I have studied the Diagram.pdf above and have come to the conclusion that cleaning the trucks will inevitably mess up the wire connections unless the frame plug releases without tearing everything loose. I would suggest that anyone attempting to take the trucks off the loco for cleaning should have a set of spare wheel wiper assemblies on hand (see disgram) just in case.
Hi Paul,
Paul SchulzeDave, I was mistaken about my loco. It is a GP39-2.
If I had never made a mistake in my life I would give you a hard time!
Here is the Atlas N scale GP39-2 diagram. It does show wires coming from the trucks but where they go to or how they are attached to the locomotive isn't very clear unfortunately. My recommendations stay the same. Take the locomotive apart to the point where you can get at the wires, and make sure you have enough slack in the replacement wire.
http://download.atlasrr.com/pdf/PartsPDFs/NGP39-2Diagram.pdf
Good luck!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The loco does have wires but one of the wires that goes into the frame has broken off. In order to replace/repare the wire, I think I will have to carefully drill the wire (or plug) out of the frame before replacing the wire. I think I could even make my own hole for a wire attachment. In the meantime, I noticed that the frame had the same design as the ones without the wire as you mentioned. I happen to have some of the brass "springs" in my supply bin which worked fine. I will work on the repair as soon as I can figure out how the wires attach to the trucks. Any suggestions will be appreciated. In the meantime, thanks to everyone for the help/advice.
If the loco is the model and version shown in the linked diagram from Atlas - there are no wires. The truck pickup piece that goes around the axle has a small blob on top, that rubs against a spring brass mounted along each side of the frame, this is how power gets from the wheels to the frame halves. The PCB gets power by contact with the frames in the corners of the board, it slips in to slots in the frame halves.
If the OP's loco has wires to the trucks, then the diagram is not the correct one.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
The simple answer is that the wire can be fixed. Unfortunately that doesn't necessarily mean that it is an easy fix.
Rather than trying to fix the wire with the locomotive still assembled, I would suggest that you take it apart at least to the point where you can remove the trucks and gain access to where the truck wires are attached to the locomotive. That may require a major disassembly. Here is the Atlas parts diagram. It is for a DC locomotive but it may give you some insight as to how to approach the repair:
http://download.atlasrr.com/pdf/PartsPDFs/NParts/NGP38-2Loco.pdf
The wire that is "plugged into the locomotive" may require more than a gentle pull to remove it. Or it may be held in place with a plastic clip that has to be removed first.
One more point. Make sure that the replacement wire is long enough to allow the truck to easily move through its full range of motion. That includes moving the truck ends up and down when the locomotive is off the track. If the wire is too short it will only break off again. I went through a similar situation with a friend's locomotive. We tried three times to reattach the original wire. Finally it dawned on us that the wire was being pulled too tight when the locomotive was being picked up off the track.
The answer is yes, it can be fixed. I wouldn't be able to do it. I have trouble in HO scale soldering in small spaces with thin wires.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
I have an n-gauge Atlas GP38-2 with Loksound. It seems a truck pickup wire on one side has broken and will need repair or replacement. The wire seems to "plug" into the frame of the loco but gental pulling does not make it budge. How are the wires/plugs removed? Can these broken wires be replaced/repaired?
Thanks, Paul