Rail King 30-20014-1 csx switcher almost caught fire

Seems to be an electrical short or charge circuit issue. I'd figure out which one before attempting to power the unit up. Probably have a MTH tech look at it. I'd have to guess that there is a good possibility the PS2 board in that locomotive is toast.

Perrys toy train exchange on ebay has been selling a large amount of  shells lately,

Moret

One thing I did do, not sure if it was correct. When I took the locomotive apart and removed the fried battery. I place it on the track and started it up and it seemed fine. Is that something you should do to check it?

I'd use a BCR or a BCR clone instead of a battery.  If it started up and actually ran (it'll do that under command control without a battery), the board may well be fine.

It looks like either that battery had a flaw or the charging circuit went nuts!  The good news is, I still have some of the power supply boards for the 3V PS/2 board sets if it's the charging circuit.

Chef ,  do you have a photo of the board in the area where the battery plugs into ? 🤔

Yes I do please see below

What does that tell you Dallas? Also thank you all for the help it really means a lot!!

I can't see much by the photo.   Is there any signs of anything on the board itself that looks discolored or misshapen  ?

There does not appear to be but I will take a closer look later and take a couple of more pictures.

It looks like the battery may have had an internal failure like a short.  The only board issue I can imagine is the charging circuit wigged out and overcharged the battery.

John , is this one of the types of batteries that have been safety issues with fires in things other than model rr ?

No way the PS-2 can wig out with the components involved with charging.  The .03 ohm resistor would open, the charging fet would open, and the 5V power supply only sources about 1 amp and starts to shut down after that.

Maybe the battery had an internal issue, or maybe the wires from battery shorted to each other or the chassis.  A battery can source a higher current though.

No these are not the type of batteries that can do that.  G

Glad you caught it, before you shut down the session! That woulda been a real problem.
As an aside, as a warning to everyone, FDNY Fire Inspectors have told me, repeatedly, that the most common cause of residential fires, eclipsing both candles and smoking, is the non USA manufactured power strip. This is an area where you don’t want to scrimp on safety. Spend the $80 or so for USA produced power strips, and surge protectors.

@chefmarkt69 posted:

Can someone help me with were I could get a .... new skin .....?

If by "new skin" you mean a new locomotive shell, try Perrys toy exchange. He is on eBay. He bought a LOT of MTH surplus stock and has a lot of locomotive shells for sale.

Hi Roy,

I did check with Perry and they don’t have any. I also emailed Midge at MTH but have not heard back from her. I hope she is still working there at MTH.

Dallas please see more photos, thank you.

@chefmarkt69 posted:

Dallas please see more photos, thank you.

That second photo of that area on the board doesn't look good . Was the battery pack directly over this area when it lit up ?

Hard to tell , but in the photo of the battery pack, it looks like the connections could have possibly touched.

Maybe GGG or GRJ could tell better what might have gone wrong.

Yes it was right above that area, I believe. Also there was a plastic battery holder that melted. I was able to separate it from the melted batteries. I have been looking for a replacement one, but no luck so far. I still have not heard back  from Midge at MTH. I’m not sure if they are even open anymore?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I'd use a BCR or a BCR clone instead of a battery.  If it started up and actually ran (it'll do that under command control without a battery), the board may well be fine.

It looks like either that battery had a flaw or the charging circuit went nuts!  The good news is, I still have some of the power supply boards for the 3V PS/2 board sets if it's the charging circuit.

I go along with John......skip the battery holder and just install the BCR or the BCR clone.