Problems with power pickups.

[Anonymous]

For some time now i have had this problem with my Stainz but now i have a similar problem with my ICE train.

What it is, the power pick up contact on one side has become grooved and it seems to pick up a black residue, which is very hard to get rid of, because it gets in the grooves, I have been using a spark plug file to get rid of some of the grooves and then fine emery paper to get rid of all the residue that is left.

It is recurring and i can only run it for about 5 hours without having to do the same thing again.

1) why is it always on one side only and on the front power pick up, i suspect electrolysis has something to do with it. (the passage of electricity through disimilar materials)

2) Why should the pick ups get grooved.

3) The Stainz is run in conjunction with a powered tender and it does not have the same problem.

4) It only happens on the front pick ups on the ICE train ie the front power unit, the ones that pulls the train; not the back one that pushes the train.

5) it is always on the right side and never on the left.

These two locos along with my Mallet are my oldest and most used but the Mallet doesn't have power pick ups, so it doesn't have the problem

Any ideas

Rgds Ian

[Capt Bob Johnson]

I seem to recall in another discussion that you remarked about almost always running in one direction. Would that make centrifical force or some other physical law put more weight on the right side when negotiating curves?

I can't think of much to do about it other than ordering in and maintaining stock of pick ups for replacements! Otherwise you'd almost have to go to using the wheels themselves for pickups and I'd imagine that conversion would turn out to be rather costly!

Could it be a roughness of track joints? A couple of cut hunks of track that might need dressing with a file?

[RhB_HJ]

Pick-ups are a wear part!

Black gunk can be tackled with Goo-Gone!

[TonyWalsham]

Better Still..........[;)]

[amotz]

If you connect both ICE power units with a simple cable from car to car (I use 9 volt battery terminals as connectors), you can probably dispense with the pick-up shoes because you then have eight wheels collecting power - at any rate the pick-ups become much less critical. The smooth performance is well worth the effort to wire the train as a unit.

[Anonymous]

No i have stopped doing that and i have put in automation to ensure that i run in both directions. It does run off remote control, MTS. I agree with them being a wear part but am unsure how ot change them. No need to connect the two end so fmy ICE train as they are boith tuned to run off channel 5 on MTS. As usual HJ, i don't agree with a single word you have said, but i will fight to the death for your right to say it.

No i think it is an effect of electrolysis that is why it is always on one side, the same side on all three units and more prevalent on the front pickups. However i do agree that if they weren't worn the problem would be much much less.


Rgds ian