DC single side pick up help

[MartyJ]

Hi, My Grandad has a kit built DC loco with single side pickups that needs wiring to run. He was going to use DCC but now decided not too. 

There is a motor and wires but just need to know what should connect to what. He's tried a couple of ways but can't get it to work, it used to before he was going to convert it to DCC but that was a few years ago and now can't remember what went where.

If power is supploff to the 2 motor ports it runs fine in each direction but can't figure out how the wires should all connect for it to run on his track.  There's one wire that comes from the single side pick ups, another coming out of the top of the motor and another out of the bottom of the motor. Thanks in advance.

Have tried to upload a photo from my iPhone but the uploaded doesn't like it.

 

 

[96RAF]

In general for two rail operation each set of wheels on one side of the loco will have some form of wheel to wheel linked pickup to take the track current from those wheels into the loco. The wheels obviously have to be somehow isolated side to side or they will create a short as one rail is positive and the other negative.

 

As it is kit built the pickups could be of any one of a multitude of methods, but unlikely to be the same flimsy method used on current production locos. E.g. They could be wires or springy metal strips that bear on the wheel rim or wheel back. These will have probably have electrical wires connecting to the motor brushes, but they can be arranged so that the motor brushes touch the pickups directly.

 

The exception is if the loco was built to run on three rail track where the wheels are common as both rails are negative and the positive is supplied to the middle rail where it is picked up via a scraper shoe or sprung plunger arrangement.  

 

You may even find one side of the pickup or motor is connected using the loco chassis, hence a bit of detective work may be required using a multimeter. In this case one wheel set will be live to the axle and the current will flow through the chassis to the motor, the wheels with the pickups on connect to the other side of the motor.

 

Tip - on your phone open the picture you,want to load onto the forum and send it to Files. This will store it on your phone or iPad in a form that can be uploaded to the forum. Pick the black and white (hill and moon) icon next to the smiley face and select Browse, go to your Files area and find your picture. This will load providing it is not much more than about 2Mb.

[RDS]

@MartyJ

Further the post by RAF96 above, you need to be aware that your picture will not upload immediately, as it will need to be approved by Hornby Admin.  This usually happens within 24 hours of posting if posted during office hours.

 

If you intend to post text as well as your picture, it is worth posting the text separately, otherwise it will be held up, waiting of the picture.