I am considering retrofitting a "Keep-Alive" capacitor to each of several Bachmann HO model steam locos. Since I run some old models, I still operate on DC, not DCC My questions:
Do such capacitors offer the same advantage to DC-operated locos as they do to DCC-operated locos?
Some of my locos have DCC decoders and operate on either DCC or DCC; any specific cautions?
Any helpful comments, especially from personal experience, is appreciated.
I have never bothered with it. I use to run HO scale at home and the club. No one at the club used it. At home I had hand laid and the club had hand laid. We watched track cleaning and sometimes ran a John Allen track cleaning car.
My shortest was a 44 ton.
Below is a link about this issue. Decoder companies have different names for this device and some are now including it with some decoders. Some do not enjoy track cleaning it seems.
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/mainnorth/alive.htm
Very technical.
https://sites.google.com/site/markgurries/home/decoders/keep-alive-compatibility
It use to be a single electrolytic cap, diode, resistor at one time.
Rich