Shorting driving wheels for "American" or split axle pick up

[clecklewyke]

Bill Bedford used to do shorting strips in etched brass but they seem no longer to be available on ther Eileen's Emporium web site.

 

Can anyone point me to an equivalent, please?

 

I believe some have used fuse wire. Can anyone comment on how to do it and how effective it is?

 

Thank you,

 

Ian

[PatB]

Bill Bedford used to do shorting strips in etched brass but they seem no longer to be available on ther Eileen's Emporium web site.

 

Can anyone point me to an equivalent, please?

 

I believe some have used fuse wire. Can anyone comment on how to do it and how effective it is?

 

Thank you,

 

Ian

 

Another option to consider is an undercoating of conductive paint over the plastic wheel centres. Having tried this on the wheels of a pair of Johnson 2-4-0s I might, one day, finish, I can confirm that it checks out fine with a multimeter. Whether it will hold up in service is another matter, upon which I can't yet comment.

[DCB]

I used fuse wire to short the wheels on an Airfix Castle, pressed the wheels off the axles pressed the tyres off, slipped 3 pieces of fuse wire into the axle hole, from the outside pushed the wheel on the axle, pulled the wires tight at about 120 degrees and pushed the tyre back on, trimming the wire ends.  With brass bearings and a Hornby powered tender it worked reliably for around 25 years whereas it was pretty hopeless with springy brass contacts.

 

Solder will short Romford insulated wheels.

 

The problem I have is finding a decent insulated sleeve for split axle wheels, rather than shorting the insulation.