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Finally got a rainy day and I am installing a J&W BCR in my 1996 Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt. 

 Per the provided instructions; can't figure out what " J2 red wire" is in the tender. The tender has no roller pickups and is only fed from the engine. This is OK I understand (as J&W explains) not to attach to the roller pickup on steam engines. I can see all the wires in the cable from the engine. one is clearly red, another seems purply red. Any help would be appreciated.

Does anyone have installation instructions for this engine, or a tip on how to confirm the right wire?

thanx, ericc

Eric Cunningham

BOS, MA

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Ericc posted:

Hi Folks;

 it certainly exists (see pic)

Just want to get some tips on the right way to install it

Hello Ericc

My goddness !! it DOES show that !!!!   Did you buy the engine new or used ?  Looks like you bought it used from somebody who might have put in a MTH ps-2 or ps-1 system in the Lionel engine?  This is indeed strange !!!

Tiffany

The wiring diagrams for the 6-18045 Commodore Vanderbilt can be found here:

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...8045-001Complete.pdf

https://www.lionelsupport.com/...8045-T01Complete.pdf

I have no idea what's involved with the BCR charging circuit for a Lionel model, nor do I fully understand the benefit that one hopes to achieve by installing one in a Lionel locomotive.

TRW

Last edited by PaperTRW

Thanx TRW

Like a few people other on this list I expect, I have more engines than sense, so; I don't ever want to find a leaky battery in this tender, or want to operate and have a dead battery because I have not touched or run the engine for a long time. I believe this makes those problems go away.

 

Thank you for the diagram links, should help;

ericc

There is no indication of a PS 2 conversion. Therefore; one needs a separate charging circuit for a BCR. The previous owner may have thought a BCR was the answer, but it is not. Does your locomotive operate at all?  If not you possibly have a dead circuit board. TRW knows Lionel products well. 

Last edited by dgauss

Ericc,

Unlike MTH, Lionel locomotives do not need batteries to operate. The ONLY function of a battery (or a BCR) in a Lionel loco is to provide power for the sound system during brief power interruptions and shut-down. Your Vanderbilt will function just fine without any battery at all.

Having said that, and as Dave mentioned above, you need a charging circuit if you want to use the BCR with Lionel. The photo you showed is of a stock Vanderbilt tender with RailSounds 2.5. If you have can post the instructions for the charging circuit, we might be able to figure-out how it gets wired into the tender.

TRW

Hi guys

thanx for helping 

Yes, I think I understand the basics pretty well, I served 5 year apprenticeship at the Lionel dealer Boston Model Railroad Co., but, that was in the seventies so my knowledge of circuit boards etc is sketchy. Really scared of frying something. 

I have the schematic printed out now and have it next to the tender guts

heres the J&W instructions 

thank you for your help

ericc

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PaperTRW posted:

Ericc,

Unlike MTH, Lionel locomotives do not need batteries to operate. The ONLY function of a battery (or a BCR) in a Lionel loco is to provide power for the sound system during brief power interruptions and shut-down. Your Vanderbilt will function just fine without any battery at all.

Having said that, and as Dave mentioned above, you need a charging circuit if you want to use the BCR with Lionel. The photo you showed is of a stock Vanderbilt tender with RailSounds 2.5. If you have can post the instructions for the charging circuit, we might be able to figure-out how it gets wired into the tender.

TRW

Hello guys and gals......

I have a Sunset 3rd rail S.F large steamer and came with lionel railsound 4.0 which uses a 9 volt battery to keep the sounds running but the engine will run without the battery installed. I stored the engine with battery OUT.

Tiffany

Charging Circuit(s) _______ x $19.95ea.______________ Subtotal(Req'd for Lionel only)
Welcome to the J&W Electronics web site, dedicated to the model railroader.  We specialize in electronic circuits to enhance the operation of your model railroad.  We are now offering the BCR (Battery Component Replacement) for your Lionel* and M.T.H. engines (PS1 and PS2 engines with nine volt batteries). It is a permanent replacement circuit for the 9 volt battery. It eliminates the problems associated with dead batteries.
 
If you store or display your engines and decide to run them, you may find that the M.T.H. engine will not operate, or the M.T.H. and the Lionel* sound system will not shut down properly because of a dead battery.  The BCR can be installed and afterapplying power for one minute in the reset position (first position when the engine is turned on), the engine will operate again, just like having a fully charged battery.
The BCR looks like a 9 volt battery,works like a 9 volt battery, but doesn't act like a 9 volt battery.

It fits in your 9 volt battery holder and connects to the 9 volt battery clip.
There are no extra wires to deal with, no modification necessary on any engine.
         This device allows you to store or display your engines and never need to charge your battery to operate them.  After one minute of applying power, at 10 volts or more, to activate the BCR, the engine will be able to fully operate.  No longer do you have to replace the battery or be concerned about the battery leaking and damaging your engine.  The BCR can be left in the engine indefinitely. After turning the power off to the track, the BCR will hold a charge for 2 to 3 hours, depending on the engine. If you have not operated the engine in 2 to 3 hours, power up the engine in the reset position, for one minute at 10 volts or more.

I'm considering now if I want to try to crank out a batch of these.  I'm going to shoot off a request for a quote from the assembly house and gen up a parts list and see what the numbers look like.  Since it appears it should work most anywhere, it's more likely to be cost effective to produce them and sell at a decent price.  It would be a nice bonus that it all fits in a 9V battery space, the alternatives are larger and take more space.  This one also works well for conventional running at much lower voltages, the benefit of the double conversion power supply.  If they couldn't be less than $40, I probably wouldn't do them as that's probably the threshold of pain for many folks.

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