Lionel Standard Gauge - Pickups not touching the track,

[Hoffman]

Hello!

 

I am having a problem with quite a few of my trains where the pickup doesn’t touch the track and thus the car won’t get power.

This is particularly on 200-series freight cars and 400-series passenger cars (all lionel standard gauge).

The track is gargraves standard gauge.

 

Some of the pickups were worn but I replaced them with new ones.  Nothing seems to be bent upward or out of alignment.  Some barely touch and make an unreliable connection - some I can see a clear gap between the roller and the third rail.

 

Right now I just have pennies (in some cases 2) stuffed under the pickups on the shelf so that they will light – but I am wondering if others have had this problem and if there is an easy solution.

 

Thank you!

 

Paul

[TrainLarry]

Do you have other brand(s) of track to try? Possibly the center rail on your track is lower than other brands?

 

Larry

[lionelsoni]

That's a good point, Larry.  I just checked several brands of tubular track on my layout.  The center rail is about 1/32 inch higher than the outside rails, apparently because of the thickness of the center-rail insulators.

I also checked a prewar Lionel car, whose pickup barely touches the center rail, even on tubular track.  So, if the Gargraves rails are all the same height, that could be Paul's problem.  The pennies may be the best solution.

[Hoffman]

Bob - precisely the issue.  GG track is all the same height.  Just figured someone else might have encountered this.  Pennies it is.  I've had the shelf since last winter when I got bored.  This winter I decided to electify it.  WOW - had no idea what that would involve.  All my pieces had crappy wiring, corroded connections, missing parts, blown bulbs etc.  3 months of steady work - all is great - with pennies.  :-)