Hornby 0-4-0 pickup mod

[NorrieMk2]

Hi Everyone.

First of all best wishes for the new year to one and all.

I have been watching a video of 0-4-0 locos having both port and starboard pickups being wired up to the motor instead of just one side.  This improves performance particularly when slow running over points.

I would like to try this mod but am not sure exactly where to solder the secondary pickup to the motor.  Has anyone tried this and can they advise me please.

The video is very informative but it is not clear exactly where to solder to the motor.

Best regards

John

[Chrissaf]

I suggest you post a link to the actual video, so that members can make an informed judgement call.

[walkingthedog]

Not sure why it would make a difference. Power must be picked up from both sides anyway, one side via puckups and the other via the chassis. In my view the best way to help an 0-4-0 over points is to permanently attach a wagon with pickups wired to the motor. 

[NorrieMk2]

Hi Everyone

 

I have attached a link to the video as advised by the moderator.

I am new to model railways on a steep learning curve.

regards

John

[walkingthedog]

I apologise if my reply is a bit negative, but by adding a wagon you make the loco longer which means it will run better over all types of track.

[Ruffnut Thorston]

 

I've made the link clickable...

 

[Going Spare]

I find this video rather puzzling.

The chassis appears to have been made in China and is the version with the motor mounted such that its terminals are facing upwards.

Therefore, as made by Hornby, both those terminals would have been wired to the pick-ups.

If this particular loco had only one wired pick-up, it was not standard, and must have been dependant upon the solder tag on the unwired pick-up making contact with the metal body of the motor to complete the electrical circuit.

The 'upgrade' of fitting a second wired connection between pick-up and motor terminal is thus only returning the loco to the condition in which it left the factory.

Or am I missing something?

GS

[Chrissaf]

That was my impression too GS, but didn't feel confident enough about this particular model to risk mentioning it. The condition of the pickups do look as if someone has been having a real go at them.....and maybe not neccessarily by the producer of the video. I would have thought it strange to find a 'can motor' loco that did not use wired motor connections.

[96RAF]

The original 0-4-0 locos had the motor mounted brush contacts down making contact directly with the pickups wipers.

 

The later locos had the motor mounted with the brush terminals on top and both hard wired from the pickups to the motor, not just one as per the video.

 

I cannot see how any loco would even run with only one side pickup attached, unless it was a bodged hybrid with one pickup wired and the other supposedly making direct contact, which it obviously wasn’t.

 

The loco as ‘modified’ is no different to a normal loco with a brushes up motor correctly wired and it then performs as would be expected of any such loco.

 

As usual more u-tube dross and if you believe that then good for you, but I suggest keep taking the pills.