N scale Dead Rail

[Gileng4]

Has anyone tried to run N scale on dead rail by using one powered loco MU to one with a battery and rail pro module to run the powered unit?

[Jbub]

Has anyone tried to run N scale on dead rail by using one powered loco MU to one with a battery and rail pro module to run the powered unit?

I don't think RailPro modules will fit into N scale models. Most modern locomotive engine models have between 8 and 10 mm wide body cavities and the RailPro "decoder/receiver" is 17.2 mm wide. If your looking at F or E units and the like, it may be a tight squeeze with those as well unless you used the 21pin version which is 16.5 mm wide.

[Gileng4]

the thought was to take out the motor and mill the frame on the second loco to fit the battery and module.

[Jbub]

the thought was to take out the motor and mill the frame on the second loco to fit the battery and module.

It might be easier to figure out how to mount the trucks and body to a piece of brass to create enough room for both battery and control module than to mill a frame down to almost nothing. I would guess the batteries take quite a bit of space.
I'm curious why you want to do dead rail in N scale. Wiring track for power and using dcc seems to be a simpler solution in my opinion.

[Gileng4]

I have digitrax for my N but just got the railpro for my G scale. I think railpro is better.

[peteski]

I have digitrax for my N but just got the railpro for my G scale. I think railpro is better.

Digitrax is sort of an antiquated DCC system.  There are more modern DCC systems which have better user interface, and are also more user friendly.
ESU and ZIMO ore 2 companies which come to mind.

[nscaler711]

I have digitrax for my N but just got the railpro for my G scale. I think railpro is better.

It definitely is better.
Consisting is easy, adding or removing features is fairly straight forward and dead rail is super easy.
in the larger scales anyway.

N scale will most likely not see this for another decade or so.

[nkalanaga]

No, but once batteries are small enough, weight won't be a problem.  Most of today's rechargeable batteries are denser than the zinc alloy frames, so the more frame they replace, the heavier the loco.

[Curtis Kyger]

Yes I know of a fellow N-Scaler that uses battery power.

My question is why?  What problem are you trying to solve?

[peteski]

Yes I know of a fellow N-Scaler that uses battery power.

My question is why?  What problem are you trying to solve?

From what I read into it, it is not electrical reliability. He likes the RailPro's features, ease of operations and the "human interface" better than Digitrax.  As I mentioned, there are also other, more  user friendly, easier to operate and understand DCC systems out there.

[Gileng4]

Yes I know of a fellow N-Scaler that uses battery power.

My question is why?  What problem are you trying to solve?

Seeing how I am not very computer savvy I do like how simple the railpro is and it gets frustrating when the locos loose power in the switch. It doesn't happen at every switch but it happens.

[Maletrain]

TCS has its "Blunami" decoders in HO scale.  That seems like another way to get to dead rail.  But, I don't think it is available in N scale decoders (yet?).

Regarding battery longevity, there is a volume issue as well as a weight issue for N scale.  Looking at DCC current draw for an N scale loco pulling a heavy load, something like 0.25 amp seems reasonable, at track voltage levels around 14 volts.  So, let's say 3.5 watts.  Running it for an hour would require 0.25 amp-hours from a battery that puts out something like 14 volts.

NiMH batteries put out 1.2 volts per cell when fully charged, so 11 cells in series would work.  An AAA NiMH battery is advertised at about 1 amp-hour, so maybe 4 hours of running.  But where do we put 11 AAA cells in our locos (or trains)?

Lithium batteries have higher energy storage density as well as  higher voltage per cell, so 10, or even 9 AAA lithium cells rated at 1.5 volts and 1.1 amp-hour could also work.  But, consider the fire hazards with those, even when not on a recharger.  Also, the LiPO cells I have are not very good at high current draw.

There are other options, such as Lithium 123A batteries that put out 3 volts and are designed for high current draws, but are not rechargeable.  They are short enough to get 2 into an N scale 40' box car shell, but are slightly too wide.  And, they are expensive.

So, my guess is that N scale dead rail would require special purpose rechargeable batteries, designed to fit the shapes of the spaces we have in that scale.  Not likely to be cheap.  Potentially a fire hazard.  And probably would require some sort of rail pickup for recharging on some special track section designated for doing that, probably with 12 or 15 volt DC.

Battery technology is advancing rapidly, now, due to the urge to sell electric cars.  But, we still seem to be quite far from what would be needed to make dead rail useable for N scale.  It not only has to fit, it also needs to be inexpensive enough and safe enough.