I'm looking for your thoughts on loco batteries these days, what brand and how have they performed and held up for you? I'm looking at Deka, Exide(GNB), and Crown at this point, but open to others as well. I'm specifically looking at unit batteries. Please let me know.

Thanks!
Jamie

Hi Jamie,

We've been using GNB exclusively for some time now at Monticello. We tried a couple ofl sets of Crowns, since they were close by, but we were very disappointed with them. They did not last at all, with several cell failures, and were higher priced to boot. That was several years back now, but once bitten, twice shy.

We have had very good experiences with the GNB product, with no failures yet in the three sets we've purchased from them over the years. We buy them in sets of eight individual "trays", and buy the largest amp-hour rated battery they make, their KDZ-3001.

Our last purchase was this past March, to replace the batteries in our Wabash F7, which were manufactured by Exide in 1987!! (They would still start the engine, but you only had one chance...) This latest set were quoted at $6170.88 + 431.92 freight. We buy them through:

Tom Lenau
Manager – Regional & Short Line Railroad Sales
Transportation Products Sales Company (TPSC)
tlenau@tpscrail.com | Toll Free: 800-462-7245

We've also purchased two battery charger/maintainers from him, which are 110v ac units, and put out a max of about 25 amps. We use them to keep batteries topped up in the off-season, as well as when locos are collecting out of service credit. We don't leave them on all the time, but will put one on a loco for a few days, then take it back off. This seems to work well for us keeping things fully charged and fresh.

http://www.tpscrail.com/shortline/locomotive/#spot-arms
ARMS Portable Select-a-Charge

Hope this helps.

Kent

Might check with the Feather River people in Portola, especially Steve Habeck, who takes care of all their batteries. They have been using a company that they are very happy with and are getting excellent battery life.