Help with G scale RC?

[Snowman]

I have owned a G scale USA Trains locomotive for over 5 years now. Never had the track, we had big plans for a garden railway but that never materialised. But we've been talking about getting this project going again.
It's been so long since I've looked at G scale stuff, what I'd like to do is convert my locomotive to RC, with its own battery pack, so that we don't need to power the track and so I can run my loco totally independently.
Would this be possible? Looks like there'd be room inside for a battery pack. Is there anyone that makes this type of rc product, or anywhere I can find information on doing it myself?
I don't want to get dcc stuff or anything pricey/complicated like that, just control like you'd have for an rc truck.
Don't have any pics to show but will take some if anyone wants to see my SD40-2.

[Espeefan]

Hi Nick,

I think that would be very easy to convert. In fact quite a few guys do convert their G scale models to battery power, and radio operation. Just because they don't have to worry about cleaning the track for good electrical conductivity. All you really need to do is find a suitable speed controller, get a battery tucked inside the locomotive, and hook the ESC up to a receiver. I know I have seen a lot of LGB models converted to RC, with onboard power. Perhaps some of their models even come that way, or have provisions for conversions. The radio throttles I have seen guys use with their locomotives are usually like those for walk around HO indoor layouts. Smaller handheld radios, with a knob for the speed, and a switch for direction. I think many scratchbuild their own radio throttles, but maybe there is an aftermarket product out there. You could just as easily use a stick radio, without a self centering throttle. Like those used for planes. That way you have cruise control and don't need to maintain the pressure on the stick to hold the speed. What voltages do these large models run on? 24 volts? Finding a robust ESC for that voltage wouldn't be all that hard. They are out there. A battery pack could be built, or purchased. The nice thing is the weight of a battery pack would add ballast to the model, so it could pull walls down!

It would be a cool project. And not all that hard to do. You could even control your light functions from the radio, which would be awesome. I am sure a sound unit could be added as well. Not much different then scale trucking.

[ihbuilder]

Nick , In garden railway mag they covered that , I just can't remember which issue .

IHSteve

[Snowman]

Thanks guys, gives me something to think about. Been out of the loop for quite a few years so don't know where to look. Found a few guys that make escs for large scale trains, will probably do that and use a radio with plenty of channels so I can switch lights/sounds etc. Will have to take a closer look at my loco, can't remember what voltage it runs on, I know it draws a few amps. Keep the suggestions coming!

[grumpygrady]

i know of a couple of folks that use the cheapest car radio's that they can find
the 30 dollar two channel ones
they use one channel for throttle and the other for horn
the trains are G scale and 7/8 scale and are powered with two or three car packs in parallel for 7.2 volts

[Snowman]

Sounds like batteries and cheap rc gear is the way to do it! Just need to source the right esc and I'll be away! Once I get some track that is...

[Southgate]

If you havn't found an answer yet: A few amps isn't going to tax a decent ESC. I have some that can handle "12 turn" motors, which can run at about 36 amps and peak at about 65. The question is whether your ESC can run the low amps you're pulling. I bought this ESC for the slewing function in a crane model, but it couldn't quite run the tiny motor (in the milliamps) at the HYPER slow speed I needed. Still, it would probably work for you in a machine drawing a few amps.

http://www.robotmarketplace.com/products/0-BB-0309.html

[CustomRCmodels]

this is how I did a Bachman G-scale Diesel almost 10 years ago for track and battery power

http://customrcmodels.com/Gardenrail..._diesel_wi.htm

[Snowman]

Finally got to take a picture of my locomotive, apologies for the poor quality.
Just got the one loco, no track yet. Been a shelf queen so far but I hope to be able to get her running one day. The track is quite an investment!

[roadranger]

Try this link for garden rwy. R/C ;
http://www.rcs-rc.com/pages/radios


And don't forget sound systems;
Phoenix, SIERRA, Dallee and MyLocosound sound systems.

Also, AristoCraft has a big sale every spring on their track...
with track you can start out small and add to it as you go along

[Snowman]

Thanks Jim, I've found a phoenix supplier in the UK. I had actually found that r/c railway site when searching the web, they look like a really good system. Thanks for the heads up on the track.

[KingKenworth]

If your still looking for a controller I am into G scale and know that one of the best (in my opinion) and most widely used systems out there is the Crest Electronics Train Engineer revolution. You can set up 50 locomotives on the same transmitter and the most recent version comes with sound built in. The starter kit is a little spendy but just the receivers are't as bad. Here is a link to the starter set where I get all my g scale stuff http://rldhobbies.com/cre57000.aspx

[up9018]

I run an Airwire R/C system with Phoenix Sound in my loco. Runs on battery for around 5 hours. Love it, won't ever go track power.

[Finster]

There is some good advice given in this thread but just in case you might be looking for another source you might want to check out the G scale forums at http://www.mylargescale.com/ Hope this helps.