davidmbedard Use the original wheels....nothing wrong with them. David B
Use the original wheels....nothing wrong with them.
David B
David is right, why did you change them?
As designed Walthers passenger cars pick up power fromm all wheels for the lighting. What you have done has now insulated one rail from the lighting circuit.
Turn the wheels around on one truck so that the insulated wheels are on oposite rails, that should make it work - but now you only have half thewhhels picking up power rather than all - the lights are more likely to flicker due to poor contact.
Sheldon
So I was close, He doesn't have a complete circuit. I had tried to find instructions online before replying.
Peter
The bearing ends of the Walthers axles are conencted to the wheels, the insulation is elsehwere. That's how the power gets in. If you repalce them with typical metal wheels that are insulated at the hub, there's no way for the power to get to the pickups. On the insulated wheel side you'd have to fashion wheel wipers. Or like David said, just use the Walther's wheels, they're fine.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Without having access to the instructions that came with your lighting kit I can only guess.
I would assume that power comes + from one truck and - from the other. If the insulators are all on the same side for both trucks you can't get current flow. Make sure the insulated side is on one side for one truck and the opposite side for the other truck.
This applies as well if you follow David's suggestion of using the original wheelsets. You need to review the instruction that came with the kit, I am sure they would show this.
I have a Walthers 85' Pullman Standard coach that I installed a walther's lighting kit # 933-1084. I replaced the wheels with an all metal needlepoint axle wheel. The wheel is insulated at one side. At first there was a short circuit on the track because the insulated ends did not line up at one side since there connected to a metal axle, then I realigned them all to line up at the same side. Lining them up at the same side fixed the short circuit problem, however the car dosen't light up anymore. I suspect that the way electric current flows from the rails via wheels and power pickup has been changed. How can I modify the electric current power pickup while keeping the all metal needlepiont wheels that I just installed.