Making Simple Power Pick Ups For Old Locos And Passenger Coaches.
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- čas přidán 15. 05. 2024
- This is my first attempt at making power pickups for my troublesome trains.
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Very nice repair. You can only get better with practice and this was well done
Great job Dave. I have the same loco, now I have a future project.
Runs much better.
Nice upgrade, Dave. Thanks for posting. When I get around to working on mine, I'll have a good idea of how I want to proceed.
Quite the project there. Creative solution to a problem. Fun to watch!
Success Dave , fantastic job
Very ambitious ... great result 🤙
Dave. Try a hole punch instead of drilling the brass sheet. It will make a much neater hole. A set of hole punches are quite cheap at your local hardware store. You will find them handy for other things also.
I have a set of hole punches. Thought the drill would be fine. I have no patience, lol.
Super. That little 0-4-0 steam switcher with tender is a model that I have never encountered at the hobby shop before, and I buy a lot of small steam and diesel locomotives for my sugar mill and lumber company. It resembles an A4 class steam locomotive. It would fit right in on my railroad. Where there is no scenery, I glue a DPDT "Wire arm activated" switch right on the layout, and put the wire "handle" right in the second turnout point throw arm hole next to where the switch machine mounts. I use a small rectangular DPDT six contact switch that has a short length of stiff wire for a handle, some places call it a "counting switch." (I also use commercial machines on the main line.) I run the wiring neatly on top of the table, and it looks a little like CTC or switch control rods. I use the switch to control the signal, (Red or green) and power the points. It is easy and cheap, and I have even put a few on the outside turnouts without issue. The only minor drawback is that there is no yellow signal. The scenicked areas get the switch in a trackside shed or under the layout, connected to the turnout. You don't even need power (+ & -) if you don't have a signal, just connect the "frog" wire to the center contact, and wire both rails to the end contacts correctly, (Polarity) and ignore the other three terminals, unless you have a signal or lighted switchstand. I run a ground (-) to the signal and connect both bulbs, add two wires to the end contacts of the switch, and run one to each bulb, (Red & green wire.) and run a power (+) wire to the center contact, and you have the easiest signal ever. I try to buy powered frog turnouts, with the largest frog number possible, but I still have plenty of old school Atlas, Tyco, Life-Like, Bachmann, and AHM turnouts on my layout, everything from a crude #4 turnout, to an incredible #8 double slip switch, and even one Eldon company 4 3/4 inch radius curve Trolley track turnout, which has got to be a #1 switch switch or smaller. Hello again from the Tracy Mountain Railway in Colorado. 💙 T.E.N.
What fun! I found myself pleading things like shrink wrap, and not that way but, you got there in the end. I also love the natural chuff sound it makes, leave it please. All in all, a great video and you should have pride in what you accomplished. Jersey Bill
Thanks Bill. Long video, but I thought I should show it all.
Great Job definately sounds like a chuffing sound
Wow! That was a daunting decision and task. Well played!
Best stuff for making pick ups is phosor bronze strips or wire both are handy, there better for spring loading contact, it`s the same stuff the loco pick ups are made from
Thanks, I'll look for that
Your patience and skill is brilliant. Thanks
Very good first attempt. The Shoo-Shoo sound match the steam loco.
I have used the little brass bearing blocks from loco power trucks. If you can get the wheels apart and then solder your wire to them.
If you do not have alligator leads, you need to get some for hands 3 and 4. Makes electrifying so much easier. Also for you and your viewers, thicker wipers can also mean more drag on rolling stock. Thinner wipers mean weaker contact pressure. Everyone should find a good balance between the two. For those not so inclined to work with brass, there are some commercially available ones. Also consider putting the wipers above the wheels so the do not snag on anything. The brass is so soft that a stray hair from you head stuck in the track can bend it. Alternately Scott, when you get the courage up, consider gluing T bar wiper sets to each truck with the wipers sweeping the wheels on both sides for even a more improved pick up set up. Great video especially when you come across older locos with a less that desirable pick up arrangement. All wheel pick up is best in most cases like modern locos. Older locos were often made "cheap and easy" and a little extra effort goes a long ways if you have the time and want to develop the skill set. Sweet loco by the way. Simple yet effective. Love it. Larry Puckett @ model railroading has some great vids and so does Elite 192 on improving pick up methods. Scott, I am glad you went there and made your own. I believe it will model railroaders the benefits of taking a chance. A final note to your viewers it to make sure you get your wheels right or you will have a short and the most expedient way to fix this is to pop the wheel sets back out and put them in the other way. I enjoyed watching.
Thanks Anthony. I did think about making wipers, but that's quite a challenge. I would also need better contact material. This brass is not very springy. And I agree, they should be between the axle and the chassis. Next time.
Hi Scott/simple trick I learned on YT for the tire replacement on HO locomotives/simple but so easy and useful/just buy black heat shrink 9.5mm and cut the width of the flange/marvelous
The wipers cover both of the driver Wheels I have the same steam locomotive it might just be the wipers on the connecting with the front wheels are dirty
Very nice Dave, and now adding a smoke generator lol
Great job Dave... I guess i gave you a challenge on that loco. She's never run so good...
Thanks John. I had planned to do this mod as soon as you gave it to me, as I knew it would need more pickup length.
I am at 45 mins. you could tie a washer with the wire to keep the tender truck on without gluing.
I don't think I have enough length for a washer. I was a bit squint with the drill on that side. I might have a spare pin to make a better one.
Great practical video. Good to see that I'm not the only one who has to adjust to circumstances as I proceed with a project.
Personally I would have made the tender pick-up wipers with a centre tab as a contact point rather than using an H shape. Less chance of a 'short circuit' in case that the pick-up may twist on the bogey frame , causing the 'legs' to touch the two opposite wheels to make contact with the pick-up tabs.
AMAZING EFFORT AND WORK!! WOW!!
I noticed a bit of arcing between the brushes and the commutator. Not having seen a longer video segment of the motor running, I could not judge whether the arcing was an acceptable amount or too much. In any case, in some instances, it is possible to "dress" the face of a brush that contacts the commutator using a very tiny rat tail file, This can help to restore the contacting surface of the brush to better match the curvature of the commutator. However, the leading and trailing edges of the brush should not be made too "sharp", as they can actually catch on a commutator pole segment and stall the motor. In addition, if the brush springs are weak or have failed in some way, the brushes may not be pushed tightly enough against the commutator to made good contact.
I don't think this loco was designed with precision, lol.
Great tip. Easy and inexpensive too. Going to do this myself. Thanks.
I have one of these, but the motor needs replaced. There is major corrosion on the wire windings. It might be a wise move to get a "Helping Hands" tool for the various wiring jobs. I use one, since i have a bit of a shaky hands issue. And it's great when you need more hands to hold stuff steady,lol. Otherwise, very well done sir !.
I have a helping hands tool. Didn't think I needed it for this job. Looks like I was wrong, lol.
I solved that problem with a Tyco 0-4-0 switcher by putting brass wheels on the tender and running a wire from the motor to the tender. Not elegant but it works!
Wouldn't it be neat to install a Battery and charging port in the Tender instead? (Dead Rail)( Maybe in the future?). Great Video, Dave. Thanks for Sharing.
Great video. I've done this before with a Rivarossi 0-4-0. What about a keep alive for dc like you put on the passenger cars? ( inside the tender along with the wheel pickups )
Dave, cut up an old credit card and slide them in
I have that, but couldn't be bothered looking for it.
I personally don’t like flux pens never had much joy with them
I just thought it would be a little less fuss than the jar of crap.
YAY something that your NOT making into DCC.... But well done on the modification of this little 0-4-0 with the tender.
A few things I have learnt over the years...... It's not a good idea to use cotton buts on a moving motor as the fibres from the cotton but get pulled into the motor when they get caught. it also helps to put oil on the armature shaft and gears before doing work on the motor as it will then make the motor spin easier...... It also would have been much easier to wrap wire around the wheel shafts and then solder it to your wires, and they would have less friction on the wheels thus slowing down the loco.... The ends of those plates need to be bent upwards as they might catch on turnouts and then derail the tender... A hole punch for leatherwork is great for making small holes in thin plate. If you want to cut thin plate like you used, small wire cutters or small scissors do a great job....
I've learnt all of this and more while making scratch build R/C model yachts, tugs and speed boats over 30 years... Cheers Tim.
Lots of great advice there Tim, thanks.
A third hand would help heaps. It is a soldering helper!!!11
I have one, just don't always use it, lol.
It is good practice when soldering to not carry the solder from the iron to the join. The flux will be burned away by then.
Instead (add flux to the join,) put a bit of solder on the iron to better transfer the heat to the join, heat the join and then add the leaded solder (with flux in it):
czcams.com/play/PLCZv3eVnjjDKo0G9AIOA48qtfylxDc9d9.html&si=lp7E_ZVv3IvUZ6CZ
Hi Dave, what soldering iron are you using? Mine barely works and yours looks like it works nicely
I really like this iron. I was having the same problem with previous budget irons. Here's the link to Amazon.
amzn.to/4bE2IDC
@@ScottRails thank you so much!
Why don't you use frog juicers to solve your frog problem?
I'll be doing that when I install point motors. Not there yet.
WOW - first to comment and nothing smart to say!
Points for trying.