Bachmann Spectrum Mogul g-scale

[Lenstm]

I have a brand new Bachmann Spectrum Mogul locomotive in G-scale. I would like to convert it to battery power and controlled by Revolution transmitter/receiver. Where do I find instructions how to best has it done?

[Loco Bill Canelos]

The Bachmann Mogul is not set up for the PnP socket for revolution receivers.  Crest Electronics the makers of Revolution have instructions on how to install a socket.  It can go into the tender along with the batteries.   Basically you have to isolate the loco from the track, run two wires from the ?Battery to the inputs on the receiver and run two wires from the track output on the receiver to the leads to the motor on the mogul.  The three remaining wires on the receiver are the common for the lights and a lead for the rear headlight if so equipped and for the front headlight. Just take your time and you should be able to do it. I usually mnake the coal load on the tender removable  so I can swap out batteries easily.  Bill

[Kevin Strong]

First, gut all the wires that come from the wheel pick-ups on the locomotive itself. These plug into the main control board that's in the boiler. That will isolate the loco from the track. I can't remember if the track power feed coming from the tender ties into the wires going to the main control board, or if they plug in separately. If the former, cut the leads from the locomotive pick-ups prior to them meeting with the leads coming from the tender. (You're going to use those to feed battery power to the main control board for lights, firebox, and smoke.) If they plug in separately, leave the plug that leads to the tender pick-ups plugged in and just disconnect the leads from the locomotive pick-ups. Next, disconnect the motor leads from the main control board. While you're at it, remove the "noise filter" that's soldered onto the back end of the motor. You're not going to need that.

There are 6 wires that go between the loco and tender. Stock, two wires (the 2-wire plug) go to the chuff trigger on the rear axle of the mogul. On the 4-wire plug, two wires carry the track power forward to the main control board in the boiler, two carry power from that main control board to a back-up light (if so equipped.) You're going to keep the wires for the chuff and the track power forward (soon to be battery power forward), but re-purpose the other two wires on the 4-wire plug to carry power forward to the motor. You'll have to use an ohmmeter to figure out which of the two wires go to the back-up light as opposed to the track power, and wire the motor to those two wires.

On the tender, remove the track pick-ups, and isolate all the wires coming from the sockets on the front of the tender. You may or may not have to solder new wires to the PC boards these sockets are connected to. Run these 6 wires into the tender. The two chuff wires will connect to the sound system (if you're using the Revo steam sound board, they go to the outboard black wire and middle white wire on the chuff sensor plug). The wires that now go to the motor get connected to the motor output of the Revo adapter board, and the wires that carry power to the control board in the boiler get connected to the battery input on the Revo adapter board.

Note: This wiring arrangement makes it so the front headlight is on whenever the battery power is on. If you want directional headlights, you'll either have to run a new set of 2 wires forward to connect to just the headlight, or gut the main control board, losing the firebox flicker, etc. and just use those two wires for the front headlight instead. The 2-6-0 (stock) is a model of an early (pre-electricity) locomotive, so the headlight would not be directional, anyway (if on at all, except at night).

If the tender has a back-up light, you would wire that to the back-up light output on the Revo control board.

Good luck. Feel free to e-mail me if you've got questions.

Later,

K

[Lenstm]

Thank you very much or very detailed instructions

Len