# Electrical pickup problem in Bachmann Heisler



## wigginsn (Jan 9, 2008)

I’ve just picked up a near new Bachmann Heisler from one of our club members. Sorted out the clicking noise by bending the sound contacts in the cylinders out of the way but there seems to be an electrical problem in the front truck. 

The loco works fine on the bench, flat track and the seems to be no issues. Outside is a different story… 

The front truck stops driving randomly - say every 10 secs or so but the rear truck keeps driving. I thought that it was dirty track but same problem happened after cleaning - its pretty random and not linked to any particular place. Also the rear truck does not stop so it isn’t the track. 

So, I took it inside and tested the loco upside down on the bench. I hooked up a supply to the truck pickups it seems the problem is in the area of the brushes that feed the front motor. There seems to very little tolerance for any movement compared to the rear one. Slightest (and I mean slightest) tip and the motor stops. No problems with the rear truck turning if I feed the front so that seems to narrow it down further to the feed side rather than the pickups. 

Bit unsure of how to remove the truck to look at the brushes/contact interface. I lifted the cover off the truck like they show for the major lube and looked inside the boiler but couldn’t see an obvious way to get the thing off.. 

Can anyone point me in the right direction? 

Cheers 
Neil


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## wigginsn (Jan 9, 2008)

Probably should clarify - its the brushes between the truck and chassis I'm suspecting - not the brushes inside the motor. The parts diagram shows 4, 2 pickup from the truck and head to the main PCB and two to feed from PCB back to the motor.


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## nkelsey (Jan 4, 2008)

It is probably the spring loaded pole contacts between the truck and the chassis, been there, done that, same as the GE45Tonner. Drop the truck and wire the motors direct, eliminating the pole contacts.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

That'd be my suggestion, also. If you haven't figured out which screws drop the trucks yet, send Curmudgeon a private message, and he'll be able to tell you. When I did mine, I pretty much took all the detail off the frame before finding the 4 screws hiding in plain sight to do that... 

Later, 

K


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## wigginsn (Jan 9, 2008)

Thanks guys 

Managed to find the screws holding the truck. Dropped it out and straight away the problem was obvious - see the damaged far contact in the photo below. Probably there from factory, there was no evidence of things having been apart before. 












So, Tuahiwi Valley Lumber Co now has a brand new second hand lokey in its roster.  





















Cheers 
Neil


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