So, I ended up solving my own problem. I shot some DeoxIT into the collector, gave it a couple of minutes, and then took it for a spin - problem solved, at least for now.
My next though was going to be to apply some Bachmann EZ-Lube conductive lube to the collector - but it doesn't seem to be necessary. We'll see in the coming days. As a side note: the Bachmann lube freezes when exposed to the cold we're seeing here in the midwest. Not get sluggish - but actually forms a crystalline structure, as that's how I found it in the mailbox today. Not that that's bad, but it is unexpected.
