted for the voltage and current needed.

Regards,
Graeme

Thanks. Just tested the running chassis on a 12V Lead acid battery perched on the chassis.. A little slow for full speed but very powerful.

Then a screw fell out of the coupling rods and it jammed up and broke the rubber motor coupling.

I shall order a 12V motor off Como drills and run it on 8 NiMh aa cells.Theres room for at least twice that under the bonnet.

I have relocated the motor and changed the rubber coupling for a metal universal joint. The air filter thingy on the bonnet top now doubles as an on/off switch.

That looks like a nice conversion you have done there.
Just to add to the great battery debate, be wary of some of the cheaper batteries available on line they are not always as powerful as they are advertised and I have had problems with them failing very quickly. A good supplier would be strikealite and they can make up a pack for you if you don't feel like soldering your own.

I would be interested in seeing how smooth your loco runs with the new motor please.

Initial tests show that it runs as smooth as it ever did, the motor is the original. I intend to use Eneloop NiMh batteries.

My long term plans are to get rid of the accucraft worm drive. Worm drives are always less than 50% efficient. That means you are getting less than 50% of the tractive effort, or that you have to carry twice as many batteries.

My final plans are to add an epicyclic gearbox to the motor and have a helical drive to the jackshaft.