Adding Pickup Rollers To Lionel Trucks

Trucks with pickups are not too expensive from Lionel. That's one way to go. Also I think ERR has the add on pickup rollers in one of their kits...maybe they can get you a number.

Check out some old tenders. I have a couple that have rollers and the piece is held in by the axles. I think, from looking at them, that they could be added on.

The basic plastic Lionel truck is modified by simply snapping in the collector assembly(part number is 9050-150):

Sources HERE. They fit just about all plastic post-1969 trucks.

Back in the day I think I remembered a snap in pickup roller assembly that would add a pickup roller to a normal MPC and later era truck.

I am aware of pick-ups that fit postwar plastic trucks, and snap-in pickups that fit 9050 style modern era trucks. There probably are snap-in pickups for later modern era trucks too.
If you specify a couple of trucks, I'd guess that someone would be able to tell you what to use.

Great information.   Thanks to all

Does anyone know of a source for the Lionel MPC PickUp Roller 6009050150 .. I want to add a second roller to each of the NYC pass cars that I have 6-16017, etc to eliminate blinking as it crosses over dead spots (022's. x-ings, etc) .. I am looking for 7 pieces.. I had to downsize my layout in my new place and have reverted to these O27 cars for my NYC passenger train

Funny, I was looking for the same part today.  Checked many websites and only found a few on that auction site that shall remain nameless.

Yes ,, I saw those too ,, just looking for a Hobby Shop that might carry them ,, need 5 not 7

PS;; Since I use TMCC and the track at 18Volts, I added a diode in the circuit to the 14-volt bulbs to cut the brightness and also add to the life span

Check out traintender.com. I know Jeff is swamped right now but they're on his list. Give him a couple weeks to work out of his overload.

@Larry Martin posted:

Does anyone know of a source for the Lionel MPC PickUp Roller 6009050150...

@Z-man posted:

... Jeff is swamped right now but they're on his list...

I live only a few miles away from Jeff but I always just download an order form and mail it to him so he gets to it when he gets to it.

I have added light pickups to over 20 Lionel trucks over the years.  Here is some details of how I do it.  They do not back up real well over my 31 Marx 1590 switches but work great in forward.  I do not know about Lionel switches.

I made 5 cabooses with electrical pickups for lights in the last two months.  I started making them starting 30 years ago,with a few cabooses and made two 4 car strings of Lionel 2400 passenger cars for bodies and bought roofs and window panels, building the frames and adding trucks with homemade light pick ups and am still at it.  I buy all the trucks I can find at train meets also.

An electrical pick up was made for one of the plastic O gauge trucks.  My method using a piece of thin brass shim to make an electrical pick up was used.  I have made over 20 of this hard to find pick ups for my train collection.

Picture of outside rail pickup, simply wires wound loosely around the axles

From another write up on OGR

I added a homemade light pick up to one of the trucks, made from brass shim stock and a piece of tin can for durability.  The pickup must be no wider than 3/8 inch so it will not short on Remote Control track sections.  I use trucks without working couplings to have room for pick up.  The white wooden block is glued on with E6000 glue and serves to move the pick up back and provides a place to put a small screw to hold the brass shim pick up.  See the folded edge on the shim to keep it from moving side wise and the plastic of the truck extends out past the wood block.

Ground wire on the other truck for the Christmas tree 12 v light bulb and a socket that was mounted in the cab.

It may sound like a lot of trouble to make them and have not heard of many others making them but I have it down to a couple of hours each while watching the TV news etc.

Do not over look the use of 12 v mini Christmas tree lights and sockets for rail car lights.  These are cheap and use less power than the lights Lionel used in their 2400 series passenger cars, at two lights per car.  Cheaper than regular incandescent bulbs too.  LED lights are lower in power usage but cost much more.

Charlie

@Larry Martin posted:

Does anyone know of a source for the Lionel MPC PickUp Roller 6009050150 .. I want to add a second roller to each of the NYC pass cars that I have 6-16017, etc to eliminate blinking as it crosses over dead spots (022's. x-ings, etc) .. I am looking for 7 pieces.. I had to downsize my layout in my new place and have reverted to these O27 cars for my NYC passenger train

Lionel has them. $4.00 ea.

Forest

Another easier and cheaper way to eliminate the blinking of passenger car lights is to run a small flexible wire between each car hooking up the hot wire of each car to the car in front and behind.  This will work easier if you normally run them as a set and can leave the hooked up.  The wire can be hooked up with small wire nuts to make removing easy to change out cars if you must.  I usually drill a 1/16 inch hole in the bottom of the car on each car end for wire.

This is real easy for a Lionel 2400 series cars as the roof can be removed by removing two thumb screws on the roof.  I some time leave the roof top screws off.  Some other passenger cars are a pain to get inside as the sides have to be forced in in certain spots to get the roof off with difficulty.

Some of us old timer 50 and 60s train runners have gotten used to Lionel car lights  blinking and live with it, maybe we are used to it!

Charlie

@Choo Choo Charlie posted:

The wire can be hooked up with small wire nuts to make removing easy to change out cars if you must.

I use these 2 place quick-disconnects for this application.

I searched the Lionel site and could not find them ,, so I sent an inquiry e-mail to Lionel this morning..

I do like the idea of tagging the 'hot-wire' of each car together as over the 7-cars I have .. it would be extremely stable.  I do like the lamp brightness level with the diode that I added to each car .. if I tie all the hot wires together on all 7-cars, I will have to double check the polarity of the diodes I put in to ensure they are all in the same direction .. I also have to ensure that I put the diode in the wire feed from the center rail .. otherwise .. YIKES

BTW .. I do like your thoughts on small or micro 2 or 3-wire connectors.. I should have used them on all of my buildings, in lieu of wire nuts or soldering/shrink tube .. it makes is easier for any repairs or efforts that may require me from removing them from my layout.. I saw some nice 2 and 3-pin connectors on Amazon .. some 22 gauge and some 28 .. pending what you are connecting. I may buy some and re-introduce them into my layout

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...Q3DQ399IHU&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...2MD79B9ZCW&psc=1

Those connectors are a good idea. Make for much easier repair/trouble shooting.

Even when changing light bulbs or whatever .. easier to remove building or accessory and do bench work.

One of the most tediuos or difficult things for me to do with my 68 year old vision and hand dexterity is to re-connect wires to the wire clips under an accessory or building reaching 3 or 4 feet across my layout without knocking something over or worse yet, breaking something

Thanks Rob ... as they say sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees