Increasing electrical pick up

[Green_Elite_Cab]

@GEC

It is a steamer, but it is a suggestion what may help you:
Original pick up was only by the axle bearings of the non insulated wheels of the loco and the non insulated ones ot the tender.

The pick up of your E33 is electrically similar.
The current has to flow through the axle bearings and in case of proper lubrication the oil could block electrical current. Not every time, but often sometimes.
In the case of the steamer shown above it was also.

The locomotives question are a more recent "Alpha" offering, which differ from the old "Alco" E44.. On these models, pick-up is achieved by a pair of wipers, on on each truck. It is mounted between the truck and the sideframe, and reaches two wheels. the other wheel on the axle is insulated, but the whole truck is "energized" for those two polarities. Because it only does have 4 wheel pick up (two on one side in the front, two on the other side in the back), it doesn't do a good job of collecting power. a whole axle on each doesn't collect power at all. the other 8 wheels are being wasted.

I've actually gotten a hold of a piece of phosphor bronze to use as pick-up material to use, and i'm going to try do make a set up similar to the original brass strip one i made earlier. The hope is that the phosphor bronze will be a little bit easier to work with, and a little more "springy", keeping contact with the wheels. It will be a pain in the but do do again, but if it gets these things all wheel pick-up, it will be worth it.