# Bachmann BH Plus Pickups.



## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

I had a new customer ask me about an old problem.

He wanted to know if I could supply him with four of the Bachmann plunger style pickups. I said yes, but have hesitated about selling and shipping something I know is not going to last very long.

I am back in my shop for the first time in a long while due to my recovery from surgery. I had some other things to do which I did, but came back to this problem.


This issue is and has been very common amongst all builders at one time or another. I designed a different pickup for my BBT Drives, they don't fail (unless shorted) and will last a log time. But I put the spring and plunger into a brass tube, then solder the pickup wire to the brass tube.

So, I took four of the Bachmann plunger style pick ups, took them apart, saved the springs, plungers, housings and backing plates. Each backing plate has a small hole in it's center, which I enlarged to 1/16". I drilled a 1/16" hole in the bottom (short end) of each plunger. I located two lengths of black #28 wire and two lengths of red #28 wire.
Tomorrow I will solder the wires to the holes in each plunger, then thread the springs down the wires to the back of each plunger, seat the springs. Thread the wires through a backing plate and insert the plunger and spring into the housing, insert the srews through the backing plates. Done. Remount in the chassis route the wires appropriately and these should last awhile.

Barry - BBT


----------



## Semper Vaporo (Jan 2, 2008)

Is the #28 wire flexible enough to allow the plunger to move freely? 

Motor commutator brushes usually are wired with copper braid that is very flexible. I don't know the dimensions of these Bachmann things but couldn't you use a coil (not springy) of some "solder braid" (the kind without flux in it) as the conductor and just stuff it, with the spring, into the tube? Solder the braid to the end of the plunger and thread the other end out a hole in the tube (like you did the wire) and solder it to the outside. Then use what ever wiring is originall provided.


----------



## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

Anybody tried using the newer Bachmann roller type contacts in place of the ineffective and unreliable plunger contacts? The roller contacts seem to work really well in locos that came with them.


----------



## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

Mr. McCullough, 

Where the wire gets soldered into the plunger, that will be stiff and so would the flex braid due to the solder. 

A super flex would be better, but we're only talking about a movement of a 1/16" or less and it is straight in and out. 

I am suggesting to not solder the plunger connection to the backing plate, due to the tight tolerences. 

I could replace the whole ass'y with a drop in of my BBT pickups, but then it's more money. 

Barry - BBT


----------

