3424 brakeman and UCS track

from the Lionel Service Manual: The contact shoes used on the no. 3424 operating brakeman car are made with an especially narrow slot to keep the car from operating on remote control track sections..."  Look at the contact shoe on your car to see that it is the narrow kind - if the shoe was replaced with a typical one then this would explain why the car is "operating" as it passes UCS sections.

The part number for the collector shoe is 474-5; the rivet is 474-6; and shoe plate TC-109.

Source:  page 303, COMPLETE SERVICE MANUAL for Lionel Trains by K-Line (1982). The illustration accompanying the parts breakdown shows a collector shoe without the chamfered edge shown in @Bob Paris reply but that may be due to the illustrator using the typical collector shoe used on other UCS activated accessories, e.g. my 3472 milk car, which was just repaired and is shown at page 391 as part TT-208.

Hi Bob and Carl

Many thanks to both. This is a new one for me. It makes sense now.

Here is a picture of my shoe. It looks skinnier than normal but does not look like Bob's photo. Maybe the shoe is worn some. The control rails are really quite slim as you know. I'll see what I can replace it with.

Thanks very much!

Ron

It looks that it is the correct shoe. Does look worn. I would replace, parts are available. If you have a soldering pencil with a narrow tip, you might try touching the head of the rivet to sink it in the plastic shoe just a small tad.

Hi Chuck

Thanks for the idea. I do have one and I'll give it a tad try and also look for replacent parts.

All.... this is what makes post war lionel so much fun!

Ron

That big stiff yellow wire could be giving you trouble. The two bronze springs should be keeping the shoe flat, but with the wrong wire, the shoe can get tipped or twisted. I would recommend the yellow wire be replaced with super flex wire. This is fine stranded, #24 wire with a soft silicon rubber insulation.

Observation: the p/n for the 3424 is different from other shoes according to my reference above.

Speculation: the yellow wire indicates a repair perhaps including a replacement of the original shoe with a different collector shoe.

Suggestion: Someone post photo of 3424 in original condition showing collector shoe.