Dapol Railbus Motorisation

[skyblue]

(Old member making a reappearance after about 5 years!)

With the lockdown causing a rather longer than planned visit to my parents' I thought I would get back into model railways alongside working from home. I've made a start on a Dapol Railbus and I'm using this drive kit I found on Ebay to motorise it (Link)

All is going well, the motor assembly drives the wheels well, and body assembly is going fine too. But I can't seem to get effective pickup through the wheels. The motor runs when power is applied direct to the terminals, or direct to the brass pickups which are supposed to conduct from the wheels. But place it on the track and nothing happens. The motorising kit says to just use the Dapol kit wheels, but I'm not convinced that they provide good electrical pickups from the track (obviously they are insulated across the axle). Just wondering if anyone knows what they are made from, which may help me work out if the wheels are the problem or whether it is just poor contact between the wheels and the pickups?

[Bufferstop]

If they are Hornby replacement wheels they have a poor surface finish for pick ups. The gloss finish seems to be the problem. Take a file to the surface and be brutal or look for some brass or nickel silver wheels. If you can get either re arrange the wire pick ups to bear on the wheel backs.

[skyblue]

They do have a glossy finish, I'll try giving them a bit of a sand/file and see if that helps. Thanks!

[Mountain]

I hope all goes well in the build.

[Dad-1]

skyblue !!

A long time since we last heard from you. Never knew how Uni went, but it was
essential you concentrated on that.
It was through you I started making wagon kits ….. Now made well over 100.

Geoff T.

[skyblue]

Thanks Mountain, it's taking some getting used to building things again, but I'm enjoying it.

I've attacked the wheels with a fine file as Bufferstop suggested and removed a layer of tarnish which coated them, and I am now able to get the motor to run (intermittently) by applying power direct to the wheels. Still nothing when it's on the track, but there are still quite a lot of tarnish patches on them so I'll give it another go layer.

[skyblue]

skyblue !!

A long time since we last heard from you. Never knew how Uni went, but it was
essential you concentrated on that.
It was through you I started making wagon kits ….. Now made well over 100.

Geoff T.

University went well, I continued to do a PhD afterwards. Unfortunately the current situation has put a stop to my research and it's not clear what the future holds, although it seems unlikely I will be able to go back to doing what I did pre-coronavirus. I hope you are keeping well and glad to hear you are keeping on with the wagon kits!

[Mountain]

Thanks Mountain, it's taking some getting used to building things again, but I'm enjoying it.

I've attacked the wheels with a fine file as Bufferstop suggested and removed a layer of tarnish which coated them, and I am now able to get the motor to run (intermittently) by applying power direct to the wheels. Still nothing when it's on the track, but there are still quite a lot of tarnish patches on them so I'll give it another go layer.

Get yourself a Peco or a Hornby track cleaning rubber. (That is if you don't have, or have not thought about this already).

[skyblue]

Get yourself a Peco or a Hornby track cleaning rubber. (That is if you don't have, or have not thought about this already).

I did consider this, but I doubt that it would touch the coating on these wheels. I don't think it's actually tarnish, as it is only on the part of the wheels in contact with the rails. It appears to be purposely applied, the purpose of it is unclear, but I pretty sure that Bufferstop was right in suggesting that it would be causing the wheels to not pick up current.