# Bachmann Davenport RC



## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

I finished my RC install of my Bachmann Davenport. I used a RX65 receiver, available from RCS-RC and Del Tang, a Turningy 11.1v battery. 


I first added a "floor" in the hood where the circuit board was, which will cover the motor and future speaker.




I used a radio shack push button on/off glued to the bottom of the stack 




Picture showing everything installed



I also installed accucraft couplers


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## Jim Agnew (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice job, really like the coupler installation.


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

Thanks Jim. 

For the coupler, I cut off the fake pin, drilled and tapped a hole foe #1-72 hex head, added some styrene tubing to make the pivot bigger and glued some styrene in the back of the coupler for the springs to push against.


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

Very nice. It is amazing how much you can fit into that little engine given some thought. I'm still thinking about adding uncoupling to mine (orig couplers). There is more room underneath the loco, before I switched to lithium batteries I had NiMH AAs there (along with inside the engine too!) I crammed in 5 Li-Ion batteries, RC control, Phoenix, and speaker.


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

I'm interested in remote uncoupling also, so if you have any ideas, using cut lever actuated couplers, I'd like to hear them. The Davenport is a nice lil switch engine with a ton of modeling possibilities. I'm glad I got one before they were all sold out.


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

Cooke said:


> I'm interested in remote uncoupling also, so if you have any ideas, using cut lever actuated couplers, I'd like to hear them. The Davenport is a nice lil switch engine with a ton of modeling possibilities. I'm glad I got one before they were all sold out.


For remote un-coupling, try the RailBoss 4 Plus and Phoenix Sound Remote Un-Couplers. They are solenoid operated, so no messing around with servo linkage and complicated programming.


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

Del,

So, your suggesting I remove the Del Tang RX-65 and accucraft couplers that I've installed. I haven't seen your RailBoss 4 in person but I imagine I would have a hard time fitting under the hood with my battery and leave room for a Phoenix sound board. Besides that, I don't really like the look of the phoenix couplers and have already decided to make accucraft couplers on my equipment.


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

A friend of mine put in a small solenoid with captive pin and actuated it. The pin pushed out against the cut lever, lifting the pin in the coupler up. This was in a different small switcher but I plan to do the same thing in my Davenport.


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

I like it! Any idea for a source for solenoids or any pics of your friend's install?


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

I will see if I have pictures. He's moving so all of his stuff is packed up for a while.


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

I didn't have any pictures but this is the solenoid he used. Oh, the pin isn't captive and can fall-out. The install prevented that however.
Solenoid Link

Over the summer I hope to install two into my Davenport.


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

Thanks for the link. I must say I think something smaller would be better. Look forward to hearing about your progress. I have to many other irons in the fire currently to start this.


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

It will be hidden inside the frame. I'll add a metal bar for the solenoid to act on to move the cut lever.


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## Cooke (Aug 26, 2012)

That should work nicely. There is a lot of room under the frame. With a smaller servo, I was thinking I could disguise it like the cylinder the D&RGW #50 had to move the coupler between standard and narrow gauge modes. 

Which you can kind of see in this picture. http://www.lgb.com/en/products/narr...row_gauge/locomotives/diesel_locomotives.html


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

I finally got around to installing the solenoids in my Davenport. I've already designed a little daughter card for my RC that lets me control additional lights and couplers (timed pulse to the relay). Here are some pictures of the solenoids. Next step is reinstalling all the electronics and batteries. The cut bar mods are unpainted, they will be black and should blend pretty well.
Back view:

Front view:

Bottom view:


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

So it was too late to make a video of it running outside (dark) so here's one of it operating on the bench before everything is shoehorned back under the hood. Yes it amazingly all fits!


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Cooke said:


> I like it! Any idea for a source for solenoids or any pics of your friend's install?


I put a remote uncoupler in the back of an Aristo tender, using the solenoid from an Altas HO switch motor. They typically use 2 little coils that pull a soft iron core back and forth. 

One plastic coil was all I needed - it lifted the coupler pin via the iron core and a long piece of piano wire. I drove it from a relay (actually, a magnetic reed switch with an actuator coil around it.) I activated one of the accessory functions to make it close the relay.


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