# Plunger power pickups



## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

I’m trying to re-create track pickup for a used Heisler I just bought. The PO removed the pickups from the trucks. Bachmann no longer has any parts for this. I remember at one point seeing someone had so retro fit plunger/roller/ball bearing pickup. As I recall they were for maybe tenders or cars. But I’m not having any luck searching for them. Looking to find them.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Better to wire around them, better conductivity.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

But I’m wanting to have both track and battery.


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Is this what you are looking for?










USA Trains R2084 G Electrical Pick-Up with Brushes | eBay


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

No, the plungers that touch the back of the wheels are different, constrained by the design of the motor block.

Or maybe you are talking about the the assembly that carries power from the truck to the chassis.

wow, the product reference on the bachmann site is offline for G scale... wow..

I have the exploded parts diagram, if you don't you can email me and I will send it to you, then all will be clear (hopefully), and you can get the part numbers.

But, it appears that Bachmann does not list these parts, so you might have to rig something up.

Greg


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Greg, thanks for the offer but I already have them. I know they are not available as parts anymore so I’m trying to find something to rig up. I did find this Shay roller pickup that I got and see what I can rig up. That USA part might be a possibility for rigging.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

O


mickey said:


> I’m trying to re-create track pickup for a used Heisler I just bought. The PO removed the pickups from the trucks. Bachmann no longer has any parts for this. I remember at one point seeing someone had so retro fit plunger/roller/ball bearing pickup. As I recall they were for maybe tenders or cars. But I’m not having any luck searching for them. Looking to find them.


OK, confused, you say the oiler pickups were removed, you need help, but then later you say you have them, so what is the issue?

edit, I see you were referring to the drawings, not the plungers


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg Elmassian said:


> the oiler pickups were removed, you need help, but then later you say you have them,


I take your autocorrect is working . . . Mickey has a Heisler, not a Shay which is where the rollers came from.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

I guess I’m not being very clear. I just bought the Heisler and the PO had removed the track pickups from it. Those parts are no longer available. So I am trying to rig up something to pickup track power. When looking thru the Bachmann parts for all the different engines, I saw and ordered the Shay roller pickups to see if I can rig them up on the Heisler. I know they won’t just snap in. So I am looking for other possibilities to accomplish the track pickup.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

I have often had the problem with high end brass equiped with tiny brass plungers that slide in a plastic tube, the pick ups being too small heat up with the resistance and melt the plastic. I also used to do this in my HO scale days with badly working brass models using the tender for return current. 
What you want to do is find a way to screw or glue some small laminated epoxy circuit board chip just the size you need to solder a strip of phosphor bronze, to which you solder the motor leads. This then is set so that the phospor bronze strip aplies a little pressure to the backside of the wheel to establish a good electrical contact and is of course soldered to that chip. They work very well last long and if you have to change them it takes just cutting out another strip of phosphor bronze unsoldering the used one and replacing it. Easy and efficient.
I have succesfully treated a FAM PRR M1A like that and more rencently a Modelbex SNCF CC7100 electic whose plungers were out of commission after about five hours of running time! Now they both run very well.
I learned all these things back in the '60 with model railroader magazine, I hope this helps.


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

It gives ideas but not real clear. Any pics you can share?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

mickey said:


> It gives ideas but not real clear


Phosphor Bronze is the classic material for making wheel pickups on model trains. I found some sold as overhead wire for trolleys, and I have been making wipers for the back of wheels with it for 20 years. 










Here's a pair on the front of a railtruck.










Simon is using strips instead of wire, but the principal is the same. K&S offers it:
K&S 16053 Phosphorus Bronze Sheet,
https://www.amazon.com/16053-Phosph...ocphy=9007939&hvtargid=pla-384918477593&psc=1


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Now I understand. Thanks.


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## Clubber (Jan 4, 2020)

What tool do you use to cut strips from the bronze sheet?


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Clubber said:


> What tool do you use to cut strips from the bronze sheet?


Scissors. It is quite thin and springy.


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## du-bousquetaire (Feb 14, 2011)

Hi Guys : I was fairly busy these days and didn't follow this, sorry, here is the desired photo: 

On the first on you can see the original plunger pick ups which failed (melted) and were removed.

On the second photo you can see that I glued small chips of circuit boards tio which I soldered the new bronze sheet pick ups as well as the pick up wires.

If the glue doesnt stand up I can always rebuild by bolting the chip to the original power pick up support.
Cheers, Simon


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## mickey (Jan 28, 2009)

Thanks for the pics. Much clearer now to me.


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