Narrow Nose Dash-8 Diesel Locomotoive
22
Self Charging Battery Back-Up
The special NiCad AA self-charging batteries recharge continuously during train
operation and should last between one and five years. The batteries 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.
Test:
Put the engine in neutral and leave the track voltage at 10-12 volts (high enough
for the lights to shine brightly and the engine to move steadily) 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).
•
Remove the batteries and recharge them in aNiCad battery charger.
•
Charge the battery using the M.T.H. Battery Charger (M.T.H. Item #50-1019). A
battery charging port is located inside the rear of the locomotive cab on the engine’s
right side. The port is accessible when the rear cab door is opened as seen in Figure 24.
Replace:
If the sounds are not improved at the end of the 15-minute test charge, it is
time to replace the batteries. Replacement batteries can be ordered through MTH. The
batteries are located inside the locomotive’s fuel tank.
Figure 24: Battery Recharging Port
