loss of power through switches

Compare the c-t-c (center to center) distance of the rollers on the ones that don't have a problem with the c-t-c distance on the ones that do have a problem.

You may find that instead of trying to fix the locos or the switches, you might need to run a single flexible lead to be used as a "hot" tether between the loco and the tender, to overcome any situation where the rollers are not making continuous contact with the third rail.

You can test this theory by using a short test lead equipped with alligator clips, connecting the hot lead inside the loco with the third rail supply as you drive the loco slowly through the switch.

Thanks Arthur, for the reply. I realize most people think I'm crazy for thinking this way, but I'm trying to keep my prewar trains as close to "stock" as possible. They are all original and in very good to excellent condition, other than the running issue. The pickup roller spacing is the same on the problem locos as it is on the non-problem locos. 

I'll give your test lead trick a try this evening and see what happens. Gunrunner has suggested this fix before, but again I'm reluctant to do this as I'm trying to keep everything "stock." Perhaps that's wishful thinking, but I figure if some locos run through the switches, they all should run through. 

The extra lead did the trick. I took one of the locos apart and connected a spare truck with a pickup roller to the loco, spacing it the same as if it were all assembled and wired to the tender, and it rolled right through the switches without any trouble. It still puzzles me why some locos need this modification and some work just fine without it. 

Many thanks,

John

John, the beauty of the single line tether is you can easily remove it and return to "stock" if you desire.  I've added this to many locomotives, both old and new.  Even some of my Legacy stuff needs the extra wire for 100% reliability over switches.

The need is all about roller spacing and the specific switches.  I find some locomotives will choke on a specific size switch but not other sizes of switches.

Nice to hear this has a happy ending and I hate to ask but....is it possible to post some pictures? I have an image of a pita situation where the loco and tender are permanently connected by the tether and can't be separated. I must be missing something.

Is it possible that one of the pickup rollers isn't making contact with the third rail? maby only on the the switches? Just my 2 ¢ worth.

hokie71 posted:

Nice to hear this has a happy ending and I hate to ask but....is it possible to post some pictures? I have an image of a pita situation where the loco and tender are permanently connected by the tether and can't be separated. I must be missing something.

I create such a tether with machine pin sockets and pins, they pop right apart when you want to separate the tender and locomotive.

John, those connector pins and sockets look great--where do you get them? 

I use machine pin sockets and pins and make them.  Solder the pin and socket on the wire, add a little heatshrink, and you have a one-pin tether.   eBay: 142204120810 and 141976509410 for the parts.

It's probably obvious that I cut away the plastic and just use the pins.  The thicker pin end goes into the matching socket for a nice fit, the thin end gets the wire soldered to it.

Ok, I'm confused. That's a lot of pins; don't you only need 1 pin and 1 socket?

Yes, that's why I mentioned cutting the pins out of the plastic.  That's a lifetime supply of one-pin tethers.

Look at the original picture, it's one pin and one socket soldered to the wire, then covered in heatshrink.

Thanks John--I'm a little slow today, but now I get it. 

Thanks from me too, those are handy!

No problem, it's always nice to get a Two-Fur with a suggestion.

I'm going to order these for sure. In the meantime, I installed a tether on one of my 263Es and connected the tender and loco temporarily with a wire nut. What a difference!! For collectors like me who believe tinplate should be run and not just kept on a shelf, this fix is just the ticket. After putting everything back together, I ran it around the layout 25 times and it didn't skip a beat. The mainline I ran it on has 6 switches (3 of them in a row) and there wasn't even the slightest hesitation going through them.  Thanks a million!!

John

Yep, amazing what constant power will do for running reliability.