ok well i did some searching around and couldn’t quite find the answer i was looking for (yes i DO use the search tool on the forum lol)[:P]
my first question is: What gauge wire was used on the inside of the postwar rolling stock to power the lights? from what i can gather, it appears to be stranded 20 gauge?
secondly: i used stranded 20 gauge on a 6357 caboose that the wires were dry rotted and coming off and falling apart. i soldered (sp?) a replacement wire onto the truck and the light fixture, checked my connections, then proceeded on placing the chassis onto my test track. i turned the transformer on, and got nothing. i gave the chassis a bump and it started sparking like the fourth of july. the track is brand new, and i didn’t notice any corrosion or rust on the wheels. so i am at a loss so far on troubleshooting this? the 5 2400 passenger cars that i have also need to be rewired, so i was using the caboose as my test bed to get my technique down. any help is MUCH appreciated!!
the lamp did not light up at all. there wasn’t any black waxy gunk on any of the wheels. the sparking was coming from the outer rails. i didn’t notice any coming from the middle rail. i thought it was rather odd actually.
Another thought on this is that for wires from the pickup rollers, use “Super-Flex” wire as it has a lot of give and will not restrict the movement of the trucks/rollers. You may also need to check and make sure that your rollers are not shorted out.
With the bulb out, use an ohm meter to check continuity by touching the roller with one lead and one lead to the frame. If there is no continuity, you are fine with that. If there is, you will have to see where it is. Unsolder the wire to the pickup and check again. If no continuity, you can resolder and then check back at the light socket…you get the point, just work back till you find the problem. Another thing to check is the pickup roller that when it is pushed in, that it doesn’t short out. Has been known to happen that the roller when on the track would short out because of a too big spring, or some other mechanical issue.
I have done this on some of my caboose and other powered cars and was able to repair. Bob Nelson and a lot of other folks have a lot more experience than I.
