Here's another way to power all the tender wheels.http://www.pacificcoastairlinerr.com/1879/locomotives/wipers/
All of my old steamers use the metal frame of the loco itself to conduct the power. This is why you need to electrically isolate one side of the drivers. It's pretty tricky to put power wipers on the isolated wheels, but it can be done.
If your Atlas turnouts are newer, they should have an insulated metal frog with a little hole next to it. You need to attach a wire to that hole and hook it to your power routing switch machine so it gets power from the proper rail depending on which way the turnout is thrown.Longer locos don't need this, but it's a must for short wheel bases and locos like you've described.
Thanks for your interest. Sorry I didn't see your post before I put this completely together.
First of all, this tender did not have proper insulated wheel sets for pickup, so I had to change them with some P2K wheels that I had.
I saw that by opening the cover to the wire set/plug on the tender I could just get at the black and red power leads. So I decided it would be simpler to tap into these at that point than opening up the tender and running wires up from the wipers to solder on to the wires running the decoder (If I can avoid opening shells, I alway like that.)
I used wiper sets from Litchfield Station (I forget the brand). But the center hole had to be really enlarged with a tiny round file to fit over the raised base portion under the tender trucks. The wipers also swiveled too much with the trucks on. Because one side would have touched the wrong wheel, I snipped off one side of each wiper.
I routed the wires from each wiper, as shown, to the pickup wires at the front plug. I could just get enough insulation off here to solder on the wiper wires. I use a strong magnifier on a headband for all stuff like this.
Of course, you could make your own wipers and attach them the way you think best.
End of story....this little unit runs like butter through every part of the layout now. I have no idea how it came out of the factory with no tender pickup! Maybe it was old old new old stock. Still weird as I have another with factory sound and wired properly.
Gerome wrote: Ha! One can never be sure what one is getting with old stock. This is a little beauty new in the box P2K Heritage 0-8-0...but unlike its twin in my collection...it did not have any tender pickup at all! No wipers, no wires, no connection between the tender wheels and decoder. I never noticed, as this was one of the first decoders I installed.Weird! No wonder it was quitting on the frogs.Now I am installing my own wipers and soldering them to the tiny wires left and right pickup wires from the loco.
Ha! One can never be sure what one is getting with old stock. This is a little beauty new in the box P2K Heritage 0-8-0...but unlike its twin in my collection...it did not have any tender pickup at all! No wipers, no wires, no connection between the tender wheels and decoder. I never noticed, as this was one of the first decoders I installed.
Weird! No wonder it was quitting on the frogs.
Now I am installing my own wipers and soldering them to the tiny wires left and right pickup wires from the loco.
Say Gerome, if that modification you're doing works out OK please post your results here. I'm in a similar situation with an early LL 0-8-0 and have been wondering what to do.
If you can, pics of what you did would be great !!
jrbernier wrote: Most older steam engines pickup power off of the right drive wheels and return it throught the left tender wheels. Newer steam engine models do have 'dual' sheel pickup. Your Atlas Snap Switch is 'DCC Friendly' - I suspect you have an engine with a small wheelbase and it loses electrical pickup when running over the plastic frog area. What kind/type of engines have this problem?Jim
Most older steam engines pickup power off of the right drive wheels and return it throught the left tender wheels. Newer steam engine models do have 'dual' sheel pickup.
Your Atlas Snap Switch is 'DCC Friendly' - I suspect you have an engine with a small wheelbase and it loses electrical pickup when running over the plastic frog area. What kind/type of engines have this problem?
Jim
Thanks for the reply, Jim. You are helping me pinpoint my problem.
I was generalizing after being frustrated by one loco, rather than testing a lot more.
You are right, of course. All my DC (not yet converted) draw power at all times from both the drivers and the tender. My retail P2K 0-8-0 with DCC also does this. It is my own installed Tsunami P2K 0-8-0 that is drawing only from the drivers and not the tender. I will have to recheck the wiring or the wipers or something.
So, the snap switches do not require any modification, I take it? Probably just this one 0-8-0 with limited pickup that is fooling me.
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
I have been wonderng about this for awhile.
Why, if a steam loco has pickup in both the drivers and the tender, do they not work independently. In other words, one has to have the tender attached to draw power, and if the driver loses contact, the tender still in contact will not provide power?
I know that this is true. I know that the wiring on the circuit boards, DCC or otherwise is done this way, because I have had to add a jumper when I wanted to bench test just the loco.
Is it to avoid having the tender continue to pick up power and drive the motor when the drivers have become derailed?
Second question (related): I thought my Atlas Code 83 snap switches were DCC friendly. That is, there is a continuation of contact. I have also ensured I have feeders at all ends of my switches. Why then, do I continue to have a steam loco hit a dead spot, especially when travelling through the switch slowly, and either hiccup and restart the decoder, or stall.
I suspect that I really do have enough power at all ends of the switch and that they are DCC friendly, and that the loco drivers have lost contact and the tender, as mentioned above, is actually not intended to supply power from its good contact further back on the switch.
What am I missing? What should I be watching for and attempt to remedy?
Thanks.