Whenever my Williams steamer crosses my Lionel O27 uncoupling track (6-12746) it stalls. It only happens with this engine. The pickup rollers are quite far apart (4 full inches center to center) so I am guessing this is the problem. Oddly, the engine only slows down when going in the opposite direction. How do I solve this?
The spacing of the rollers is not what's important. What is important is that each roller be close to the axle between two flanged wheels. This ensures that the roller will stay as close to the center rail as possible.
Bob Nelson
But it only happens with this engine on this one track. I run many O27 engines with no problem. Also, this engine is fine on the rest of the layout. I am not sure how to test this theory, but wouldn't a third roller between the 2 give continuity to the electricity? The very center of the uncoupling track has no current through it.
One of the extra rails in that UCS may be lifting a pickup roller above the center rail, when the other roller is on the center. You could test this by experimentally connecting the extra rails to the center rail to see whether that cures the problem.
If this is the problem, then, aside from bending that rail very slightly away from the center rail, you could try something I have done to a few uncoupling sections. That is to solder a piece of brass foil over the plastic diamond. You then have to break through the brass to remove a small circle around the magnet pole, to ensure that the grounded pole does not contact the brass.
Thank you so much for the input. I can try this tomorrow, weather permitting and the kids are in school.
Keep that section of track extra clean and if the iron core is sticking up, gently tap it down till it is even with the track.
"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks
Charter Member- Tardis Train Crew (TTC) - Detroit3railers- Detroit Historical society Glancy Modular trains- Charter member BTTS
The 7/32-inch-diameter pole is centered in a 11/32-inch-diameter circular pit in the middle of the plastic bobbin. It may be above the surface of the plastic inside the pit, but should be slightly below the surface of the plastic outside the pit, so that the pickup roller never quite touches it as it rolls over the surface.
It seems, however, that the problem is an open circuit, not the short circuit that would result from too high a pole.
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