Hi
I own two Athrean SW 1200 locomotives. One still has the motor in it but the other does not. It has meatal weels and was wondering if it its possible to use the locomotive with no motor to help the other with electrical pickup. How would they be wired toghther.
Please help me
ShaunCN[:)]
The few Athearn dummies I have have plastic wheel sets and the trucks are missing the power connectors that bring power up from the wheel plate. Are you sure the dummy has metal wheels? I would think it would be cheaper to buy a powered unitt than buy wheels and modify the trucks and run wires. But to do it you just run real flexible wire (like dcc decoders use) from the frame to frame and other pickups to the insulated pickup plates in the dummy loco’s trucks. I wouldn’t go to the effort myself.
Just like flee suggested modify the trucks but instead of running a wire from frame to frame install Kadee 40 series metal couplers and connect the wires to these by soldering them. If you do this to your entire fleet you might be able to use dummies modified like this to help your powered locos.
One question needs to be answered first. Are you using Kadee couplers in the original Athearn coupler pockets? If you are you can sometimes get a short through them. Other than that everything is correct.
The question I have is why you would want to do that?? It would be simpler to hard wire the motor pickups and use NWSL wheel sets for better electrial pick up.
Hi
I own two Athrean SW 1200 locomotives. One still has the motor in it but the other does not. It has meatal weels and was wondering if it its possible to use the locomotive with no motor to help the other with electrical pickup. How would they be wired toghther.
Please help me
ShaunCN[:)]
The few Athearn dummies I have have plastic wheel sets and the trucks are missing the power connectors that bring power up from the wheel plate. Are you sure the dummy has metal wheels? I would think it would be cheaper to buy a powered unitt than buy wheels and modify the trucks and run wires. But to do it you just run real flexible wire (like dcc decoders use) from the frame to frame and other pickups to the insulated pickup plates in the dummy loco’s trucks. I wouldn’t go to the effort myself.
Just like flee suggested modify the trucks but instead of running a wire from frame to frame install Kadee 40 series metal couplers and connect the wires to these by soldering them. If you do this to your entire fleet you might be able to use dummies modified like this to help your powered locos.
One question needs to be answered first. Are you using Kadee couplers in the original Athearn coupler pockets? If you are you can sometimes get a short through them. Other than that everything is correct.
The question I have is why you would want to do that?? It would be simpler to hard wire the motor pickups and use NWSL wheel sets for better electrial pick up.