Brighton Belle power problem

[Nick1707821200]

I got my Brighton Belle set about 5 years ago. I fitted a DCC decoder but otherwise have not run it since initial testing with a PowerCab DCC layout. It has been safely boxed up since then while I built a new layout. It now runs very smoothly at a moderate speed and mostly so at crawl speed but occasionally just stops with all lights out at this very low speed i.e. no apparent power pickup. I have meticulously cleaned both track and wheels (including the inside of the rims) but it still happens, especially on curves, maybe a little less so on straights. Could it be a problem with the pickups, exaggerated by the bogies turning, or something more sinister? I remember the hard work getting the power car open initially to fit the DCC decoder and am very reluctant to start again as I'm afraid of damaging it and am not sure what to investigate anyway. Has anybody any ideas?

Thanks for any help

Nick

[Going Spare]

I don't know how the wiring runs from the pick-ups to the decoder socket on this model, but I recall on others wires trapped between chassis and body have caused problems when the bogie turns and places more stress on the wire causing make-and-break situations.

[Nick1707821200]

Thanks for the response. Interesting and clearly a potential cause. I thought maybe dirty or tarnished pickups but, as I say, it has hardly been used and there are multiple pickups. Looks like I have to bite the bullet and try taking it apart again slightly_frowning_face

[Mac-_-]

Before you take it a part, how's the power around the track.

[Yelrow]

Agree , about power. Are all your other locos ok.

[Nick1707821200]

Thanks again for your comments.

Every piece of track has soldered connections to the DCC power bus and I have cleaned both track and wheel-sets very thoroughly. No other locos have any problems at all and even this one runs very smoothly at speed step 5 or above (decoder is set to 28 steps). All locos use the same model Zimo decoder. I have now opened the model and can find no obvious cause.

Nick

[ColinB]

Just because you haven't used it for 5 years it does not mean that the pickups cannot oxidise. It might be that you have a very fine layer of oxide on the wheels and pickups which is preventing it running. Try cleaning the wheels before you start pulling it apart. The other thing to do seeing as it is working, is run it at medium to fall speed for a couple of circuits of your layout which might clean all the oxide off.

[Going Spare]

When running round curves, the wheelsets are pushed sideways within the bogie frames. Are all the pick-ups continuing to make good contact with the wheels all the time?

[Nick1707821200]

Thanks folks. I do see that tarnished pickups could be an issue. I've no way of telling if that is the case at the point where they push against the wheels but I have run it a number of times around the track at a higher speed. Track has been thoroughly cleaned. I have also cleaned the wheels, including the inners where the pickups make contact. They do appear to be making firm contact all the time, including when the bogies are turned although obviously I can't tell if this is the case when it is on track. It seems clear that I have a power pickup issue and am leaning towards the suggestion that there is an intermittent on the connecting wires although it seems unlikely that it would occur on more than one at the same time. There are two pickups on each bogie, with each pickup serving a pair of wheels on opposite sides.