HO Brass Steam Locomotives and Electricity = Sparky!

One of the distinguishing problems with brass and electricity is brass is an electrical conductor with a tendency to short out a lot and can create a blue electrical show that is not wanted.

This has been a common problem with Brass Steam Locomotives. The Asian manufactures have tried very hard to create a model that is as accurate as possible in 1/87 scale. In doing so many times the tolerances are so tight between the pony trucks and the cylinders that you get continual shorts. This may also be true with the trailing trucks and the cab of the locomotive.

This being an intolerable situation for the hobbyist one wonders what he or she is to do to take care of the problem. There are several methods to alleviate the nuisance. The most common way is to paint woman's clear nail hardener on the wheels of the pony trucks or the trailing trucks. This is temporary since in time the nail hardener will ware off. However, by placing a thin coat of clear epoxy on the cylinders or cab body will generally eliminate the problem.

The best method is to find the exact wheel set that goes on the locomotive for both the pony trucks and trailing trucks. The key is to find a set of wheels that are insulated in the middle of the axle. This may be difficult for the type of locomotive you have. Now that the standard among Railroaders is all freight cars and passenger cars must have metal wheels that are insulated to stop Sparky and reduce dirty tracks. You may be able to find a set of wheels among the different wheel sets for the fright cars that match in size and characteristics which will satisfy your need.

The other shorting problem is piping that hang down near any of the wheels. To solve this problem, carefully bend the overflow pipes and other items that may be coming in contact with any of the wheels away from the wheels. Be very gentle with this process. It is easy to break the solder joint and now you have a worse situation. Only a slight movement will fix the problem.

The next item is the draw bar and the post on the tender. Many times the draw bar has not been fixed properly to the frame. There are insulating washers that must be installed properly and the solder joint must not come in contact with the frame. The draw bar is intentionally isolated from the frame since it is bringing the power from the tender to complete a circuit on the motor. Make sure that you have the + & - wires soldered properly or your engine will go the wrong way.

The last problem is the body of the locomotive. There are times when the manufacturer does not align the body to the frame and the two parts may fit as far as mounting is concerned but the body is slightly tilted to the right or left. This may allow the body to touch the drivers which will cause a short. To remedy the problem remove the body from the frame and examine the body and frame interface for areas that may cause Sparky to appear. You might have to gently pull the body inwards or add an insulation pad of fibrous material that will squeeze down on the frame yet keep the body from interfering with the drivers. At all times be careful not to distort the brass body.

The best way to locate sparky is to turn off the lights and run the engine in the dark and watch for blue sparks between the various parts that may come in contact with each other.

Joy Ball has been involved in the restoration and maintenance of a variety of Brass Model Locomotives. Through her years of expertise, Mrs. Ball has perfected the art of train restoration often spending countless hours preserving vintage Brass Locomotives to running condition of even the newest Brass Model Replicas. It should be noted that the above article was written by Joys husband Michael Ball. Receive her free newsletter at http://www.brasslocomotiveworks.com

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