Stainz 0-4-0 locomotive pick-ups

S

Sarah Winfield

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Are pick-ups on all 4 wheels and the skates, please?
The length of the un-powered frog on my short radius points is 40mm. Does that mean when both wheels are either end of the frog the skate will not be picking up power?
I understand the Stainz locomotive is prone to stopping when it is sitting across the frog? Has anyone come up with a solution to this please?
Sarah Winfield
 
Sarah, do you have a meter with a continuity-test function? - It bleeps, when there is a circuit path between the probes.

Turn your loco over, and check that between the wheels and skate on one side of the loco, then the other, there is continuity between all three points. - Wheel, skate, wheel.

Clean the backs of the wheels, you should see a dull circle, this is where the carbon-brush 'bullets' rub on the wheel-backs to collect power. - Give this area a clean. You do not need to go too mad.
Then clean the treads of the wheels, and the underside of the skates,

This should help with power pickup..

Are you sure it is a pickup problem? - Sometimes a skate will short on a point.

To cure this, you can wrap a thin brass/copper strip, front to back, on the inner part of the skate, stick a cut-down bit of insulating tape on the outer portion of the skate, or simply bend the outer part of the skate upwards a little.

I am sure someone will be along with a photo of this fix, in the not too far distant future? ;)
 
I think it is very unusual for an LGB skate to short on an R1 LGB point; I've only encountered frog-shorting problems on some Peco points and GRS handbuilt ones with brass frogs.
Ensuring the wheel backs are clean is a very good first step, as is the suggestion of checking the pickup continuity on each side of the loco - as above, both wheels AND the skate on either side should all give electrical continuity between them.
The Stainz is a very short wheelbase, of course, and also has a rubber traction tyre on one wheel which reduces the ability of that wheel to act as a pickup - all this can contribute to stalling on point frogs unless all the pickups are working at full efficiency.
There are electronic ways round this, such as a "power buffer" (basically a capacitor or string of capacitors which store a couple of seconds of power, to help the loco over momentary dead spots), but before worrying about things like that, just check that everything is picking up as and where it should be.

Jon.
 
Telling us the type of track and points will help. Some points with long frogs have electrical contacts inside the frog for the wheel flange to ride on.
The LGB skates will short on Peco point frogs because the rails of different polarities are too close. As said previously bending the skates up a little will stop the outer rail from shorting out with the skate.
 
Sarah, I would support what Phil says about cleanliness. I had a similar problem that was cured by ensuring the wheel treads, back of wheel contacts and skates were very clean.
 
Thank you for your replies. I intend today to clean the wheels and skates.
I am using LGB track and point. I haven't experienced problems yet, but then I haven't installed my points. I'm anticipating my locomotive stopping on the plastic frogs but then I was always a pessimist.
Thank you.
 
Check that the point is level and that the frog is not slightly higher than the surrounding rails - put a ruler across it. The plastic has a tendency to flex and the frog can end up very slightly higher and this lifts the neighbouring wheel off the track.
 
stockers said:
Check that the point is level and that the frog is not slightly higher than the surrounding rails - put a ruler across it. The plastic has a tendency to flex and the frog can end up very slightly higher and this lifts the neighbouring wheel off the track.
Click to expand...

I had "crooked frog" problems on my switches. Not only causes stalling, but unexplained derailments.

There has got to be a joke about crooked frogs !!!
 
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