I need some advice. I found a train i want but its battery powered? how could i convert it to be powered via the tracks? im sure it has metal wheels?
Would think it's going to need a complete motor/drive train conversion. As it's battery powered none of the wheels in the bogies (trucks) of either the engine, tender or rolling stock (if any) are going to be electrically isolated from each other. If it's a steam loco then that goes for the side rods where they slide in the cylinders (assuming a diecast body, plastic is OK). The engine is going to have to be one you really want to make the exercise worthwhile.
A few good points there lol i want a Kiwirail loco(not steam) but can only find a battery powered one so far....
IF it is two rail HO already, then yes. But it will take a lot of work, especially for someone who doesn't really know what he/she is doing and who has little skill or experience. The motor is already a DC motor. You just need to figure out how to power it if it won't be a battery that delivers the power. You would have to sever the wires at the battery box, ideally remove the battery box to add weight, or fill it with lead for more weight (you want more traction, not less), and route the leads to the wheels or wipers for pickup. But it is more complicated than that. A lot. A battery powered locomotive may not have a split and isolated frame or running gear or wheel sets with axles. Unless you can be sure that the power from each rail will only reach the motor from defined rails, and that there won't be any shorts across metal, you are going to have to figure out how to isolate the motor brushes so that the motor only gets power as it should, and that it is not shorted to the frame or its mounts or anything else. Even so, if the frame is not split, you will short across it when you power the rails because the pickups at each wheel will want to route power everywhere, including across the frame to the other rail pickups. I am not very experienced in such things, and I know others who are will be sure to guide you, but this is not something I would dream of tackling. Perhaps if you posted a well-lit and focused image of the locomotive with the shell removed, you might find someone who can tell you what will be involved.
