Model Railroading > Keep-Alive for the Bachmann Hi-Rail Truck

Does anyone have experience adding a keep-alive capacitor to the Bachmann HO DCC-equipped hi-rail truck?

I plan to put it in the bed of the truck, so space isn't too much of an issue. But - to which locations do I connect the leads?

There's not much out there on this, and a keep alive would make a huge difference in how well this thing operates.

~RGDave
https://onondagacutoff.blogspot.com/

---

---

I like what you did with the wheels!
Matt

I am no DCC expert but I think that if you attach the positive and negative leads to the yellow and white wires, that should pick up power from the track and then provide extended power from the 'keep alive' circuit. I do not see where else the vehicle gets power from the track but those wires powering the motor should be able to absorb power to hold in case of track dead spots.
Hope this helps get some ideas stirring and you come up with a good solution.

Tim J

It looks like the board gets its track power from where it screws into the split weight.

I would agree. The two screws holding the circuit board in get the track power from the split weights and the yellow and white wires go to the motor. I am following this with interest. I have one of these hi-rail trucks and am interested how this turns out.

Dan Boehlke
New Ulm, MN

Interesting concept, paint the Keep Alive red with a few black highlights, or blue with some white, and call it a Lincoln or Miller welding machine!

The keep-alive won't work if applied directly to the track power, and instead needs to be applied to the rectified DC power source on the circuit board. In these photos, the bridge rectifier (four diodes) appear to be on the top left of the circuit board. As I have one of these, I'll try to dig mine out & hit it with a voltmeter to try to identify where the positive and negative traces are. Will advise!

From what I have seen on other decoders the keep al8ve + goes to the lighting blue wire. The keep alive - goes to a ground contact on the board which may or may not be marked.