Frank S goes Wireless

A photo story...

Now and again, I buy second hand track powered LGB and Piko locos to convert to radio control for our railway in the garden. Track power outdoors demands a lot of maintenance, and our live steam locos would short out the supply. Their wheels are uninsulated.

Meet Frank S - a narrow gauge steam locomotive built in 1941 by Henschel und Sohn for the German army field railway. Frank S was put into commercial service in 1945 after being discovered in a storage shed, Eventually restored, combining parts from a sister loco, Frank S still works on German heritage railways…

I’ll remove Frank’s original weights, pickup skates, circuit cards and wiring, and squeeze in rechargeable batteries, a power switch, and radio receiver. A tight fit…

Frank’s original circuit cards, wiring spaghetti and weights (at the top) before being removed

Frank’s new 13 cell battery compartment.

A two battery holder combo makes a 13 cell case to fit inside Frank’s boiler and body shell

Testing…

Voltage from a new set of 13 rechargeable NiMH batteries.

Frank’s batteries are in…

Connecting plug now replaced with a power + charging socket to fit in Frank’s cab floor.

Installing the wireless receiver and switch PCBs.

The Piko 35040 wireless receiver is fixed to an angled aluminium bracket .

The wireless receiver and switch are now hidden behind Frank’s boiler backplate.

The power socket in Frank’s cab floor doubles for battery charging

A latching relay card controls the ancillary stuff.

Frank’s latching relay card with accessible connections for wires into the body shell.

Relay card installed and working beneath Frank’s cab floor.

For now, moving Frank backwards latches the cab interior light on. Forward latches it off.

Power on and motor test from the handheld fob transmitter.

The protruding top section slides into Frank’s boiler. The video version of this was too large for Substack’s email limit.

Frank’s body refitted to his chassis.

This needed a little ultrasonic sculpting on the plastic motor enclosure, to provide better clearance.

Frank S is now back in one piece

We’re not done yet… Frank’s tender is also powered.

The tender circuit cards, pickup skates and weight will be removed.

A different shape 13 cell combo battery case sandwiched between two strips of plasticard, provides the power in Frank’s tender.

Combined battery cases containing 13 rechargeable NiMH cells.

Both wireless conversions completed.

Frank’s loco and tender radio receivers are switched to respond to the same transmitter channel.

Tender battery array, power + charge socket and 35040 receiver installed

Tender receiver on…

No interconnecting wires. Separately powered wireless “consist” installations in the loco and tender greatly extend runtime between charges, and add control options such as eventually replacing the smoke generator.

Tender charge socket, switch and LED indicator.

Done.

A now-wireless Frank S at dusk, showing off his running lamps. The blue glow is from the relay card LED.

Please subscribe if you’d like to see my free posts about care giving, health, robots, other tech, and in summer - garden railways. I promise not to deluge your mailbox. The links below are a selection.