# American Freedom Box w/TIU and Batteries



## tmmhead (Feb 22, 2008)

Another successful story of stuffing a MTH TIU in a boxcar. It's been sometime since I got the boxcar done to match the AFT MTH Set, but last night I finally finished getting everything back together and today it left the maintence shop for a trial run. I followed the others plans posted here on getting the board into the boxcar but changed a little of the design. I used two Aristo 21.6 Li-io for 4 amps but for when the batteries cut out I kept the sliders. I wired a mini DPDT toggle switch with the battery car on which side and the connection to the sliders on the other. That way I can keep running the train after the batteries stop especially when it's some distance from the shop, realized that value today as it was at the farthest point from the shop when they died. Here's a few pictures.

Here's a picture of what's stuffed in the boxcar:








http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/tmmhead/American Freedom Train/CIMG2214r1.jpg 

Here's a picture after everything is closed up:










Here's a picture of the finished car from earlier in the year:

http://1stclass.mylargescale.com/tmmhead/American Freedom Train/P1010040r2.JPG 









Here's a picture of the train from the run today:










Thanks to all those who have posted here with their ideas as this has really worked well with getting all the benefits of DCS 2.0 Protosound.

Tim


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## adelmo (Jan 2, 2008)

Great pictures Tim, thanks for posting! I would like to convert a MTH engine to battery also. Looking for a Big Boy but they are all gone.
Please include a video if possible.


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## tmmhead (Feb 22, 2008)

Adelmo, 

Thanks, just passing along what I've learned from this site. I will actually have video but I the microphone on the camera was disabled and it really does not have the same impact without the sound. Next run I'll get video that includes audio as well. 

Tim


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

First class job on that box car Tim! 

That freedom set really looks good doesn't it?  

Thanks for sharing the pics and your work!


Raymond


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## tmmhead (Feb 22, 2008)

Ray,

Thanks. it's a really great looking train and the protosound 2.0 features really make it fun to run. Always willing to share what I've learned especially since most of the time the idea comes from this site. Just thought it would be good to show others that it is really quite simple and all you need to do is make the first little cut into the wiring and that it usually does works after all is reconnected.

Tim


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## pimanjc (Jan 2, 2008)

Tim,
Great looking train with some good engineering too.
JimC.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

One great looking train. Later RJD


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes, Tim. That is one good looking train. The TIU in the box car makes it so easy to run. Great job of "stuffing".









Just a thought..... 

When I converted my Challenger, I put the TIU in one box car and the batteries in another. That way I could change out the batteries when they discharged and I could just keep on running. I used LGB, USA or Bachmann box cars so I could easily remove the roof for access to the batteries. It worked very well.


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## tmmhead (Feb 22, 2008)

All,

Thanks for all the compliments. I thought about splitting it up between two cars and even looked at sticking in the tender, which was to small with the speaker. So the all in one works for me as I thought I'd get about 4 hours of run time out of the two Aristo Li-o n batteries. With my hills on my line and using all the sound, smoke and pulling 5 passenger cars I got about 2.5 - 3.0 hours out of the batteries. This is much longer then I would ever run a single consist and given the price of those batteries I don't see buying more then 2 for now. The battery wires are close to the boxcar doors and with 2 aristo chargers it's back in action in 4 hours.

Tim


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## fildowns (May 17, 2008)

Hooray! Another Battery-DCS-er!!

Does that make about 6 of us in the world now?  We should start to campaign MTH for a single IN/OUT 3A unit that'll easily go in the tenders...

I only run 1/29 rolling stock so I was able to get the TIU pcb to stand upright in my boxcar. I don't think it will fit into the centipede tender which is a real shame. 

You right it's great having the full proto2 sound control - and no need for those sliders! yay!

And let's face it, the chicks really dig that cool looking remote.









Actually they don't. They just say it's time for dinner stop playing trains you stupid big kid!


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