OOradio2014

Thinking of Radio Control? I have posted some short videos on Youtube to show the installations and also demonstration of Radio Control of my OO and Tri-ang Big Big Train locos. These are Western and Warship Lima (OO locos) and a Triang Big Big Train Hymek (O gauge). Search OO Radio Control (lled) and Triang Big Big Train Hymek in youtube (this should find them). Any comments / questions welcome. Dave.

Just to reply to a couple of the points raised by others. I have found no need to replace the stock Lima motors with lower current ones if you fit large enough battery capacity (eg 1500mah Nickel Metal Hydride type) the endurance is long enough not to be problem. You can work it out- capacity divided by max current drain. = time before running down. (A lot of the time you are not at full throttle too). The tunnel problem? I sometimes want to go hands off the TX on my round and round layout so when travelling at the desired speed you just switch off the TX. The speed controller will maintain the speed until you switch on again. You need to get the stick position roughly where it was when you switched off to avoid a sudden halt. I think the loss of signal in a tunnel would be dealt with in much the same way. A long tunnel presents other challenges i.e a derailment, a collision with a slug or even a hedgehog. You had better have very long arms , an access hatch or a long stick with a hook! Why hide you train away for so long, you want to see it! Best regards Dave

Thinking of OO Radio Control? I have just completed my second Radio Control OO diesel outline loco. It really is very easy to do, if a little fiddely . Well worth doing to give you great control over your loco. Forward and reverse , proportional, very slow speed to fast (enough). Wander about whilst you control too. It really comes into its own for Marshalling type activities where you make lots of forward/reverse changes over pointwork. Combined with tension lock couplings shunting is fun and can be turned into game of logic. Long runs, heavily loaded at full power is probably best done with track powered locos , but R/C will do it, just you are not using it to its best potential. Laugh at dirty track problems and wiring -switches etc forget it! Dirty track=better grip. My first conversion was a Lima Western, relatively easy as enough room in the body and the second after 2 years completely trouble free service is the slightly smaller Warship. Lima locos are good because the motor bogie is at the end leaving the rest of the body space for all the gubbins. Taking the Warship. Take the body off, remove the side window moulding and replace with THIN clear plastic (you need all the width you can get) remove the plastic posts that hold the steel weight down too. Lay in ten 2/3 A size cells across the chassis well, obtained by buying two 6v receiver packs (about £12). in the well at the centre of the body. Wired to give 12v .You will need to take the insulation off the sides of the pack and get it as narrow as possible. CARE NOT to short out the pack! If you remove the Cab detail moulding from the other end to the motor there is just enough room to fit an Antenna Models of Troon LC302 speed controller, a fuse attached to the + terminal of the battery pack (A MUST) and the receiver supplied with an Acoms 2.4GHZ 2 channel R/C system. I mounted the socket for charging which doubles as the on /off switch into the roof just behind the cab of the non driving end. Plug a dummy plug in to switch the R/C off , out for On with the TX switched ON . Plug the charging lead into the same socket to charge the batteries. I use a clever charger that cost about £25 this can be set up to give an overnight charge (convenient) One charge lasts me for many operating sessions The 2/3 A size cells in the Warship are 1500MaH capacity. Care when you buy to get a size which will fit. This is plenty! Crammed with cells, no wasted space. All details will come with your radio and Antenna Models instruction sheet. Beware not all 2.4GHZ receivers are small enough- use Acoms. It will fit. I have found reading about other efforts at R/C on this site very interesting. I can`t believe how complicated some folks have managed to make it. Please come back with your comments. I have no connection with Acoms or Antenna, just pleased with their products. For further info. see my other R/C posts on this site (one for the Triang Big Big Train R/c) and my previous post on the UK Train Sim (Atomic Systems) forum of two years ago on my Western OO conversion. (Search OO radio control). You can add additional receivers to your one transmitter so you don`t need to keep buying TX`s. R/C is a revelation, enjoy a new dimension in control. Now for R/C points! Dave