How about for those of us _not_ on FB?

It's on FB, but no logon required since it's a public post

Prof, just click the FB logo in the top part of the post and it opens right up without the need to create an account on FB.

Maybe a real link...?

The link the blue F takes you too:  https://m.facebook.com/KennebecPenobscotNorthern/posts/549225485558744?refsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fmodel-railroad-hobbyist.com%2Fnode%2F36003

Nice tip for better contact.  It wasn’t clear to me why the little nubs on the sideframes needed to be chiseled off - it looks like the wipers would clear them anyway?

For those who don't do FB

This is the stock contact bar found on Athearn, Atlas, KATO and others that are Chinese manufactured.

The electrical problem is where the axle stub fits into the bearing.

So by adding a small piece of 0.010" phosphor bronze wire as shown, electrical continuity can resume.

Side plate clamped in a small hand vise for soldering.

Tichy Train Group 0.010" phosphor-bonze wire . You could also use 0.008" in smaller scales like N, but I find the larger size works better for HO.

Start by soldering it to the plate as shown.

Cut off the excess and then bend the wire as shown. Repeat this for all 4 side plates.

The Athearn Genesis models have the side plate semi locked in and need to be pried out so, in order for the plate to fit back in, the small nub must be removed from the inside of the side frame. There is one on each end.

Small wood chisel works well for this.

Both nubs removed.

Use a medium CA glue to re-attach the plates to the side frames.

Set aside to cure.

Solder the pick up wire back on.

Reassemble the truck as shown and re-install it into your locomotive. Repeat for the remaining truck.

That's it!

Surprising

That's surprising, I would have thought that connection more reliable. Thanks Joe for the forum presentation without having to visit FB.

Yes - Thanks Joe!

Pictures are bigger and easier to see the details also!

electrical P/U

Thanks for the pics to show it being done.

I don't & WON'T do FB so this is nice to have.

Terry Harrison

Electrical pick up---

When ever I install decoders in my customers engines, I always solder "all connections", & cover with heat shrink tubing where possible. Throw away those lousy plastic caps that hold the wires on, because they don't always make a solid connection with the wire to the contact! Yes, I have also added Tichy wire to some contacts that were problematic in certain engines, but not all of them.

The most trouble I had with any diesel, is my own Atlas-China Alco RSD-5, as only 2 of the 3 axles pick up on each truck. They should have made the contact plate so it spanned over all 3 axles, not just the outer two! I used this method shown to correct the problem, and the locomotive never hesitates over turnout frogs, or crossings now!

Joe Bliss

Allegheny Model RR Services

Improving Electrical Pickup

Well done. This looks like a good fix to some electrical problems. I only see one potential problem with this solution. On a layout without effective short circuit protection, it is possible that if you run a frog and create a short circuit through the electrical pickup on one side of the truck, it is possible that all of the short circuit current could go through the wire and cause it to overheat and lose its spring tension.

Some older brass Overland diesels had this type of electrical pickup and subsequent overheating of the wires made them unreliable. I don't know if this was ever resolved on them.

The difference between them and your installation is that you are still using the heavy metal side frame pickup which should be able to handle any short circuit current that you'll find on a model railway. 

I have a couple of locos that will benefit from this and I'm going to try your solution. Thanks for posting it.

Doug

Revelstoke, BC, Canada

Thank you Messers Fugate..........

.......and Rice!!

Peter. (Did I use the right word?)

This solution will certainly

This solution will certainly work, although as the wheels accumulate dirt or lint, the wire contact point will still have to be cleaned.   I have done this trick myself, and while it works, invariably little clumps of "fuzz" get between the contact wires and the wheels.

The axle-end pickup design is really the best way to do this (as opposed to a wiper running on the wheel tread) because it is not affected by dirt being picked up from the track and onto the wheels.  Looking at that implementation of this design, however, I see two major flaws. 

One, the pickup plates are made of brass instead of phosphor bronze.  Brass is much more prone to oxidation and deforming, so over time, the holes in the plates will oxidize.

Two, from what I can see in the photos, there is no weight or spring pressure bearing down on the plates.  Instead, the truck and wheels bear all the weight and the plate is just kind of "along for the ride".  If some truck weight bore down on those plates, it would keep constant pressure on those axle hole areas so they would self-clean and would assure better contact.

If you can't already tell, I'm not an HO modeler.  I'm in N, and so I am more familiar with the way Kato has implemented this type of pickup system in N Scale, where the axle ends are actually cone-shaped points which ride in cone-shaped holes in the pickup plates, and the plates themselves carry the weight of the engine, or alternatively, a springy metal strip (as in the floor of a steam tender) applies constant gentle downward pressure to the pickup plates.

It would be very interesting to see if simply re-making the existing plates out of a strip of phosphor bronze would make them perform a lot better.

Better pick up

Not if the wire rubs on the back of the wheel. I've done that in HO.

Bernd 

Yes thank you!

Yes Thank You Joe for posting that way for me.  

Nubs

Ken, the reason to remove the nubs is so that the side plates will be easier to place back into the side frame.  You can leave them but it's more difficult to snap them over those nubs as they have been heat sealed at the factory.  Removing them just eliminates that obstruction.

Prof Klyzlr

Have you been able to read the article!

Your input on all things train related is ALWAYS welcome!

Atlas RSD models.

Yes it's unfortunate that Kato did not make a full side plate for these.  What I did to correct the issue was to ADD a wiper to the third axle using the same method.  I only have one RSD4 but this modification improved that unit by at least 80%.  

Excellent write up but...

Great clear and concise writeup, please NEVER show pushing a chisel (or any sharp cutting tool) toward a hand or finger - extremely dangerous practise.

Nubs

Thanks Nelson, I missed that they were heat sealed on.  Makes sense now.

You are correct but..............

It was for illustrative purposes only!  One can not educate common sense!  Then again there are times when we must go against the grain!  I found that it worked very well in this case as I had much more control with the small hand gouge.  

Excellent suggestion for

Excellent suggestion for improving electrical pickup. One should also always consider installing a capacitor if there is room in the locomotive. These have been invaluable for DCC operation in my opinion and all my locos have some form of "keep alive" unit.

Thanks for sharing. I have an

Thanks for sharing. I have an Athearn CF7 that was also plagued with pickup problems. They have the square "journal" contacts riding on the axles. I thought I had tracked the problem down to the point where power is transmitted from the trucks to the frame. After giving those areas and the rest of the electrical contacts a thorough cleaning, I still had issues. You could see when the locomotive rocked just the slightest bit, it would lose power. After taking the trucks down to individual components, I soldered small wires (miniatronics bulb wires) from the square pickups on the axles, directly to the decoder. Now instead of a semi-complicated power routing, wheels/journals/truck frames/loco frame, power goes from 8 individual pickups directly to the decoder. It's improved performance to what I'd consider flawless. I've run the entire layout multiple times without a single glitch. It's a little time consuming (troubleshooting mixed with trial and error was most of it) but it couldn't have been that bad because I just bought another one knowing what I'm in for. 

Electrical improvements

Excellent job Joe, I want more

If any have found or made change to obtain better electrical contacts even on brass loco I think is the place to share your trick.

Don't knock a good thing

I have done the same thing on some of my trucks, but only on the backside of the whells. It works quite well either way, I'm sure.

On the other subject of Facebook, don't overlook a treasure trove of model railroad information. There is tons of it on FB. If you are a DIY'er, Weathering Guru, Fantasy modeler, Prototype modeler, Scratch Builder, Card Stock modeler or don't want to buy or sell on Ebay you can get it all on FB Groups. Lots of info or a place for you to lend your expertise on a given subject, that is a good place for it. Don't like the drama with family or whomever, then choose who you become friends with. Don't want to deal with family drama, don't tell them your on FB. I have found that FB for Model Railroading a great place. Also, if you model a Prototype railroad, you would be surprised at what is out there to glean. Had past issues? Then keep your account to yourself and enjoy what other modelers have to offer. I guess I can't call this my 2 cents. Guess it would be closer to 40 cents worth. Still don't like the idea of FB? It's your choice. Just know what your missing out on. I'm done. Sorry for the interruption Joe.

@vtrail.... another method I used