Bachmann Indy Conversion - anybody done one?

[spoz]

Has anybody converted a Bachmann 2-6-0 Indy to battery/rc? I'm about to start, or at least to try, probably using Cliff Barker's system with which I've had success before. I don't want to use a trail car if I can avoid it as it is not the best puller around and I can't see much chance of adding any significant weight. But there doesn't seem to be a lot of room in the loco or the tender so fitting a battery with sufficient energy density is looking challenging. Best bet seems like it might be NiMh AAAs with a maximum of about 900 mah in the tender and the receiver in the boiler but I would appreciate any advice people might be able to give!

Steve

 

[Neil Robinson]

No direct help with the battery conversion but the following may be relevant.
The loco is notoriously light on its feet and hardly pulls anything so I suggest increasing the weight on the driving axles as much as possible. If you P.M. me with your email address I can send you a translated extract from a German magazine explaining how to do this. I don't think this forums system supports attachments in the pdf format of the article, hence the request for email details.
If you put the batteries in the tender you may choose to remove the sound board. If so you will have a pair of redundant wires leading to the loco chuff contacts. These may prove useful for other purposes. However if you are going battery power only you could use the tender pickup wires for power to the loco. Complete removal of loco and tender pickups would also reduce drag and help with performance.

 

[robsmorgan]

Embarrased to say that I don't know what an Indy looks like - I guess it doesn't have a tender... If you post a picture I'll try to give you advice from my experience converting two Annies to RC - AND I'm just about to start on an Annie to the General/Texas 4-4-0 with correct(ish) proportioned (Walsal Model Industries) driving wheels instead of the standards...... will be fun

Othewise.... as a quick response I reduced the size of the main cast iron weight to accomodate the R/C r/x & control board - replacing the weight lost with ingots from lead waste I cast to fit the available voids lower down (better centre of gravity)..... I use rechargeable AA batteries with a rating of 2800mAh or 2900mAh in clusters of 2 or 4 daisy chained as space can be found - gives me easily an hour plus per set (10 x 1.2v cells = 12v) in the UK they are available easily from 7dayshop.com.

Best wishes
Rob

 

[Don Gilham]

I have an Indy that I intened to use for banking work, but the tender will be from a Spectrum Mogul so a little larger, and will take batteries/control card and sound card with a tight squeeze.

Here's my 0-6-0 with the same type of tender, specced as above. (Peter Spoerer did the work for me though) :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2gDG2sOsXoM

 

[robsmorgan]

Thanks for that clip Don - I can't see any problem whatsoever then :thinking: I even have my 'cheapskate' sound system with 6watt amp and separate battery PLUS an additional larger speaker with accoustic cardboard tubing in my standard Annie tender - my 'secret' may be laying the daisy chained AA battery packs around the speaker(s) rather than a chunky rectangular Li(?) battery.....

p.s. it isn't very pretty with the coal lid removed

Best of luck Steve!
Rob

 

[Neil Robinson]

Embarrased to say that I don't know what an Indy looks like - I guess it doesn't have a tender... If you post a picture I'll try to give you advice from my experience converting two Annies to RC -

A small loco with a small tender.
These two pictures may be of use, one coupled to an Accucraft L&B bogie brake van, the other alongside a Bachmann K27.

 

[robsmorgan]

Ah! Thanks Neil, I see this might better convert to a Camel I've got a lot into the cab of mine

But to be objective and helpful.... the use of AA type batteries, as I suggested above, gives reasonable 'real estate' flexibility... How about raising the fuel (coal/wood) apparent load by perhaps 2cm to open up more of a cavity in the tender?? If you have a reasonably clear track you could also drop the speaker down by perhaps 1cm - I've cut away the integral speaker fret and mounted one speaker inside a loose plastic bag**on bolts from beneath so that it's only the magnet actually taking up space in the tender.

I will keep thinking
Rob
**I am only a fine weather player and take my kit indoors when not in use - i.e. the speaker doesn't get much chance to get wet!

 

[spoz]

Thanks to all who have contributed so far.

Ross, Neil - PMs sent.

I've now disassembled the little beast; the tender features a pc board, a speaker and a space for a 9v battery to run the inbuilt sound (which is a little naff). In the middle of the pc board is a capacitor standing vertically which effectively prevents the use of the space above the board for battery storage. The coal load is moulded as part of the tender sides and top and is not directly detachable although razor saws will of course always provide a solution. The boiler barrel itself also contains a pc board which takes up most of the space; there is a smoke apparatus in the smokebox.

I normally use 2500 mah AAs daisy chained although I have also experimented (only once so far) with LiIons but in a much more spaceous loco, the grand sons' Thomas. However, with the space available and preserving the 9v battery for the sound, I can only fit 6 AAs in the tender (1 x 4 pack and 1 x 2 pack). I don't think 7.2 v will cut the mustard; I would like about 12 but will settle for about 10 if that's all I can do; and I can fit 8 (4 x 2) AAAs in there; and maybe even 9 adding a single. I'm also considering whether to take a 9v (well, actually 9.6) v feed off the battery pack to run the sound in which case I might be able to cram another 4 AAs (or more AAAs of course) in there; but that would mean that 8 of the batteries would be discharging faster than the remaining two and I'm not sure that is a good idea.

A possibility is to settle for the 900 mah from the AAAs and provide a trail car connection as well; that way I could run mostly from the trail car but when using as a banker or shunting I could run on the internals. A bit of a compromise, but it might be the best choice, particularly if Neils' more weight provides significant additional adhesion.

Another issue is going to be fitting Cliff's receiver in the boiler; that is almost certainly going to require the sacrifice of the smoke unit, and probably the (by then redundant although I normally leave it in place) switch unit behind the smokebox door. Not really a concern as I don't use the smoke unit anyway, but it detracts from the elegance, if that is the right word, of the solution.

As I've said elsewhere, I'm a bodger at heart but if this conversion proceeds (and it is still an "if", at least for the battery bit) I'll take some piccies and post a thread about it.

Steve

 

[minimans]

A possibility is to settle for the 900 mah from the AAAs and provide a trail car connection as well; that way I could run mostly from the trail car but when using as a banker or shunting I could run on the internals. A bit of a compromise, but it might be the best choice, particularly if Neils' more weight provides significant additional adhesion.

I may be getting the wrong end of the stick here but adding weight to the tender ain't going to do bugger all for the traction? you need to cram the boiler with the battery's and move the electronics into the tender?

 

[spoz]

True, weight behind the drawbar is weight behind the drawbar. But if I can keep it in the tender I don't have to haul another car with me all the time with the batteries in it; that can be replaced by revenue load. I will of course lose some hauling capacity by adding weight in the tender unless Neil's weight addition comes through with increased adhesion.

So far I've only had a cursory look at whether it would be better to put all the electronics in the tender but I will be exploring it further. However, even doing that (and I'm not sure for heat reasons I can in fact put them all in the same place, remembering I'm going to be adding a receiver and ESC) I'll still only have space for a reasonable number of AAAs, not AAs, as I presently see it - that boiler is small! And, in particular, it is obstructed by mouldings to receive the screws which hold the boiler bottom moulding on.

BTW, before somebody asks, the layout of the boiler is such that if I have to I can add unseen ventilation holes in its bottom which will receive a level of, well I can't call in forced draft but you get the idea, from the wheels in motion. I measured the air flow off the wheels with what I could wistfully describe as a homemade mini anenometer (although that child's toy with the plastic propellor on a stick you get from agricultural shows in Australia was what it was mostly like and where the inspiration came from) when I was first thinking of doing this. Now, that was a perfomance it itself and it's something I would never have thought I would be doing, it's marvellous where this hobby leads sometimes! It also confirmed my wife's belief that I'm nuts when she caught me puffing at it to provide a rough calibration. If that doesn't provide sufficient airflow, and I think it will, there is also potential to add air scoops.......

Steve

 

[Tony Walsham]

Hello Spoz.
I have never actually converted one of those diminutive locos. However, I do know that unless extra weight is added to the loco it will not pull the skin off the proverbial rice pudding.
As the mechanism is the same as the Big Hauler it can easily handle extra weight. So unless you absolutely have to have a smoke unit I would gut the electronics from the boiler and fill it with batteries and lead.
It is very easy to rewire the headlight adding a small resistor to protect the LED.
That leaves plenty of room for an R/C and ESC in the tender.
You could always insert a 9 volt regulator in the tender to run the stock sound system.
You would need 5-6 wires extra between the loco and tender to accomplish the above.
2 x for the battery voltage, 2 x for the motor and 2 x for the headlight although that can be done with just one extra wire.

 

[spoz]

Thanks Tony, good to get a pro's view! Presume then you don't think heat will be an issue with effectively four devices in the tender?

Steve

 

[Tony Walsham]

I wouldn't think so given the low current draw of the motor.

 

[Westcott]

I converted an Annie with 2 x 8-AA packs in the tender.
One of the packs supplies the sound card, dispensing with the 9V battery.