Radio control LGB Otto

[awwalker]

Hi everyone.
I have just signed up on this forum so i will introduce myself on the site at some point!
I have a question and i hope it has not been done to death in other forums....
I am thinking of purchasing an LGB Otto for a kitbash i am doing. The only thing is that the rough instructions i am following assumes the loco will power off the rails. I am wanting battery power and r/c control.
I am a complete newbie to all this so i am wanting to know if anyone can assist in how i would go about installing a basic r/c unit, recommending a decent cheap set up, where i could get this and how i could install this. I am initally thinking that r/c bits could be installed in a permantly coupled coach.
If anybody could assist i would be most grateful!
Andrew

 

[PhilP]

Welcome Andrew!
Whilst others are more knowledgeable re the RC setup, you are correct in that there ain't much room in an Otto!
Some sort of battery/RC truck/coach will be fine.. Depending on how 'clever' you wish to be will depend on if you want to control lights, have sound et al.
Most important thing, is to give us an idea which part of the UK (or World) you are! - Someone local is almost bound to stick their head above the parapet then.
Welcome again!
PhilP ( Philip Partridge).

 

[ge_rik]

Hi Andrew
There are many on here with plenty of experience of r/c. I've only just started exploring the world of r/c but my experience suggests you're on the right track. The most successful of my r/c locos uses an LGB motor block and I'm just in the process of constructing another using a Playmobil motor block (and I have two other LGB motor blocks awaiting deployment).

Regarding r/c equipment. There are many options you could take. I'd suggest waiting until you've had a few suggestions from those on the forum before committing yourself. What I would say is go for some sort of 2.4gHz set-up. The price has fallen dramatically and you can now get a decent system for a fraction of what it would have cost say even a year ago.

You'll need batteries (either NiMh or Li-ion), an electronic speed controller (ESC), a receiver and a transmitter.

I've opted for the http://deltang.co.uk/ < Link To Deltang system - which I think is quite cost effective (I have a Tx22 transmitter and use Rx61-22 receiver/controllers). I've done an evaluation on my blog if that's useful - http://riksrailway.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/evaluation-of-deltang-radio-control.html < Link To http://riksrailway.blogsp...ang-radio-control.html

But see what others suggest before making your decision. You need to keep your options open when first starting out.

Rik

 

[awwalker]

Rik, phillip,
Cheers for the welcome... very swift replies!
I am a Yorkshirman located in Edinburgh so if if anybody is in this neck of the woods then let me know
The project i am doing was in railway modeller about 10 year back and changed a chassis of an LGB Otto into a 1:20 bagnell on 45mm track as found on the Rye and camber railway. An associated coach was coupled to this loco more or less on a permanent basis. Im not too fussed about light, smoke, bells and whistles etc. i would just like the loco to go forward and backwards at slow speeds.

It seems a nice starter project for me and a may lead to me building a garden railway depicting a scale 3ft gauge railway...... well thats the inital plan anyway!

 

[awwalker]

Also..
Thought i would chance this but has anybody got a spare LGB Otto for sale? May come in handy if the project is a success and i decide to do another.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[yb281]

Hello Andrew. I've got 3 locos based on Otto chassis, all battery RC via a trailing wagon. I purchased RC equipment and batteries from Cliff Barker.
http://www.cliffbarker.talktalk.net/
His stuff is not the cheapest, but I've yet to see anything else that provides such good, reliable control down to scale walking pace. IMO going for cheap in RC kit is a false economy.

This video is a couple of years old, but shows the level of control with an Otto chassis under a GRS Kerr Stuart body kit.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PC52IH0Bqfs&feature=c4-overview&list=UUbyvp9JgiRPzKVwslkpCQmg

 

[Bram]

Hi Andrew,
I use battery power with Cliff Barker RC kit and I agree with Mel's comments.

 

[funandtrains]

One mate of mine has one coupled to a small Toytrain open wagon full of AA batteries that is covered with a tarp, it runs non stop for 3 hours or more!

 

[yb281]

One mate of mine has one coupled to a small Toytrain open wagon full of AA batteries that is covered with a tarp, it runs non stop for 3 hours or more!

Yes, they'll pretty much run all day on 10 AAs, the advantage of LGB using the superb Buhler motors.

 

[ge_rik]

A few threads which might be worth reading

[*]http://www.gscalecentral.net/Converting-LGB-to-RC-m206304 [*]http://www.gscalecentral.net/Stainz-battery-conversion-m261564 [*]http://www.gscalecentral.net/Converting-to-RC-Battery-Power-HELP-REQUIRED-m249932 [*]http://www.gscalecentral.net/battery-powered-stainz-m226360
Rik

 

[Tony]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Y5mdpmSQY < Link To www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_Y5mdpmSQY

On this video of Mike (Beavercreeks) open day yesterday is my little LGB flat car with home made Tarp it contains 21v battery pack and an Aristocraft Revo chip (the RC isnt important you can use any to do the same job ) but all i have is a wire that plugs into any LGB loco socket (on the rear or the loco) which is more than enough to power the loco ...for safety sake i have removed the skates and pickup rods from my locos just in case it gets put on a live track but this way i can swap any of my locos without loads of stuff extra in the loco or anyone else's loco
I havn't any photos of under the tarp but il do some if intrested

 

[funandtrains]

The toy train locos as they were intended for younger children have motors that run on 12v although they can cope with twice that ad so don't need as much power as other LGB locos.

 

[fridge]

I have an ancient Playmobil red diesel which I've converted using components from Chuffed2Bits. (Saturn Tx and Rx, Mtronics ESC and 9.6v battery pack). To my surprise it is controllable down to a very low speed. Perhaps it has something to do with the mechanism being really well run in.

 

[awwalker]

I have been tempted with the playmobil freight set for around £95.00. It seems to tick all the boxes to get a set up up and running quite fast with a decent unit to bash at a later date.
Slow running is an important factor though to me. Has anybody any positives on this set and if it can be upgraded?
Andrew

 

[fridge]

Well, it's a lot less complicated than doing it all yourself, but I don't think that slow running is completely controllable, although it's fair enough and my loco hasn't really run itself in yet. It's certainly good value for money.

 

[spoz]

Well, it's a lot less complicated than doing it all yourself,

But don't be put off - doing it yourself is not hard - any of the reputable suppliers who specialise in train r/c (Cliff Barker, Tony Walsham of RCS, Del Tapporo and there are others) either provide printed instructions or have instructions on their website which even an electronic numpty like me can follow without much difficulty - I've now done four loco conversions and completed a couple of kits with r/c after humming and haing about it for some years. The important thing is to select a system and give it a go, you'll be surprised both by how easy it is and the feeling of satisfaction it can give. If you want you can change systems with every loco you do until you find the one you like, and it won't matter much.

 

[ge_rik]

But don't be put off - doing it yourself is not hard - any of the reputable suppliers who specialise in train r/c (Cliff Barker, Tony Walsham of RCS, Del Tapporo and there are others) either provide printed instructions or have instructions on their website which even an electronic numpty like me can follow without much difficulty - I've now done four loco conversions and completed a couple of kits with r/c after humming and haing about it for some years. The important thing is to select a system and give it a go, you'll be surprised both by how easy it is and the feeling of satisfaction it can give. If you want you can change systems with every loco you do until you find the one you like, and it won't matter much.

I'll echo that. I tried two different approaches before settling on the system I'm now using. I've found all three of the r/c suppliers that I've been dealing with to be extremely helpful and responsive to any questions I've had. In all cases they have gone the extra mile to adapt their products or offer alternatives if I found I needed something different to what I'd actually ordered.

The suppliers of r/c kit for this hobby are hobbyists themselves and so know what they're selling you and keen to make sure it does what you want it to do.

For info here are the suppliers I've been dealing with (but there are others equally as good). I have no connection with any of them other than being a very satisfied customer

Brain Jones - http://www.brianjones.free-online.c...n)[/b] - [url]http://deltang.co.uk/ Rik

 

[fridge]

Yes, I agree with that and for those just entering this field there is avery useful diagram of a setup on Brian Jones' website. Unfortunately, I suffered from the fact that the instructions for setting up my transmitter and the ESC contradicted each other! (neither supplied by the aforementioned gentleman I hasten to add). Could I just say thanks to all who have contributed to this subject and by coincidence enlightened me as well as the originator. I have now crammed all the gubbins into one of the containers that came with my Playmobil set and am about to set fire to an LGB Stainz!