Can some one help me with what to do when my saddletanker or dockside is in a turnout and it loses power at the frog. I seem to remember reading a solution to this someplace, but I can't remember where???
Twilight
Twilight
0-6-0T & dockside?
- Thread starter twilight
- Start date
Try;
1. Powering the frogs on your turnouts. Unpowered frogs leave too much of a power gap for short wheel base locos like saddletankers.
2. Add wipers to any wheels that don't have them taking care to note the polarity of each side.
3. Add sliders. These are wipers that go directly to the rail from the under carriage. They can be made from thin hardened copper or purchased from Walthers. Place them in front of and behind your drivers, thereby increasing the effective pickup length of the locomotives. Again note your polarity to prevent shorts.
Hope this helps, BC
1. Powering the frogs on your turnouts. Unpowered frogs leave too much of a power gap for short wheel base locos like saddletankers.
2. Add wipers to any wheels that don't have them taking care to note the polarity of each side.
3. Add sliders. These are wipers that go directly to the rail from the under carriage. They can be made from thin hardened copper or purchased from Walthers. Place them in front of and behind your drivers, thereby increasing the effective pickup length of the locomotives. Again note your polarity to prevent shorts.
Hope this helps, BC
I added a slope back tender on all mine.After adding a set of pick-up wiper's to the rear truck of the tender,then wired to the brush tab's on the motor and I have never had a dead spot since .
It may not be 100% true to prototype,but niether is a GIANT hand comming out of the sky to move the loco
MM
It may not be 100% true to prototype,but niether is a GIANT hand comming out of the sky to move the loco
MM
Originally posted by Medicine Man
I added a slope back tender on all mine.After adding a set of pick-up wiper's to the rear truck of the tender,then wired to the brush tab's on the motor and I have never had a dead spot since .
It may not be 100% true to prototype,but niether is a GIANT hand comming out of the sky to move the loco
MM
Actually, that's what happened to the B&O Docksiders in their later years...when rebuilt, they had their saddle tanks removed and slopeback tenders added. The Rivarossi 0-4-0 switchers are models of this particular rebuild.
Are your plastic frogs so long that both wheels lose contact, or does the frog lift one wheel up and the whole side rises?
For number 2 you have a choice of replacing the drivers or deepening the bottom of the flangeway so that the wheel runs through. (Not too deep or you get different problems.)
There is also the option of rebuilding the chassis to be more flexible.
Didn't some of the railroads have small cars for the brakemen to ride? or is that just British? Would be an interesting alternative to the tender.
For number 2 you have a choice of replacing the drivers or deepening the bottom of the flangeway so that the wheel runs through. (Not too deep or you get different problems.)
There is also the option of rebuilding the chassis to be more flexible.
Didn't some of the railroads have small cars for the brakemen to ride? or is that just British? Would be an interesting alternative to the tender.
If you didn't want the tender for one reason or another, you could always add pickup to any type of rolling stock. The catch is, you would always want the wipered rollin' stock coupled to the switcher.
Ed: didn't see David's post, ya that would be cool! Maybe like an itty bitty caboose, a box on one truck.
Ed: didn't see David's post, ya that would be cool! Maybe like an itty bitty caboose, a box on one truck.
jon: the ones I'm thinking of look more like scale cars, a box on 4 wheels with footboards and handrails all around, maybe a toolbox in the middle.
The shunters truck would be something that you would have an excuse for having hooked permanently to the loco.
(Does anybody want to parse that last sentence and tell me what I said?)
The shunters truck would be something that you would have an excuse for having hooked permanently to the loco.
(Does anybody want to parse that last sentence and tell me what I said?)
I can picture exactly what you mean. Kinda like a heavy duty MOW speeder with out the motor,with a coupler on each end to hook up to the loco and the first car.Or it could look like a one truck flat car with a low profile seating/handrail's and a tool box of some sort in the center.
Am I seeing it as you do???
MM
Am I seeing it as you do???
MM
BOY was I off on that one!! That "micro caboose" is a much better idea(the Little One's will like someplace out of the element's as well .
MM
.MM
Another option for North American switchers, is to have an "idler" car attached, which could be equipped with pickup wipers.
"Idler" cars were used to keep the heavy locomotive off spindly structures, ( like coalyard trestles and such ), or carfloat aprons.
A decent candidate for an idler car is one of those old MDC shorty flats or gondolas that used to come in the "3-in-1" old-time kits.
regards;
Mike
"Idler" cars were used to keep the heavy locomotive off spindly structures, ( like coalyard trestles and such ), or carfloat aprons.
A decent candidate for an idler car is one of those old MDC shorty flats or gondolas that used to come in the "3-in-1" old-time kits.
regards;
Mike
I found those slider's that Shaygetz was refering to. In the Walthers catalog (HO) in the blue"freight" section. They are made by "Tomar". Part # 81-805 Shoes for Locomotives pkg(4) $3.95,is what you may need.
I may get a few pkg's for myself to add to the cabees's for running interior lighting.
MM
I may get a few pkg's for myself to add to the cabees's for running interior lighting.
MM
