Pickup roller - extreme wear

Stainless steel track?

@H1000 posted:

I've seen worn rollers but this one so far takes the cake for me.

Looks like the newer style MTH pick up. That level of wear is unusual. Maybe it wasn't spinning freely and was dragged around the layout?

I had bought a postwar NW 2 when I got into the hobby again. It had well worn pick ups but it was 60+ years old.

@Hard Crab posted:

Stainless steel track?

Could be H. Crab.

Looks like maintenance could be at play also. 

FWIW, I've seen and wish I had the pictures and kept it, a roller worn/cut down to the rivet and then went halfway through the rivet. There was nothing but 2 rings of what what was left of the "roller" pushed apart to the far sides of the pickup.

It was on a heavily run club engine, that likely ran for minimum 5 hours a day, flying around the track at high speed on a 75 foot long table with wide curves. There is abuse and then there is what was done to this engine.

Most people will never see that level of wear and abuse in a typical home situation. It's possible but it takes years. I have a unique situation were volunteers start em up, maybe monitor them running- maybe, and run them for hours and hours until they stop or they get tired and go home.

What's funny about this picture is it looks like severe wear is beginning on the right side of the roller to.

I find that when the rollers get that "grooved" the loco won't track through my switches properly, and will try and de-rail. The roller tries to hang onto the center rail, and won't let the loco turn-out and, bingo, the loco derails.

Sure sign that maintenance is needed!!!!  Straight to my MTH Parts Kit for a new roller.

Peter.....Buco Australia.

   But can you buy just the roller and not the whole assembly ?

@RSJB18 posted:

... a postwar NW 2 when I got into the hobby again. It had well worn pick ups but it was 60+ years old.

Similar here on my 2333

Henning's had an outdoor track for years, and there was an engine running hours and hours when the store was open.  We replaced motors, wheels, and rollers more than once on them.  They ran until repairs would be more expensive than taking another inexpensive engine out and using it.

Looks like that engine might have been run on a layout with the old post war  Lionel super  O track. I have seen some rollers  pretty well worn but not that bad. Super O track looked great but could be hard on rollers.

Like I said, I've seen rollers worn down close to the rivet.  Remember, the roller is running way faster than the wheels, so it's going to wear faster.  Also, the wheels are typically steel, the rollers are normally bronze or sintered bronze.

Is there a common part that includes the pickup roller and bracket for sale that will fit most modern Lionel and MTH rolling stock?

fwiw: extreme worn pickup rollers that I have seen result from continual running, e.g., holiday displays, where concentric circles make up the train track.

@Paul Kallus posted:

Is there a common part that includes the pickup roller and bracket for sale that will fit most modern Lionel and MTH rolling stock?

fwiw: extreme worn pickup rollers that I have seen result from continual running, e.g., holiday displays, where concentric circles make up the train track.

There is not one common part, the pickup rollers come with many arm lengths and mounting provisions.

@Paul Kallus posted:

..worn pickup rollers that I have seen result from continual running, e.g., holiday displays, where concentric circles make up the train track.

YES, this one was obviously run in one direction on an oval track.