The wheels on my new Heljan 47 are blackened, the treads also being black which always makes me think its not going to pick up current as well as it should? When cleaning, will this rub off and produce a tarnished look something similar to lima wheels?
Just run the loco.
I would, but as its sound chipped it needs 100% pick up.
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What are going to clean them with? Try rubbing a bit of rag on the wheels and see if they are in fact dirty and then consider using a non-abrasive cleaner. Earlier posts in this newsgroup have suggestions for cleaning one easily available is methylated spirits.
Chris
"Chris" wrote
Power the motor with a couple of wires from the DC controlled output from your controller and use a fibre glass brush to burnish the wheel treads, then polish them to a high sheen in a similar manner with a very mildly abrasive polish. Works an absolute treat, and the polished surface seems much less willing to attract dirt.
John.
"Piemanlarger" wrote I would, but as its sound chipped it needs 100% pick up.
Simon, I ran my 24 with the SWD chip over some steel rails cleaned only with sand paper (the board and track having been stood in two different garages for more years than I know of) and it still ran fine. The chip will work just as well as if it were a DC loco on mucky track or with mucky wheels...
If all else fails, get rid of the plastic and or traction tyred stock to reduce mucky wheels, as these two leave all the crud in the world on the rails.
Andy
"John Turner" wrote in news:dlqk3k$fca$ snipped-for-privacy@newsreaderm2.core.theplanet.net:
...
Duragrit/Brasso?
"Chris Wilson" wrote
Probably Brasso is the best option, but Duraglit with most of the polish squeezed out should also do the trick.
John.
The chemical agent that blackens the wheels is electrically conductive. However, it helps to polish the wheel treads. So, like I said, run the loco. Round and round clockwise, on the tightest radius it will comfortably negotiate, at medium speed. Then turn the engine end for end, and round and round clockwise. Then anti-clockwise. Then turn the engine again and run it some more. This will polish the wheeltreads nicely. It also helps to put a drop or two of contact cleaner on the rails while doing this. You can also polish the wheel with the loco upside down in a cradle, some alligator clips, and soft wood sticks and polishing cloth, but that's not as much fun as watching the loco go round and round and round and round and round... :-)
If you are having pickup problems, look to the track itself. Is it clean? Is every section of rail wired to the power bus? And I do mean every section. Do not rely on rail joiners/fish plates to conduct current reliably.
Are the gaps at the points spaced so that the backs of wheels don't rub against the open point and cause a short? Are you using metal frog turnouts and power switching contacts on the point motor? Do not rely on the points to carry current to the frog and closure rails. Etc.
BTW, if your rolling stock wheels get dirty enough that you actually have to clean them more than once every six months or so, you are doing something wrong. Do you smoke in the train room? Don't - tobacco smoke is oily gunk that settles on the relatively cool rails and attracts dust. Replace all plastic wheels with metal ones. Plastic oozes microscopic amounts of plasticiser, which sticks to the rails and attracts dust. The sticky gunk that results sticks to the wheels. Keep the door to the train room closed. Use a portable airfilter to reduce the amount of dust floating around in their (replace the air filters on a forced-air central heating system at least twice a year.) IOW, get somewhat obsesseive about cleanliness in your train room, and 50% of your contact problems will disappear. More if you're lucky. :-)
Good luck!
I think it may be wiper pickup more than anything else as just a slight tap on the side of the bogie can be enough to get going again. I get a simular problem with some of my bach 37. Railes have been cleaned with track rubber to remove paint (waethering track) and then meths. They are shinny rails with no sign of dirt. The 47 was run in for over an hour on DC before fitting the chip, but the black wheeels just dont look conductive even if they are! I might try bending the wipers / pickups out a bit so they are making stronget contact with the wheels.
Did this and the running is much better, faultless infact. This with the grey square capacitor still in place! Off to get some brasso in the moning!!!
The funny new type pocket that comes on the 47, do you need to remove it to fit the snowploughs? I want snowploughs both ends with coupling being by a screw coupling.
I would avoid fitting snowploughs to recent Heljan 47s - removing the buffer beam will completely bugger up the sprung buffers, which use a flimsy bit of wire to push the buffers out. Remove them and chances are you'll never get the damn wire back in again. >:(
There are some useful tips for track and wheel cleaning on the rec.model.railroads FAQ at:
As sprung buffers aren't always a necessity on model railways, is it possible to reassemble the buffers unsprung once the wire has come out?
Cheers, John.
"Rich Mackin" wrote
Gerraway Rich, been there, done it, got the t-shirt. All you need is four hands, a couple of pairs of tweezers, an electron microscope a very steady hand, perfect eyesight and a dictionary full of expletives.
Alternatively you can dispense with the springing and glue them solid. :-)
John.
"John Lancaster" wrote
I don't think they're necessary at all - in fact I'd far sooner have a proper shaped unsprung buffer than some sprung compromise like the hideous jobbie on the new(ish) Hornby MGR hoppers.
John.
Another unnecessary frill, AFAIAC.
As I may chop a 37/0 and have a set of sprung bachmann oleo buffers, I suppose these would be ok for the 47?
I know very little about 47'sbut I must admit the sound chip is nice and the its a Xmas present its quite welcome!
Simon, Don't forget to "CLEAN" the wipers when you bend them... If they rub on the back of the wheels, don't forget to clean the wheel backs to... (And if I'm teaching you to suck eggs, my apologies!)
:-)
Andy
I think it may be wiper pickup more than anything else as just a slight tap on the side of the bogie can be enough to get going again. I get a simular problem with some of my bach 37. Railes have been cleaned with track rubber to remove paint (waethering track) and then meths. They are shinny rails with no sign of dirt. The 47 was run in for over an hour on DC before fitting the chip, but the black wheeels just dont look conductive even if they are! I might try bending the wipers / pickups out a bit so they are making stronget contact with the wheels.
"Piemanlarger" wrote
The old adage Simon, consult a photograph or two. If they look ok then use them.
John.
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