How to make pickup wheels

[Simon Potter]

As i've previously said on a different thread, i am starting to run my railway more at night. I have solved the problem of installing lights in my loco's but now i want to see the carriages that my loco is pulling. I have come across a range of LED's which i can install all of which i am confident i can fit and get working BUT my problem is how do i get the power from the track to the lights.

Does anybody have any reasonably priced ideas?

Regards

Simon Potter

Ps the only method ive come across is via this link http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/G-SCALE-U...512892?hash=item2a496d187c:g:4uoAAOSw2XFUlfYY

 

[Deleted member 1986]

Off the shelf solutions................

http://www.modell-land.de/elektrische-kontakte-63193-p-1335.html


http://www.modell-land.de/kugelgelagertes-radsatzpaar-67403-p-1370.html


DIY, phosphor bronze strip, brass strip, nickel silver wire, copper clad PCB, simply put, any material capable of carrying voltage that can be made into a pickup to convey voltage from the wheels to whatever requires it..............plus the usual, converting the voltage to DC, dropping the voltage to drive the LED's, etc...etc........

Even these have been used,
http://www.diy.com/departments/bq-white-fixing-block-pack-of-100/241399_BQ.prd

drilled out to accommodate either of these........

http://www.modell-land.de/schleiferkohle-getriebe-stck-modell-land-82101000-p-14855.html


http://www.modell-land.de/schleiferkohle-getriebe-stck-modell-land-82201000-p-14858.html

 

[ebay mike]

Hi Simon. How many coaches require fitting? Do your lights have to be track powered? There are cheap alternatives.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I have a number of spare LGB / Massoth plunger units, but they have been used........and retrieved.

Traditionally, I glued them to tender bogies for power supply to US locos.

 

[Zerogee]

Hi Simon. How many coaches require fitting? Do your lights have to be track powered? There are cheap alternatives.

I would agree, using the inexpensive LED strips available on eBay (warm white for modern coaches, yellow for old-timers), a simple cheap switch and a PP3 9 volt battery, you can light each coach individually for just a few pounds of parts each - and no worrying about picking up power off the track. I've done some tests with 2 x 3-LED strips, and they will run continuously for days on a PP3 battery - so with an hour or two of night-time running per session they will last for quite a while. They also don't flicker as some track powered lights can do!

Jon.

 

[Rhinochugger]

I would agree, using the inexpensive LED strips available on eBay (warm white for modern coaches, yellow for old-timers), a simple cheap switch and a PP3 9 volt battery, you can light each coach individually for just a few pounds of parts each - and no worrying about picking up power off the track. I've done some tests with 2 x 3-LED strips, and they will run continuously for days on a PP3 battery - so with an hour or two of night-time running per session they will last for quite a while. They also don't flicker as some track powered lights can do!

Jon.

The early Bachmann US coaches had PP3 battery compartments for the lights - I think there were 2 or 3 grain of wheat bulbs per coach, and the batteries lasted me years.

 

[pugwash]

I would agree, using the inexpensive LED strips available on eBay (warm white for modern coaches, yellow for old-timers), a simple cheap switch and a PP3 9 volt battery, you can light each coach individually for just a few pounds of parts each - and no worrying about picking up power off the track. I've done some tests with 2 x 3-LED strips, and they will run continuously for days on a PP3 battery - so with an hour or two of night-time running per session they will last for quite a while. They also don't flicker as some track powered lights can do!

Jon.

I this would be especially useful if the railway is analogue and so the voltage varies.

 

[PhilP]

Depending on the make of loco..
LGB, many have sockets n the rear of the loco.. You can get track power from the loco's pickups, and link it to the coaches that way..
Micro JST connectors can be used to link the coaches together..
eg:

http://rctrains.co.uk/Accessories.htm#Connectors

(blatant plug!)

 

[Simon Potter]

Yeah thanks for the replies, I don't really want to use batteries as well I think it just extra hassle then I have to turn them off, saves true with the wires between coaches as that limits the rolling stock that can be used in the train

 

[Simon Potter]

Hi Simon. How many coaches require fitting? Do your lights have to be track powered? There are cheap alternatives.

Depends on the solution I find really but a min of 5

 

[ebay mike]

Depends on the solution I find really but a min of 5

I bought several different sets of battery powered Christmas lights in Poundland's post Xmas sale. 12 clear LEDs powered by 2 x AA batteries, 6 clear LEDs on 2 x AAs and also 6 clear LEDs on the tiny lithium button batteries. The first two include appropriate battery box with on/off switch. I tested a set and it ran continuously for over 36 hours. The last set has a battery box not that much bigger than a £2 coin with a push button switch. Cost was 25p a set! Also picked up a number of the multi-coloured flashing LEDs working on the same principle. The red/blue units are destined for Fire Service vehicles. An added bonus was the clip on covers which resemble modern globe street lamps. If interested I'll try and find my camera tomorrow and post some pics.

 

[trammayo]

I bought several different sets of battery powered Christmas lights in Poundland's post Xmas sale. 12 clear LEDs powered by 2 x AA batteries, 6 clear LEDs on 2 x AAs and also 6 clear LEDs on the tiny lithium button batteries. The first two include appropriate battery box with on/off switch. I tested a set and it ran continuously for over 36 hours. The last set has a battery box not that much bigger than a £2 coin with a push button switch. Cost was 25p a set! Also picked up a number of the multi-coloured flashing LEDs working on the same principle. The red/blue units are destined for Fire Service vehicles. An added bonus was the clip on covers which resemble modern globe street lamps. If interested I'll try and find my camera tomorrow and post some pics.

The ball bearing wheelsets seem (to me) to be the best pick-ups - least friction, etc. However they are expensive if you want a few of them. As mentioned by Forum member Arthur A, simple strips etc are a cheaper option.

I have used that method (crudely on a number of tender as pictured above. Brass wire bent to shape, held by the bogie side frame fixing screws. The harder the wire, the better (it remains 'springy'!). I also used that method on a Bachmann Gandy Dancer to combine the pump truck and trailer in picking up power!

 

[Zerogee]

While I still reckon that battery-powered LED lighting is the simplest and cheapest alternative, if you really want track power to each individual coach then the clip-in ballbearing wheelsets with the power take-off tabs are the easiest and most effective method - but as Mick says above, they are quite expensive...... and you might want to use two sets, one at each end of a bogie coach and wired together, to reduce flickering due to momentary poor contact with the track; you will also have to factor in matching metal wheels for the other axles on each coach, unless you don't mind the odd appearance of mixed plastic and metal wheels on the same piece of stock. All this, plus the actual lighting strips, is going to set you back a total of around fifty quid per bogie coach, I reckon - compared with the battery method that can be done for about a fiver per coach.....

Jon.

 

[trammayo]

While I still reckon that battery-powered LED lighting is the simplest and cheapest alternative, if you really want track power to each individual coach then the clip-in ballbearing wheelsets with the power take-off tabs are the easiest and most effective method - but as Mick says above, they are quite expensive...... and you might want to use two sets, one at each end of a bogie coach and wired together, to reduce flickering due to momentary poor contact with the track; you will also have to factor in matching metal wheels for the other axles on each coach, unless you don't mind the odd appearance of mixed plastic and metal wheels on the same piece of stock. All this, plus the actual lighting strips, is going to set you back a total of around fifty quid per bogie coach, I reckon - compared with the battery method that can be done for about a fiver per coach.....

Jon.

And you have a point about matching wheels too Jon - cannot pick up power if you don't change from plastic to metal - forgot to mention that!

 

[AppleYankee]

Simon,

I used this method on six LGB coaches. I changed the plastic spoke wheel for LGB six spoke metal wheels. The wiper install was easy.

View media item 2013

 

[ebay mike]

Pics as promised, but I got the number of LEDs wrong - must be old age. The coloured flashing set is 10 - 5 x red/blue and 5 x red/green. The button cell set is 5 x white and the AA sets are 20 x white. The white globes will make reasonable street or platform lights or may even become belisha beacons. I've got about 200 of them.

 

[Simon Potter]

View attachment 220891

The ball bearing wheelsets seem (to me) to be the best pick-ups - least friction, etc. However they are expensive if you want a few of them. As mentioned by Forum member Arthur A, simple strips etc are a cheaper option.

I have used that method (crudely on a number of tender as pictured above. Brass wire bent to shape, held by the bogie side frame fixing screws. The harder the wire, the better (it remains 'springy'!). I also used that method on a Bachmann Gandy Dancer to combine the pump truck and trailer in picking up power!

That looks a very interesting solution, what wire have you used to brush against the wheels?

 

[Railway42]

Easy to make your own use 6 mm H section plastic. Glue two together and use two loco pickups with wires attached and place them between the metal wheels.

 

[trammayo]

That looks a very interesting solution, what wire have you used to brush against the wheels?

http://www.alwayshobbies.com/materials/metal/section/metric-solid-brass-rod

I think it was 1.5mm (certainly no smaller) - although mine were not in 1 metre lengths because of postage problems - and you could use 2mm I suppose, The half-hard is easier to bend - haven't tried the hard because I suspect, apart from difficulties in bending tight curves it might fracture.
Another point, to help lessen friction (which is like applying brakes!), I located the pick-up ends nearer the wheel centres.

My efforts were not concerned with lighting but rather improving pick-up properties on my locos where they had suffered from loss of wheel plating!

 

[dunnyrail]

When using Wire for pickups it is better to think in SWG sizes, I have used 30 SWG Nickel Silver, it is nicely springy and can be bought in a small packet in a coiled roll from the likes if Eileenes Emporium or your local model shop if you are lucky enough to have one.

https://eileensemporium.com

If you have concerns that there will not be enough meat on the wire for reliable pickup you can always make a small circle to touch the back of the wheels with a pair of fine nosed pliers.

JonD