Battery Car - 40 Foot Boxcar

by Paul Norton

INTRODUCTION

Most Aristo-Craft locomotives have a Plug and Play port for an on-board radio control receiver, MU plugs on each end, and a switch to change between track power and battery power. This article details how to build a 40 foot, battery boxcar to power such a locomotive.

This car utilizes one, Aristo-Craft, lithium-ion battery pack. It is designed to power one Plug and Play locomotive with a radio control receiver installed, and the power switch set to the battery power position.

The only component required to wire this battery car is a 2-pin plug set available from All Electronics under catalog number CON-240. Ottawa Valley GRS members can purchase a set from Paul Norton for $2.

This 2-pin plug set has the same plugs as the Aristo-Craft lithium-ion battery pack, charger, and MU plugs on a Plug and Play locomotive. The battery pack can be charged on-board using the car's MU plug, or unplugged and replaced through the doors with another battery pack to extend run times.

An Aristo-Craft single-door boxcar is illustrated, but the instructions are suitable for other similar cars. As an example, a double-door boxcar would make it easier to swap battery packs.

REMOVING THE CAR BODY

Remove the 6 long chrome screws indicated with yellow from the bottom of the car. Open the doors and remove the small screw from the bottom of each door frame.

Lift the car body from the frame. If it sticks at the corners, use two, small, flat screwdrivers to gently separate the car body from the frame at one end. Fasten the screws back in the frame and car body, so they do not get lost. Set the car body aside for now.

LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PACK

Fasten the lithium-ion, battery pack to the center of the car floor between the doors with a couple of Velcro dots. This will prevent the battery pack from sliding around, but allow it to be removed and replaced with another pack to extend run times.

BATTERY CAR MU PLUG

CAUTION: The wires on the 2-pin plug sets sold by All Electronics are not always colour coded the same as Aristo-Craft battery packs and chargers. If the colour coding is not the same, click on the following link to see how to change the AE Plug Set Wiring so that proper polarity is maintained.

Drill a 1/8th inch hole in the center of the A end of the car body between the first two bottom ribs. The A end has no brake wheel.

The female half of an All Electronic plug set has the same plug as the Aristo-Craft, lithium-ion battery pack. Slip the wires of the female half of the plug set through the hole in the car body.

About 2 inches inside the car wall, hold the plug wires together and place a glob of hot glue on them. This will act as stress relief for the wires should the battery car and locomotive become uncoupled during operation. Two inches of slack in the plug wires however, does make it easier to connect the plug before the battery car and locomotive are coupled together. The excess wire can be pushed back into the battery car after coupling so it does not get dragged or become entangled in the couplers.

Some owners also remove the locking tab from the MU plugs on their locomotives. If the battery car and locomotive become uncoupled during operation, the plugs will slip apart and the locomotive will stop. Alternatively, the ridge on the inexpensive battery car MU plug could be filed flat, and the expensive locomotive left untouched.

Strip 1/4 inch of insulation off the ends of the MU plug wires and male half of the AE plug set. The male half of the plug set has the same plug as the lithium-ion battery pack charger. Slip a suitable length of shrink wrap up one of the red and one of the black wires. Solder and shrink wrap the wires: red to red and black to black.

Connect the lithium-ion battery pack to the male end of the AE plug set.

That completes the wiring of the battery car.

REASSEMBLING THE CAR

Remove the two small screws from the frame and six long screws from the car body. Place the car body back on the frame and insert the screws.

CHARGING THE LITHIUM-ION BATTERY PACK

If the lithium-ion battery pack has not been charged, connect the battery charger to the car's MU plug and plug the charger into a wall outlet. A green LED on the charger should light up. It will take about four hours to charge the battery pack completely. When complete, unplug the charger and disconnect it from the car's MU plug.

TESTING THE BATTERY CAR

CAUTION It is imperative that the switch on the Plug and Play locomotive be pushed to the battery power setting before the battery car is connected. The switch in this setting isolates the locomotive's track power pick-ups and prevents battery power from being fed into the tracks. Failure to do so could cause a short and destroy both the locomotive electronics and the battery pack.

Choose a Plug and Play locomotive with a radio receiver installed. Ensure the power switch is pushed to the battery power setting. Connect the MU plugs of the locomotive and the battery car. If the transmitter is properly linked to the receiver, the locomotive should respond to the throttle.

CONGRATULATIONS! You now have a car that will let you enjoy all the benefits of battery power and radio control.