Trailer car for a GE 40 Ton Critter

[topito]

Hi friends:  I have a GE 40 on Critter with some electricity pick up problems in the turnouts.

It's impossible install a keep alive decoder because the lack of space inside the cab.

I'm thinking add some kind of "trailer car" in order to improve the electrical pickup.

Can you help me with some ideas or pictures about some car like this one?

Thanks

[hon30critter]

topito

What type of rolling stock will the critter normally be handling? The best choice would obviously be something that looks like it belongs behind the critter, so let us know how you plan to use the switcher.

I made a suggestion on your thread in the Electronics and DCC section about possibly putting a TCS KAM4 decoder in the trailer. If you want to do that (yes - its a bit of overkill) then choose a trailer that will hold the decoder. If you want to go without the decoder then make sure the trailer car has some weight to it to maintain contact with the rails, but not so much that the critter is using a lot of its power to pull the trailer.

Dave

 

[zstripe]

Dave,

If anyone would know about, ''Critters'',trailer's,decoder's for same,,God knows,it would be you...

Did you ever get brother and sister working together?  Or did you come up with something different??I don't recall..

Cheers,

Frank

[hon30critter]

Frank:

Thanks very much but I'm not quite sure I have earned your accolades. You have made me blush!

Not wishing to steal the thread, but the second scratch built critter is coming along nicely, albeit slowly. I am having to relearn a lot about how I did it the first time. I am taking my time rather than stumbling ahead and making mistakes. I have the body (shell if you will), frame, drive wheels and motor/gondola well along. My big question right now is how much to assemble before I paint it.

Anyhow, lets get back to the OP's request. I hope he answers soon. He did reply to my post on his thread in the Electronics and DCC section pretty quickly so I think he is tuned in.

Dave

[Alantrains]

Not sure if the US had shunters wagons, but UK and Australia used them. Google "shunters wagon" for some images of 4 wheel and bogie wagons that were used to add weight for braking and a place for shunters (switchmen) to ride. Not sure what the US equivalent was ccalled, but I figure they must have had the same need.

cheers and good luck

Alan J

[zstripe]

Alan J,

I'll stick my neck out,,,,,Transfer caboose and Bobber,caboosie's,,,,He He..

Cheers,

Frank

[tomikawaTT]

Too bad poling went out of style.

Years ago, MR published a photo of a PRR poling car built in (IIRC) 1916.  It looked like a transfer caboose with two really heavy poles rigged like the booms of pillar cranes, one centered on each side.  Apparently the beast was run on a track parallel to the ladder, coupled to a switcher, and pushed cars into the field by engaging their poling pockets.

Of course, the practice was outlawed a long time ago...

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[zstripe]

Chuck,

I believe it went out of style,surely because,they couldn't get anyone dumb enough to hold the pole in place,while the engine set up,anymore...LOL...That brings up a question,,,does anyone know when they stopped putting pole pocket's on freight cars?? I havn't really paid that much attention to prototype freight cars,,,only Intermodal's...

Cheers,

Frank

[cacole]

Poling was outlawed by the government some time in the 1930's, I believe.  Too many trainmen were inured or even being killed when the pole shattered or fell on them.

[wjstix]

I'd say a dummy "critter" running with the powered one might be the best bet. BTW if you run DCC, TCS makes decoders with "keep alive" built in. They're pretty much the same size as a regular decoder.

I'm not sure if poling was outlawed by the government or not, but by the 1960's it was against the rules of  most / all railroads. There were some diesels equipped with places to hang a pole I believe, so it was done after the 1930's. (Of course, some railroaders working remote branchlines might 'hide' a pole in the grass near a spot where they needed to use them.)

[G Paine]

Maybe I am backing up a step, on this; but do you mean a Bachmann 44 ton locomotive? Also HO or other scale?

The Bachmann 44s have had a couple of dufferent mechanisms. The earliest had 2 motors, one in each truck, more recent ones have a motor in the frame and the trucks powered by drive shafts.

The ealier, 2 motor models had power pickups on the truck frames which made contact with a copper pickup on the frame. These could have corroded, and just need cleaning. Also, the wires are small, and may have partially pulled away causing an inermittant loss of contact. Power was shared between the front and rear motors by the circut board on top of the frame. If one of the wires between the truck and circuit board is loose, all the power would be coming from only one truck instead of both. This could be the reason for the stalling on turnouts.

Just a few thoughts...

[fiatfan]

Don't know much about DCC other than how to spell it but on DC what I did is double head a couple of MDC model 40's.  Took care of stalling at the turnouts.

Tom