Category Archives: Articles

In order for your BlueRail board to work properly, it is important that both the motor and all lights are not in contact with either the chassis or the rails. If your locomotive is already “DCC-Ready” this is probably already taken care of. Here are the steps to verify the motor brush terminals are isolated from the chassis and the rail pickups. This will require an ohmmeter or a continuity tester.

1) Remove the shell from the locomotive (and the tender for steam installations) and place your locomotive on a section of non-powered track.

2) Within the locomotive, locate and identify all wires (+/-) to the rails and all wires (+/-) to the motor connections.

TEST ISOLATION OF MOTOR

3) Disconnect all wires that lead to the motor terminals.

4) Using your ohmmeter or continuity tester, connect one probe to the negative motor terminal, and touch the other probe to the chassis – making sure there is no continuity. In a similar fashion, touch the second probe to each of the rails and verify there is no continuity to either rail.

5) Repeat this process for the positive motor terminal and verify there is no continuity to the chassis or either of the rails.

TEST ISOLATION OF LIGHTS

6) Disconnect all wires that lead to each light.

7) Repeat the above steps for each light connection to verify there is no continuity to the chassis or either of the rails.

If you find continuity, you must correct the problem in order to make your locomotive “DCC-Ready” and capable of supporting a BlueRail board. Some motors sit directly on the chassis or are connected by a spring clip grounding the motor to the chassis. This continuity can often be corrected by either removing the spring clip, or inserting a plastic washer between the motor and the chassis.

Because bluetooth does not rely on track for loco control, it is an excellent method for battery powered train operation (also known as “Dead Rail” or “Power On Board”). BlueRail plugin boards come with 2 connection points (+/-) which can be wired to a battery. Below are a few ways you may choose to wire your battery.

SIMPLE CONNECTABLE BATTERY

The simplest way to add battery power is to add a connection that allows you to plug or unplug a battery. This simple connection makes sense if your battery is easily accessible, and is often a good first step if you are new to Dead Rail. When using this method, it is important to disconnect your battery at the end of each operating session (otherwise the battery will continue to power the board and drain the battery).

ON/OFF SWITCH

You may add a simple on/off switch to your battery connection. This makes sense if your locomotive has room to put a switch you can reach with your finger. The advantage here is you don’t need to remove or disconnect the battery at the end of each operating session (A single battery charge may last several operating sessions depending on use). A simple switch is also called a single-pole single-throw switch (SPST)

REED SWITCH

A nicer solution is for your on/off switch to contain a “reed switch”. This is a small component on the switch that allows you to throw the switch by waving a magnet over it. The setup below is what is included in a Dead Rail Kit (which is completely plug’n’play).

RECHARGING CABLE/JACK

You can add a charging connection (or jack) between the switch and the battery to allow you to charge your battery using a charger without removing it from the loco. Make sure the switch is in the “off” position when charging your battery.

CHARGING BATTERIES THROUGH THE RAILS

Here is an example of charging battery through the rails.

CONNECT BATTERY DIRECTLY TO RED/BLACK ON 9-PIN JST

You may also connect a battery directly to the red/black wires on the 9-pin JST (instead of using the battery leads).

Article on BlueRail DeadRail Kit
Article on Charging Batteries

DEADRAIL RESOURCES

Here are some resources for Dead Rail information and products.

Dead Rail Society – A great resource for DeadRail information.
Dead Rail Installs – Custom Dead Rail installs and Dead Rail Kits.
Stanton – S-Cab – Radio Control and Battery Power for Model Railroads

Please let us know if you would like your link added to this list.

It is important to test your locomotive’s stall current to make sure it is compatible with this BlueRail board.

1) Set your locomotive on a section of track with a DC power-pack powered at the maximum voltage you would operate your train (typically 12-16 volts).

2) Connect a DC Ammeter in series with one of the track feeders (as in the diagram).

3) Hold the locomotive firmly in your hands (so it can’t move), pressing down on the locomotive to prevent the wheels from spinning, and power up the power-pack.

4) Make sure the power-pack voltage remains constant (to get an accurate reading) at the maximum voltage you intend to run your train.

5) Measure and note the current the locomotive is drawing. This is your locomotive’s “stall current”.

If your stall current exceeds 2 amps please read THIS ARTICLE.

If you are testing your loco’s SLIP CURRENT, use the same procedure, but hold your loco with lighter pressure (so the wheels are able to SLIP). A loco with a slip current of 2 or less will work with this board.

Please see more detail on “Overload Protection” for more details on the board’s current draw limitations.

For larger scale locos, if you are measuring your loco’s stall current, it is also worthwhile to find out your loco’s “slip” stall current. That is, the maximum current draw at the point where your loco’s wheels begin “slipping”. (This is usually a factor of whether your loco has traction bands on the wheels.) You can measure this by performing the test above, but only pushing down hard enough till the loco wheels are just beginning to slip, and noting the amperage reading. A Bachmann Large scale 4-6-0 might have a hard stall current of 4.6, but have a “slip” stall current of 1.5 – meaning the wheels will start spinning once you reach 1.5 amps (and will probably never reach 4.6 unless you add extra weight in the loco or traction bands). You might base your assessment of whether the first BlueRail board is suitable for your loco on the “slip” stall current (rather then the “hard” stall current).