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this technique is aimed at a very limited audience, rather
than spend more time here, I refer you to Stan’s web site
.
Can you overdo it?
Just like the overly large flywheel would store so much energy
that controlling the loco could be problematic, you can have
too much on-board electronic storage.
Capacitors will run a loco without applied power for a second
or so. Keep-Alive™ modules will work for several seconds.
Hybrid drive can run for minutes.
If your loco derails, you will have no DCC signal getting to the
decoder. So hitting emergency stop or dialing the speed to
zero won’t make any changes in the loco’s speed.
Consider how far you want the loco to run without power and
select your energy storage accordingly.
If you, or your guests, frequently run locos on the ground, you
may want to go the low end of energy storage, at least to start.
That way, even though you may still have a stumble or two, you
won’t drag a complete train across the layout on the ground.
Where do I connect to my decoder?
Due to some variations in internal decoder design, you can-
not get consistent results by connecting an energy storage
system in parallel with an external capacitor. Here is where to
hook them up on various decoders.
Many open-board decoders today are marked as to power sup-
ply positive and negative. Use these contacts, if available. Just
MRH-Mar 2013
