MTH power pickups wanted

[Jerry B44]

I have a MTH caboose and would like the plunger pickups for it that press against the wheels. I got it as a shell and did not have that, have since picked up some MTH trucks and could mount the pickup right to it and plug it in.  Would need a pair, but would take just one if that is all you have.

[xl_special]

Jerry, I've got a pair that are doing nothing. The cost for them is my usual price which is "nothing." They both have the carbon brushes and came off a caboose. I'll ship them to ya in the next couple of days. (Send me your mailing address)  Larry

[Jerry B44]

Thanks Larry, I think I sent it to you.

[du-bousquetaire]

Hey folks here is a tip about the pick up shoes. I found that with my GG 1 the shoes were indsipensible (I tried running it without, but quikly put them back on). I also found that they wore out very rapidly (probably because I use scale rail and that the rail head is much narrower than for LGB size rail). I ordered a set from Midge, paid 12 bucks for 4 tiny peices of bent up aluminum + colossal shipping to France + customs and: They wore out again! So this time before they actually wore through I made an experiment: I took some strips of relatively thin brass ( say 5 - 6 tenth of a mm. annealed) cut it into small rectangles the width of the MTH shoes, but a bit longer say 8mm longer. Then I bent both ends vertically the exact length of the shoe and then squished the first over the end of the shoe and then squished the other end over the end of the MTH shoe. Presto I had made a slipper for my pick up shoe. (This by the way seems to be prototype practice on the Paris metro) The shoe held on pretty well by itself but as the MTH shoe is aluminum and so I couldn't solder my shoe to it I put a couple of gobs of cyanoacrylate glue to make sure it couldn't slide out of its clearance zone. I tested it for a couple of days it worked fine. So I did the other four and they have been working for three years now. When one wears out just make a new one (5 minute job) and reshoe your loco. I have since done the same to the F3.

 I did this because finding spare here in France is a lost cause, and I am not trying to reduce the MTH spare parts market (although 12 bucks for what I think should cost $2 is a bit pulling your leg), but anyways for those of us who don't have a good hobby store near by, try it. This is a tested  method it has been running on my GG1 for three years and on the two F 3 two years. I have had shoes come loose once or twice in that period, just put it back in line and put another gob or two of cyanoacrylate glue. The way you can tell a shoe has come of is when the engine starts to short out over a switch, check out and look at the shoes to see if they are all aligned, or not worn out.

Its that simple and it takes twenty minutes to equip an engine.

[Jerry B44]

Good tip, thanks. I have code 250 rail and they tend to wear in a groove. They wear better on code 332 I guess.