RC for Millie

[trevithick]

A few years ago I bought a millie with a full cab which has been running fantastically. At the end of last spring, I a bit foolishly tried running it ona friends railway with a bit of a grade, and sadly it took a short tumble. Thankfully besides a few light scratches to the roof it was no worse for the wear, but this has gotten me to reassess installing rc.

My question is where to stick the batteries/reciever. It appears I have two options, neither perfect. Ive seen some people stick them on the roof, but without a dedicated compartment that makes me a bit nervous. I dont know if its a rational concern, but I worry that if the batteries fall and come into contact with the boiler, that could result in significant damage/hazard.

Other option would be to have a dedicated car behind it. To my eyes a tender doesnt quite look right, given the stock back wall. I do have an accucraft van that could serve that function.

Just wanted to hear other people's thoughts/experiences.

[GTB]

My question is where to stick the batteries/reciever. It appears I have two options, neither perfect. Ive seen some people stick them on the roof, but without a dedicated compartment that makes me a bit nervous. I dont know if its a rational concern, but I worry that if the batteries fall and come into contact with the boiler, that could result in significant damage/hazard.

I fitted r/c to a Bertie based model some years ago and fitted the battery pack under the cab floor.

https://gardenrails.org/viewtopic.php?t=8541

If that's a Mk 1 Millie then putting the battery pack under the cab roof is the only real option, as part of the burner is under the cab floor and the side tanks are filled by the external firebox. If push comes to shove, a small tender would look better than a permanently coupled goods wagon.

A battery box similar to the sort fitted by Roundhouse should be fairly simple to fold up from brass sheet and should be bolted in place. (Which takes care of concerns about it falling onto the hot bits). I wouldn't use double sided tape on a bet, as I don't trust adhesives in hot environments.

Alternatively, you could use a Roundhouse r/c fittings kit, which would give you a battery box and fitting hardware.

I'd use low discharge NiMH cells around steam locos, as LiPo cells are a bit heat sensitive for my liking.

Graeme

ps. I ended up removing the r/c from the Hunslet and restricting it's activities to my home track, which is flat. I found the slip eccentric vg meant that the loco couldn't be stopped from running away on grades, as it could keep rolling on a 1:30 grade with the throttle shut. You may find r/c is not the solution to your problem, it depends on how steep the grades are........

[trevithick]

Thanks so much for the reply. Yeah, I was a bit dubious about adhesives. It is a mark 1, so under the floor isnt an option. Thats a good point about the slip eccentrics, control would be a bit limited regardless... but maybe still better than nothing. My other thought was maybe a battery box with magnetic straps bolted on that could be placed under the roof. Ive found some aaa battery boxes that would fit relatively cleanly. The plan is to use rechargeable nimh batteries.

[Lonsdaler]

Thanks so much for the reply. Yeah, I was a bit dubious about adhesives. It is a mark 1, so under the floor isnt an option. Thats a good point about the slip eccentrics, control would be a bit limited regardless... but maybe still better than nothing. My other thought was maybe a battery box with magnetic straps bolted on that could be placed under the roof. Ive found some aaa battery boxes that would fit relatively cleanly. The plan is to use rechargeable nimh batteries.

Rather than R/C, have you considered making a momentum van, as per Dr. Bond of this parish? It would help greatly with any runaway tendencies, and could be used only when required? (In case you're not aware of what a momentum van is, there is a thread by Zach Bond on building one. It serves the same function as a slo-mo device). There's a brief summary here viewtopic.php?p=183944.

Edited to add link.

[Dr. Bond of the DVLR]

For inspiration - here's DVLR No. 1 running with the Momentum Van on the uneven and tight radius track of the long defunct DVLR mk. 2. It performed better here than when I breifly fitted RC to No. 1.
The video also demonstrates that, within reason, it didn't matter where in the train the MV was - it didn't have to be directly behind the locomotive.

[LNR]

So nice to see a steam loco performing at a nice leisurely pace as opposed to racing around at high speed which seems to have become the norm.
Grant.

[trevithick]

Interesting concept, bookmarked. A fallback if the rc plan becomes unfeasable. Originally was planning on hiding the reciever behind a cab door and roof mounting the batteries, but after measuring everything it looks like the battery box would foul the pressure gauge. I think Ill probably have to settle on using an accucraft van as a battery tender.