Best way to disassemble a 9169 caboose? Center pickup roller question...

[GG1 guy]

I have a 9169 Milwaukee Road illuminated caboose from 1975.  I want to take it apart and work on the lighting components (light is dim/flickers).  It is not immediately obvious how to take this unit apart-there are no screws visible, and I don't want to break anything.  What's the best was to do this?  I also notice the pickup roller on the truck just flops around-there is nothing to hold it down on the center rail.  Was there a spring that did this that is missing, or did gravity alone hold the roller to the center rail?  Any good fix for this?

[TrainLarry]

Looks like it may be held together with tabs in the ends. See here for exploded view.

Larry

[ADCX Rob]

That is correct, the bases of the railings snap in to lock the assembly together, wiggle them out at the bottom to unlock and lift the cab off. There's nothing inside except the wedge type bulb in its socket.

There is a copper spring holding the roller, it does not provide much tension. The flickering has more to do with the fact that there is only one pickup and axle wiper - the new versions of these(and most illuminated cars & cabooses) have two, which works very well. You can add the 9050-150 assembly to the other truck and connect it in parallel with the original for a vastly improved look. It's a simple snap-in job(and a little soldering).

[ADCX Rob]

[cwburfle]

Sometimes those end railings were glued in place. I thought it was possible to remove the light socket through the opening in the frame of the caboose. (But it's been a while.)

The snap-in roller assembly should have axle wipers. If you are going to add a second roller assembly, consider hooking up the axle wipers too.

Be certain to get the correct one. There are several similar collectors, and may not be interchangeable.

 

[ADCX Rob]

cwburfle

I thought it was possible to remove the light socket through the opening in the frame of the caboose.

That is the way to access the bulb.

[lionelsoni]

As an alternative to a second pickup, or in addition to a second pickup, you can put a bridge rectifier and a capacitor into the caboose.  One ~ terminal of the bridge goes to the frame, the other ~ terminal to the pickup(s).  The + and - terminals go to the lamp and to the + and - terminals of an electrolytic capacitor (5 or 10 millifarads, 25 volts minimum) in parallel.

With the rectifier (with or without the capacitor), there is also a way to connect the second pickup so that AC current cannot flow between the pickups, by using a separate rectifier module for the second pickup and connecting the + and - terminals of the two rectifiers together.  (This can also be done with one bridge-rectifier module and 2 diodes, or with no rectifier modules and 6 diodes.)

NB:  A millifarad is 1000 microfarads.

[ADCX Rob]

lionelsoni

One ~ terminal of the bridge goes to the frame,

That one has to go to the axle wipers. The frame/chassis on these is 100% plastic.

[lionelsoni]

Thanks for catching that.