Yes, you can use a battery car with any locomotive that has a battery car plug added. The Dash 9 and most modern Aristo-Craft locomotives have the plugs and a switch to toggle between track power and battery power. It is easy to add battery car plugs to USA Trains diesels, but you do have to unplug the track power pick-ups or the results could be electronically catastrophic.
A track power/battery power switch could be added, but it can be complicated.
I installed the switch for a friend in his F3A and he has never used it in track power mode. Once you use battery power you probably won’t go back to track power.
The battery question is a can of worms, as everyone has their own preferences.
I used Ni-Cad battery packs in my first battery car in 1995.
They provided 1 3/4 hours of run time and lasted for years. These Ni-Cads did have to be completely discharged before being recharged.
When NiMH batteries became available at a reasonable price, I made my own battery packs with them.
These packs provided 3 1/2 hours of run time, could be topped up without discharging and are still in service.
When the Aristo-Craft lithium-ion battery packs and chargers became available I began to use them as it is easier to wire one battery pack than two.
These packs have had their problems however. The first generation packs would not charge properly and had to be replaced with second generation packs. Early this year, about the same time Aristo-Craft released their battery car, the third generation packs were released and found to be incompatible with the TE receiver. There were replaced with fourth generation packs, but the price increased by 50 percent.
I like the lithium-ion packs because they are small enough to fit in most fuel tanks, and I will continue to use them for on-board power conversions.
But given their history and hefty price tag, you may want to consider something else.
