Actually, the problem is much deeper than a battery - it's a Legacy problem, with at least some locos. I have a Legacy USRA 2-6-6-2 that will lose its sound, and it won't come back
without a restart. I also have 2 earlier TMCC USRA 2-6-6-2's that run over the same track and which NEVER have that problem - and have NO batteries.
Even when a TMCC loco tender momentarily loses power and blips a little silence - very rare - it comes right back of its own accord.
Not so with the Legacy Mallet. The loco has a problem, but hopefully not a design flaw.
There a NO batteries in any of my (overly) numerous TMCC steam (or otherwise) locos; I do not use batteries, and if one comes in a loco, I remove it. They are alkaline batteries and will eventually leak. Plus, the battery was designed for Conventional running below
8 volts to preserve the sound.
Except for the Legacy Mallet, I have no RS-death problems. I'm not debating, but in my actual observation, the battery can be a Band-Aid in a Command loco, but it's not a fix.
Fitting a battery is not intended to be a 'fix'. It is recommended practice to prevent the sound system shutting down if there is a power interruption.
