# Curious about RC control



## JonScott (May 12, 2010)

I posted in the beginners forum about power suggestions and never really heard from the RC crowd so here I am. I started with about 90' of track and have now nearly doubled it, it just wasn't enough! Now before I start adding more wire let me ask, what would it take to convert a Bachman spectrum 2-8-0 to RC? 
I have too say aside from changing batteries I really can't see many if any disadvantages to RC over DC aside from price. I also would like to try my hand at live steam and have seen RC kits for these as well has anyone here done this, for say a Accucraft Forney? 

Any advice would be appreciated,
John


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

John, 

I have a Bachmann Spectrum 2-8-0, commonly referred to as the "Connie". I had it converted to battery, AirWire and Phoenix P5 sound. My engine is rarely out of the box because it is not that great an engine mechanically. Gear problems and not that strong in pulling. I'm sure others will see it differently. I don't do the install myself, so it was fairly expensive to have all this added. Not worth the money I put into the extra goodies because the engine is not made that well. JMHO 

A year after I did all this to my Connie, I purchased an Accucraft C19 #346 and had all the AirWire, battery and Phoenix sound added and have never looked back. I ran it at the Fairplex layout this past Saturday and it performed pretty well. Very strong engine. But this is a 2K dollar locomotive plus all the AirWire, battery and sound. You get what you pay for. 

Around here you can start a free-for-all pitting one type of power over another. Everyone here has the opinions and they are strong-like Chevy vs. Ford. You can never win those arguments! For me battery is the way to go. No worries about wiring or cleaning track! Never again. And remember the more track you add, the more connections you will have and conductivity will always be a problem. I have done BOTH. My first layout was built in 1986. About 150 feet of track. Used the LGB Jumbo Pack. After a couple of years, dirty track and loose connections became such a problem that the layout was used less and less. I promised myself that the next layout would be battery and RC. And that it is now! Just letting you know I've been in BOTH places and battery and RC is my choice. Good luck with your decision. I'm sure others will join in.


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## JonScott (May 12, 2010)

Funny you mention gear problems I just had to send my Connie back to Bachman because the wheel gear broke then the casing, I think I totaled 3 laps. Here I thought $450 was a lot of money for a loco! live and learn :-( 

John


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

I personally love my 2-8-0; it's proven quite reliable for me. I run fairly short trains (5 or 6 cars) so I'm never one to stress it out. I've had a few of them cross my workbench for this project or that. I don't know how they've held up in the field, but all survived the testing process without issue. The gears are known to be the "weak spot," but you can buy replacement gears and/or axles from Bachmann for pretty cheap if they do break. 

As for adding R/C to it, it's pretty simple. (Well, not "simple," but nothing unusual in terms of R/C installs.) You'll have to open up the boiler, disconnect the motor leads, lights, etc. and run them back to the tender. It's pretty standard stuff, the kind of stuff you'll have to learn to do in most any R/C installation. Plenty of room in the tender for control and batteries. 

Any more, pretty much every control system on the market will give you control over speed, direction, bell, whistle--the basics. I'm just finishing up a 3-part series in the upcoming _Garden Railways_ that looks at many of these control systems. My recommendation would be to find a nearby club and see what they're running, and try it out for yourself to see how you like the interface. Unless you know you want control over every last little light and sound (and plan on adding every little last light and sound to the loco) then the user interface is probably the biggest consideration. Find one that's intuitive to you. There are subtle price differences, but IMO it's worth an extra $30 per loco so that its intuitive to operate. Some can run equally well off of track power or battery, so that's not so much the determining factor it used to be. 

Personally, I've been running battery R/C for 25 years. I won't say it's the "only" way to go, but not having to clean track, worry about conductivity between rail joints, wiring, or all that stuff is certainly a pretty big advantage when it comes to planning your railroad. Batteries are getting so small, lightweight, and long-lasting that you can get three, four hours off of a single charge with ease. If you're going to go through the trouble of installing the advanced control systems in the first place, fitting batteries isn't that big of a deal at that point and you can do whatever you want with your track. If you're thinking of going live steam as well, it's a good pairing. Many live steam locos don't have insulated drivers, and will short out the electrified rails. 

Speaking of live steam fitting R/C into the Accucraft Forney shouldn't be at all difficult. I know there are "kits" for the Ruby, which is almost identical. I can't say for certain they'd fit in the cab, but there's a good chance they will. Get yourself one of the new 2.4 gHz R/C radios to run it. (The same radios can be used in conjunction with RCS's "Beltrol" and G-scale Graphics' "Railboss" controls for the electric trains, and might save you a few pennies on transmitters. (Personally, I find the 2-stick transmitters a bit clunky, preferring a controller I can hold in one hand, but--as I said earlier--find the user interface that fits you best.) 

Good luck! 

Later, 

K


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

I recently picked up a fairly inexpensive 2-8-0 on Ebay. I really liked the way it ran and the detail, especially for the price! I did a write up for installing my RC system into it. The write up should apply to nearly any RC system you may be interested in. I didn't cover putting batteries in the tender or adding a sound card but that is pretty straight forward. I wired mine up to run off track or battery (via MU cable to battery car). I hope it helps: http://www.cabcommand.com/Tips_and_Tricks.html 

I will probably get a Phoenix P8 for it soon. I may put batteries in. I'm looking at a few lithium packs but am not in a huge hurry right now.


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## Steve Stockham (Jan 2, 2008)

With the Spectrum 2-8-0 "Connie," a lot of the controversy depends upon the individual engine! The design is actually quite good. It was the quality control at the factory that seems to have been the problem! The trucks on the tender of my Connie just crumbled and I found out that it was a combination of two things: crappy plastic (apparently, scraps were just swept up off of the floor and dumped back in the bin dirt and all or so it was rumoured) so getting good trucks turned out to be a crap shoot and too short screws which put an undue amount of stress on the trucks! I finally was able to get two good ones and have the screws lengthened.
The other problem (again, quality control problems at the factory) was that the motor mounting brackets were left loose(!!) which will inevitably lead to gear failure! Once these are tightened the engine performs well. It's one of my favorites and I have had an RCS battery r/c system with Sierra digital sound added. It was the best decision I could have made!


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Hello John.

Whichever R/C system you end up choosing you might consider these instructions for the #TEN-LOC[/b] kit I make useful when installation time comes around.
The kit can be used by any brand.


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## Bill Swindell (Jan 2, 2008)

I just installed batteries, AirWire & P-8 in a 2-8-0 for another gentleman. It went very nicely.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Switched 5 years ago. Never looked back.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

I really can't see many if any disadvantages to RC over DC aside from price 
John, 

There's a big difference between DC track power (2 wires from a controller, a few jumpers) and RC, imho. While those who have been doing it for 25 years (and you know who you are, K,) the first few installs are pretty scary. First you have to figure out how to take the loco apart - then you have to get it back together without breaking anything or mis-aligning the gears/wheels/etc. (After a while you figure out how to find the threads on MLS pertaining to any particular loco - the 2-8-0 is frequently mentioned so that's not too bad.) You'll also find that you accumulate a bunch of special tools, like long-shaft phillips screwdrivers for reaching deep into the bowels of a mounting hole. Just don't rush it. 

Then you have to navigate the obscure instruction manuals of the chosen RC vendor - and there may be more than one involved (especially if you're adding sound at the same time.) I accused one of mistranslating the Fiji manufacturer's instructions! Some RC systems will fry if you connect them backwards, or use the wrong [*** insert appropriate item from your last catastrophe.] 

The trickiest bit is testing the system. They don't make it easy to do a methodical check of the various bits and pieces. RC for a live steamer is much easier, as the servos are standard airplane issue, so you just plug them in and see if they move. Not so with an RC throttle - I haven't found any way to bench test the RC throttle output without a motor attached. 

Nonetheless, with the little knowledge of DC trains and a lot of research, it can easily be learned. I've done a few electric locos using a couple of different vendor's gear and also a couple of steamers. I, too, will never go back.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

First you have to figure out how to take the loco apart - then you have to get it back together without breaking anything or mis-aligning the gears/wheels/etc. 
Oh, that doesn't get any easier with time. The darned product engineers keep finding new and improved ways of keeping things, er, "interesting." Fortunately you rarely have to crack open a gearbox anymore, but try doing an install and not having a screw left over...  

Later, 

K


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## curlyp (Sep 4, 2009)

I have had installed for me QSI Decoder and sound with a G-wire receiver and batteries in 2 Bachmann Connies, 1 K-27 and 1 Shay. All were done nicely by Mike Greenwood from throttle-Up in oregon. I use the airwire transmitter. I have had 2 gear failures with my connies' one after about 6 hours run time the other after 6 inches run with out any load. I replaced the first gear with a replacement from bachmann. On the second one I am going to ship the gear bot to Northwest Shortline to see if they have or can make replacement gears. 

Good luck with yours, some people have run many hours without a failure. 

Paul Deis


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