modelsof1900's Get off yer duff Challenge (Part III)

[modelsof1900]

Now a few preparations for power pick-up. The tender is a simple thing.



This is the ordinary way on tender trucks with power feeders on the insulated wheels and additional two bolts to avoid the 360 degree rotation of trucks. I modified additionally the axle bearings on the trucks in order to reduce the friction by the axial pressure of power feeders and I could see with some rolling tests that this change helped for a better rolling of trucks.



(I'm sure that I have shown this solution in forum here however I did not find this post.)
Because I love to use not visible power feeders I have had to made some small changes on the wheel sets; they had a too wide lateral play in the frame. So I added some thin metal rings as for reducing the lateral play. However how were they to install without to pull the wheels from the axles? I made some open metal rings, ...



flattened them to the wished thickness, ...



I spread these and pressed them back to a flat ring with the bearings. The result is absolutely satisfying ...



and you see also the only wheelset with the original lateral play. However this will not be a problem after first running tests. All other wheelsets have a well reduced axial play and this is that what I needed for the additional electrical power contacts which will glide on inside of insulated wheel rims.



Next step to install the additional power feeders on the loco was to insert insulated metal bushings into this side wall of frame with the insulated wheels.



Making of small contact pins and contact springs, ...



which also were to mount insolated against the frame and where I fixed a power line for the the connection to the decoder.



Again an additionally positive result, the loco can run now also without the tender because both sides of wheels can be connected with the motor and where the new contacts are not visible from outside or from underside of frame. Sorry, I hate power feeders mounted under the bottom plate of frame which are looking like spider legs!



To be continued.