Garden Railway Forum

Hello,

I wondered if anyone on this forum had installed radio control onto a Bowande KM1 Falk No.1? (seen here next to my RC Bachmann Mallet)

(The Falk is the yellow one)



I have the engine running quite nicely but it becomes a bit of a road runner on the straights if the regulator is set to get a train around the curves at the club track - I also run on several lines that have quite steep grades that require regulator control for the engine.

Interesting looking loco.
Sorry, can't help but would be interested in hearing more about it.

Rik

Are we talking about the yellow locomotive? (Sorry, but I have no idea which is the Bachmann and which is the Bowande loco).
It's not impossible to fit RC to any loco, but compromises may be needed. I've squeezed single channel into my Accucraft Decauville 0-4-0 just by adding a coal bunker to the rear of the footplate.

David have you given any thought to building a “momentum wagon” to tame overly enthusiastic manual-control live steam engines? They work a treat and are easy to build. If you do a search for the term “momentum wagon’ you’ll find my experiments with one.

Hi Lonsdaler,

the Falk is the yellow locomotive in the image (Live Steam) whilst the other engine is a Bachmann Mallet (CVP Airwire, ESU 5XL decoder with Mallet sounds and custom LiIon battery).

I'm assuming you are talking about the 16mm Decauville when you talk about adding a coal bunker?

I'm interested as I'm installing two channels of RC to a 7/8" Accucraft Decauville and the Fosteks receiver, batteries and switch/charging socket will all fit in the side bunker now that I have moved to the larger under floor gas tank.

Just have to mount the servos now.

Will post some images when the install is done.

Hi Keith,

in response to your question the answer is "yes"

I have thought about a wagon behind (several colleague's have them) - I don't like the idea as this means the particular wagon needs to be attached all the time - and similarly I don't like trailing wagons for radio control.

Secondly this does not enable proper driving of the locomotive (two of the lines I visit require putting my Davenport into mid-gear or reverse on their downgrades to control train speed) - a Brian Wilson slo-mo gives more control on an unregulated loco (and a bit of an exhaust bark) but fitting one of these is not a possibility with inside valve gear. (I have a colleague who has one fitted to a small van that runs behind the engine).

Also a bit problematic on point-to-point lines if the wagon has to be propelled - particularly in the case of electrical connections between the loco and the wagon.

Servos are small enough to fit the whole package into the Falk - I was just asking to see what approach people may have taken before "re-inventing the wheel".

David P wrote: ↑Tue Mar 25, 2025 1:42 am Hi Lonsdaler,

the Falk is the yellow locomotive in the image (Live Steam) whilst the other engine is a Bachmann Mallet (CVP Airwire, ESU 5XL decoder with Mallet sounds and custom LiIon battery).

I'm assuming you are talking about the 16mm Decauville when you talk about adding a coal bunker?

I'm interested as I'm installing two channels of RC to a 7/8" Accucraft Decauville and the Fosteks receiver, batteries and switch/charging socket will all fit in the side bunker now that I have moved to the larger under floor gas tank.

Just have to mount the servos now.

Will post some images when the install is done.

Hi David,
Yes, I have the 16mm 0-4-0 Accucraft Decauville. I think that if I got really inventive, I could make it 2 channel as well, but for the moment single channel on the regulator has increased my enjoyment of this locomotive which has performed well since I got it.
I'll look forward to seeing your solution for the 7/8ths loco.

David P wrote: ↑Wed Feb 26, 2025 1:16 am Hello,

I wondered if anyone on this forum had installed radio control onto a Bowande KM1 Falk No.1? (seen here next to my RC Bachmann Mallet)

(The Falk is the yellow one)



20250210_133351.jpg

Quite a contrast between the 2 locos!