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Reply to "Tender Cars with pickups"

K KKNAPPEROGR Forum Member

Improve short locomotive wiring in 7 steps

By Peter H. Riddle | March 29, 2021

Stuttering through switches can be fixed with this one-night project.

(I'm adding this story I found to help anyone else who is experiencing a problem with short foot print pickups...kk)

I hope it helps.

Some of today’s short-wheelbase locomotives have issues with the prototypical switches and narrow-angle crossings that make an O gauge railroad look realistic. Here’s a quick fix that will allow any locomotive­ ­- even this economical Bethlehem Steel saddle tanker from Lionel – to perform reliably over the troublesome trackwork.



A short O gauge 0-6-0t steam switcher approaches a pair of track turnouts
The underside of Lionel 0-6-0t and GP9 locomotives showing the spacing of the pickup rollers.
Making a wire harness by crimping male and female solderless connectors each to a length of 24-gauge stranded wire.
Soldering wire with female connector to metal contact for pickup roller on caboose truck that has been unscrewed from body.
Truck reattached to caboose body with wired female connector affixed to the underside with a piece of double-sided tape in a position that does not show when caboose is on track.
Wiring with male solderless connector is connected at the other end to the locomotive pickup screw with a spade connector. Wire is held to the locomotive body with a piece of double-sided tape
The underside of the locomotive and caboose coupled together with connected male and female solderless connectors.
Locomotive and caboose upright on track approaching track switch.
A short O gauge 0-6-0t steam switcher approaches a pair of track turnouts
The underside of Lionel 0-6-0t and GP9 locomotives showing the spacing of the pickup rollers.
Making a wire harness by crimping male and female solderless connectors each to a length of 24-gauge stranded wire.
Soldering wire with female connector to metal contact for pickup roller on caboose truck that has been unscrewed from body.
Truck reattached to caboose body with wired female connector affixed to the underside with a piece of double-sided tape in a position that does not show when caboose is on track.
Wiring with male solderless connector is connected at the other end to the locomotive pickup screw with a spade connector. Wire is held to the locomotive body with a piece of double-sided tape
The underside of the locomotive and caboose coupled together with connected male and female solderless connectors.
Locomotive and caboose upright on track approaching track switch.

The bane of O gauge operators everywhere is having a small locomotive with closely spaced power pickup rollers – operating through long switches that stop ’em dead in their tracks. Here’ a simple, step-by-step process to keep the juice flowing! Photo by Peter Riddle

Supply list

22- or 24-gauge wire

Male and female solderless connectors

Crimp-on spade connector

Screwdriver

Soldering iron and solder

Two-sided tape

Wire cutter/crimper

Last edited by KKNAPPER

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