I just posted a 6th YouTube video featuring LocoFi in a Dead Rail/battery powered operation.
The New Video is Titled:
Making and Using a Portable Dead Rail Demonstration HO Layout - Part 6
Part 6 explains why the 3S LiPo powered Dead Rail conversion was changed to use a trailing battery car for an IMR Lithium-ion 3S 350mAh pack, and why it is a “better” way to convert to Dead Rail in HO scale locomotives. The LocoFi™ system was used for locomotive control and sound for this battery powered, Dead Rail, conversion.
My Webpage has a lot more information on this and related topics.
It is titled, “A Journey Into HO Scale Model Railroading in the 21st Century”.
The page has been updated and contains information that is NOT in the YouTube videos. It also contains information that has has been garnered since the videos were posted, including several corrections. At times, there is also information on the Webpage that I have not shared on YouTube yet.
It was fun to put the two Dead Rail Converted LocoFi™ controlled locomotives on the layout and run them together with their battery cars. The low speed capability of the LocoFi™ decoder still amazes me.
Ken Myers
I watch real Norfolk Southern locomotives, from my home, consisted together 2 - 3 days a week delivering laminated wood beams to a distribution warehouse across a field from us.. Entry is up a steep grade and both diesels are at full throttle making the grade at slow speed with 6 -8 loaded cars to the warehouse. Consisted locomotives are needed in reallife in small local operations not just on long haul trains or on large model railroad layouts.
My idea of wiring your locomotives would be to install 20 or 22 multi strand solid copper wires, + and -, running the entire length of each locomotive with high quality plugs on each end of the wires and on the battery car's feed wires. Tap off the thru wires in each locomotive to power your LocoFi system/locomotive motor. Again having sufficient battery power coming from you battery car is paramount. Plug the locomotives and single battery car together and use you cellphone to control the consist. Keep the circuit KISS.
I was a service engineer traveling the world doing trouble shooting on heavy equipment for many years before i retired 26 years ago and the majority of my resoulutions to a problem were using KISS for complicated issues. Nothing much has changed since then when resolving problems on a model railroad.
Try using graphic diagrams rather than words and it will simplify your thoughts and aid you to visualize what you want to accomplish and then write about it. A picture is worth a 1,000 words. If your illustration can't support what you want to accomplish your written words will not. Good luck and keep trying !!!!