Bashing A Brass USRA 0-8-0

[Schraddel]

Time to make some progress.
I made completely new pick up devices. At least loco and tender will have the same polarity to avoid any short circuits. The current will be picked up from the right rail by the means of the uninsulated wheels of loco and tender. And for the other side, with now all wheels insulated, there i have to made new current pick ups.


The new electrical pick up shoes for the tender. At first i glued styrene sheet to the underside of the truck cross members for insulation reasons. Then pieces of an triangular plastic profile. And to this the strange formed shoes. The shoes are made out of 0.15mm hardened bronze sheet. They are bend in this manner to elongate them and made the sprung softer. You have to bend them to make this possible in this rel. small available space. They wipe on the tips of the flanges and are soft enough not to block the wheels.


A closer view.


The bottom plate of the loco. For the non insulated side i soldered 0.5mm hardened brass wire direct to the plate.
For the other side i glued an insulation of 0.3mm styrene sheet to the plate. Then i soldered the brass wire to 0.15mm copper sheet. At least i glued this device to the styrene sheet. The copper sheets provide enough glueing area to make the fixature strong enough.
The black connecting wire has still to be shortened. The other wire will be leading to the tender.


The bottom plate with pick ups mounted. The brass wire is bend and shortened to wipe on the edge of the wheel rims. The side of the gear box cover has got also an insulation.

So all wheels of loco and tender are in duty for electrical pick up.

Lutz

To be continued