It seems the copper pick ups on the trucks of my 2-8-2 Light Mike are very dirty as I think it may be the cause of not getting sound the whole time, whats the best way to clean the wheels and the pick up and also where can Iget more of these pick ups ? are they standard sice or different for each company
I also have a BLI switcher that studders along the track. I want to give the whhes a good clean but I can not see how to get in there due to a cover of some sort. Any suggestions? Also having trouble with the sound on this, most times it goes around fine the sometimes the sound starts out good and just fades after a few seconds… THanks Joseph
If these locos are both well used, you could be right about the wipers. But if they have less than about 20 hours of honest-to-goodness running time on them, I would say that your track or mechanical continuity to the power supply somewhere along the layout is more likely to be the cause.
Not the answer you were looking for, sorry, but …
Also, I broke a tine on the wipers last time I tried to clean one, so I’ll defer to other readers. [:(]
Call BLI or email them and ask about it. I would think that they will take time to help you. My engines dont have yet anywhere near the issues you are having. The last time I worried about a wiper was on the Spectrum Mountains the C&O one and the USRA one.
Let’s try to clean the track, the wheels and re-check the power supply, control system and the wiring shall we? Are you running DC or DCC?
For the wipers try a q-tip and 91 or 99% rubbing alcohol. Just dab some on withotu pushing against the wiper (don’t want to bend it) and spin the axle by hand (I assume you mean the tender pickups here). You might want to verify that ALL the pickups are working. I had a problem with a loose connection in the tender on my PCM T-1. It’s suppsoed to pick up with all 8 drivers plus two wheels of one tender truck on the right and two wheels of the other tender truck on the left. Mine kept stalling at the slightest provocation. Turns out that the wire ont he tender circuit board connecting the loco pickups was assembled backwards so on one side I was only getting power from two of the tender wheels. Easy way to check - left the tender off the rails (with the jumper cable plugged in) and you still should have sound and motion.
To improve conductivity, I like to use Rail Zip. I use it on my track especially in hidden areas and also for the loco wheels. It should work well on the wipers assuming the problem is gunk on the wipers.
I don’t know how extensive your layout or rolling stock roster is but you may want to consider eventually swapping out any plastic wheels that you have and replacing them with metal ones. Your track will stay far cleaner, far longer in the long run - not to mention that your rolling stock will also operate more smoothly. The plastic degrades over time and your track (and locomotive wheels) will just junk up again in short order.
I did mine in a year. It got to the point where I dreamed in my sleep of shiney metal wheels rolling down the cash register. Expensive too. But my track, what little there is stays clean and the rolling stock has been able to run on other people’s railroad (Insert bad pun) without gumming up the works.
I still have some cars that need metal wheels and I may break down and get that one box of 100 Intermountain wheels and be done with it. =)