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Rugged Rails 2-8-0 Steam Engine
Self Charging Battery Back-Up
The special 2.4v self-charging battery recharges continuously during train
operation and should last for up to five years. The battery is a dry battery that
should not leak or cause any damage to your engine. Depending upon when your
engine was built, it may need to be charged right out of the box. If engine sounds
seem distorted or garbled at low voltages or become silent when power from the
transformer is turned off, test the battery to determine whether it should be
recharged or replaced.
Tes t
: Put the engine in neutral and leave the track voltage at 10-12 volts (high
enough for the lights to shine brightly) for 15 minutes.
Recharge
: If the sounds are improved at the end of the 15-minute test charge, the
battery charge has run down and can be recharged. There are a number of ways
you can do this:
• Leave the engine in neutral with track voltage at 10-12 volts for 6-7 hours
so the
battery can fully recharge (if your engine has a smoke unit, be sure it is
turned off).
• Use M.T.H.'s battery recharger (sold separately) that plugs into a wall outlet and
the AC Battery recharging jack on the bottom of the tender to recharge the battery
overnight without leaving it on the track.
Replace: If the sounds are not improved at the end of the 15-minute test charge, it
is time to replace the battery. Available through M.T.H. Parts.
Figure 8
