MTH Bantam Daylight 4449 Battery Replacement Help

Looks like you have a 3v PS2 system. You need a BCR2. The BCR you purchased is for the earlier 5v system which was phased out in ~ 2003.

Hi this is your engine item number 30-4182-1 bcr you need is below, or you replace the 2.4-volt battery from mth web sight !

MTH BCR2 BATTERY COMPONENT REPLACEMENT PS2 ENGINES 3 VOLT SYSTEM 3V BCR2 NEW | eBay

here is mth web sight parts list !

MTH Electric Trains (mthpartsandsales.com)

Alan

GG14449 - Been there, done that.  As Mark says, you need a BCR2 so don't know where you got the BCR from, but perhaps they'd do a swap or they'd give you a partial credit.  Otherwise just buy a brand new BCR2 because it's worth it and then you won't ever have to fiddle fart with replacing a battery again.

Good Luck with whatever you decide to do.

Thank you both for the info! Do either of you happen to have the manual for the 3v battery? Just looking for the instruction on how to replace it and am worried I will break something if I don’t have them.

GG14449 - Check out J and W Electronics (from whom I ordered my BCR2) website, but as I recall it was as easy as pie to install.  And believe me when I say I'm not very electronically inclined, so if I can do it anybody can do it!

Good Luck!

Hi here is the paperwork associated with changing your battery or smoke wick etc for your engine!

30RTR18015I.cdr (mthtrains.com)

go to page 17-17 and you can read how to replace your battery!

Alan

Thanks!

YW

I'm a cheapskate, I make my own for the 3V system.

I went to my local model train shop and they advised me to keep the rechargeable battery. Their position was the 1st generation 9v style rechargeable MTH batteries are the problem and the BCR is a good idea but for the later 3v MTH PS2 batteries it isn’t a problem. They actually said there had been problems with the 3v BCR being too powerful. Anyone hear this advise before?

yes, i have heard of some cases from expert mth asc tech's that super caps sometimes can cause ps 2 3-volt board failures! personally I would stay with rechargeable mth blue battery's Battery's IMHO! the mth batteries typically last 8 to 10 years sometimes longer if there charged and not sitting many years not being cycled and recharged

Alan

I have speculated in these pages that the 5V boards might have an issue with the BCR, I've seen several fail right after the installation.  OTOH, since 5V boards have been known to fail for almost no reason, I can't be sure it was actually the BCR that was the issue.

I've never heard about the 3V boards having any issue with BCR's. FWIW, whenever I have the top off one of mine, I install a supercap battery replacement before a put them back together.  I've also never observed a failure of the charging circuit with a BCR installed in the 3V boards.  I'm not saying they never fail in that manner, but it's sure not an epidemic.

FWIW, the blue batteries are the very old NiCAD batteries, and I'd actually recommend replacing those with the newer green NiMh batteries if you're sticking with the rechargeable batteries.  The old NiCad batteries are well over ten years old, and surely are way past their prime!

It’s been a tough month for our model Railway. One of my boys was testing out the 164 log loader they got for Christmas and derailed the 4449 on a switch. Now the engine take longer to power up and the horn is constantly on. Any ideas on the problem?

Could be a blown audio amp.  3V susceptible to that.  It can be repaired at component level.  G

I just tried to start it up again and now everything seems to be back to normal. Hopefully it wasn’t an indicator of an ongoing issue. I’ve been trying to track down a replacement 3v rechargeable battery pack but they seem to be sold out everywhere.