I am almost giving up. I am having a hard time getting my train to run outside so considering battery power.

You are not listening, you cannot have pick-ups from the track and battery at the same time!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Ok. But what will happen? It seems to be working fine. I think the red and green wires go to the engines. The white and black wires might be pickups?
 
You will be fine at home, as you are controlling things, and I presume you are NOT having track power on / connected, at the same time you are using battery..

You would normally disconnect the track pickups in the loco, or fit a centre-off switch, to switch between track and battery.

If you took your loco to another track, where there was track-power, either you could feed battery into the track, or the track-power could get into your loco, as well as your battery supply.

Battery-power back into the electronics of other loco's, could potentially damage them.
Track-power into your speed controller, could damage that.

Another advantage of the speed controller, that square, flat, orangey-yellow thing on it, is a fuse..
I bet you aren't using one, so far?

We just want you to be safe, and not damage yourself, or your loco's.

PhilP
 
PhilP said:
You will be fine at home, as you are controlling things, and I presume you are NOT having track power on / connected, at the same time you are using battery..

You would normally disconnect the track pickups in the loco, or fit a centre-off switch, to switch between track and battery.

If you took your loco to another track, where there was track-power, either you could feed battery into the track, or the track-power could get into your loco, as well as your battery supply.

Battery-power back into the electronics of other loco's, could potentially damage them.
Track-power into your speed controller, could damage that.

Another advantage of the speed controller, that square, flat, orangey-yellow thing on it, is a fuse..
I bet you aren't using one, so far?

We just want you to be safe, and not damage yourself, or your loco's.

PhilP
Click to expand...
Yes ... I have no intention of bringing my engine to another track. There is another g scaler in Sarnia ... I text but have never met him. There is a guy 14 km south of Sarnia. He has a set up at his cottage. I bought 24 feet of straight track from him.
 
PhilP said:
You will be fine at home, as you are controlling things, and I presume you are NOT having track power on / connected, at the same time you are using battery..

You would normally disconnect the track pickups in the loco, or fit a centre-off switch, to switch between track and battery.

If you took your loco to another track, where there was track-power, either you could feed battery into the track, or the track-power could get into your loco, as well as your battery supply.

Battery-power back into the electronics of other loco's, could potentially damage them.
Track-power into your speed controller, could damage that.

Another advantage of the speed controller, that square, flat, orangey-yellow thing on it, is a fuse..
I bet you aren't using one, so far?

We just want you to be safe, and not damage yourself, or your loco's.

PhilP
Click to expand...
The other issue is if you short the tracks when on battery power, you short the battery, e.g. a spanner, screwdriver or something metallic across the tracks.
 
JimmyB said:
The other issue is if you short the tracks when on battery power, you short the battery, e.g. a spanner, screwdriver or something metallic across the tracks.
Click to expand...
Strange but true. A few years ago I went out to run trains on my line. I use(d) a Train Engineer (TE) r/c operated speed controller. A train was running and suddenly stopped. I checked the (factory fitted) fuse holder for the TE and noticed it had blown - thankfully a 10 amp quick blow type. Scratched my head a bit but after a while I found the cause, a fencing nail was lying on one of the track's sleepers and causing a short across the rails. How long was the nail.......exactly 45 mm, the track guage I operate.

I reckoned it was stray nail left over from some work that was being done on a neighbours fence a few days earlier, I'd heard them using a nail gun on it. Then, I suppose, one of our numerous local Jackdaws (member of the corvid family) must have picked up a stray nail left behind and dropped it on my line, in just the right place and perfectly aligned. The local hedgehogs don't have that kind of dexterity. Mischeivious so and so's those Jackdaws, smarter than you think. Max
 
Ok so put a 10 v fuse along with the battery. Taking the shell off I have yet to see where the fuse is for track power. I believe you can never be too careful. Rechargable batteries do not last forever. The next one might be a 12 volt. There is a garden railway club an hour away in London Ont. Just I doubt I will join. I only go there once a month if that.
 
TTaannggss said:
Ok so put a 10 v fuse along with the battery. Taking the shell off I have yet to see where the fuse is for track power. I believe you can never be too careful. Rechargable batteries do not last forever. The next one might be a 12 volt. There is a garden railway club an hour away in London Ont. Just I doubt I will join. I only go there once a month if that.
Click to expand...
I would join if I was you, you can learn so much from being in a club even if only for a year or so.
 
How long should I be charging my 9 volt battery for? I gave it an 8 hour charge a couple of weeks ago. I did this cut I did not use it for like 5 years at least. Since then I have been doing 6 hour charges. I would like to have it fully charged.
 
Doesn't have one but that is ok. So I got the fuse box and 10 v fuse. Should I connect to battery red wire or black? I can only assume that red is positive and black is negative. Having it rigged the way I have it the engine is going forward. Will solder it tomorrow is the plan .
 
TTaannggss said:
Doesn't have one but that is ok. So I got the fuse box and 10 v fuse. Should I connect to battery red wire or black? I can only assume that red is positive and black is negative. Having it rigged the way I have it the engine is going forward. Will solder it tomorrow is the plan .
Click to expand...
10v fuse? Do you mean 10A?
 
TTaannggss said:
Doesn't have one but that is ok. So I got the fuse box and 10 v fuse. Should I connect to battery red wire or black? I can only assume that red is positive and black is negative. Having it rigged the way I have it the engine is going forward. Will solder it tomorrow is the plan .
Click to expand...
Fuse to Red live run of wire.
 
Ya 10 A. So I assume I can use a 9 volt with that....well here we go. After this and a test run I can put the shell back on. Yaaaa
 
TTaannggss said:
Ya 10 A. So I assume I can use a 9 volt with that....well here we go. After this and a test run I can put the shell back on. Yaaaa
Click to expand...
If your loco draws for example 2.5A then 3A fuse, this will mean it will blow sooner rather than later, you need to protect your battery, and if your battery is not designed to draw 10A then the battery could go into melt down before the fuse blows.
 
This is what I am using. I will keep the shell off a bit longer. Make sure nothing inside gets too hot.
 

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