Working MU cables?

[Mark5]

I have to point out that there was no Kato GP38-2 in 1982.

Kato splashed this onto the N scale market in 1987 ...

I bought one back then, while good for then, it suffers in comparison to Kato's post GP38-2/GP50 releases (which have vastly improved pickup).

Mark

[ChristianJDavis1]

I have to point out that there was no Kato GP38-2 in 1982.

Kato splashed this onto the N scale market in 1987 ...

I bought one back then, while good for then, it suffers in comparison to Kato's post GP38-2/GP50 releases (which have vastly improved pickup).

Mark

We're from a different timeline; no need for concern.

[randgust]

I had to look that up on Mark's website to confirm, but he's right.  1987 not 1982.

I bought mine about 30 seconds after it showed up in my local hobby shop.   It was the very first fun, and mine was an Undecorated.   The plan was to replace my Rapido GP7 with something better and this locomotive looked fantastic compared to that.

I remember test running it on the Flagstaff local and was SORELY disappointed in the stalling at low speed.   The flywheels were really cool though, watching it coast, and unlike the grinding GP7, it was near dead-quiet.  But it failed as a local switcher due to pickup and got put into secondary road service where MU'ing with something else could nudge it if it stalled.  I later added a Richmond Controls constant lighting and flasher set, wire handrails, plow, custom paint, lots of details, and those truck-to-frame wipers to try to fix the pickup.   But this many years later it's still periodically stalling where nothing else will.   The 'plan' for the trains it handles include coming into the Winslow yard through all the turnouts at minimum speed, and she never makes it without hanging up...somewhere...never the same place twice, watching the units behind or in front of it nudging it, or waiting for the Giant Hand to intervene.   It also has an incredible distaste for stopping on a superelevated curve where the weight is lightened on one side.

But I still can't figure out that date gap in my mind compared to other memories, but I'll accept it.    It does seem like I've been doing this longer than dirt.   Funny thing is that out of all the stuff I've built and borrowed, this still has some of the most inexplicable pickup failures of anything I've seen.  The only thing any more annoying was test running a BLI PA1 with sound, that thing stalled everywhere, even on straight, clean track.  If this '38 didn't establish itself long ago of capable of outpulling any other single diesel I own, she would have been disposed of years ago.

[ns737]

back some time there was a article on how to put kato f7  updated trucks on a gp50. I did it to my kato gp50 and 38-2 and the pickup is great.

[ednadolski]

I got some 1x1mm magnets in the UK, but these are even smaller:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/TINY-1mm-Neodymium-Disc-Strong-Magnets-Rare-Earth-Neodymium-N35-Super-Strong/333227700197?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item4d95eb2fe5:g:OGcAAOSw1opbbCZP&enc=AQAFAAACcBaobrjLl8XobRIiIML1V4Imu%2Fn%2BzU5L90Z278x5ickkCrLl8erj3ATP5raQxjc%2F%2Bys81PC%2BP9m2PlxMRFk2nKOLrYw1ypgBYO9WRNOS1wzwl58y%2FiroBtVCKSRujVj8exRlAOJSf2tgOBW0mdsEuwrDmVF3XWBYEdS7xHzu16FXJUsDCwYbYjUPiwxo3KiPge6gB9ubUXSFa0HpRprhQQYN0FPL2Knoo2tln4jCDD6sssaoXiHdR1%2FO7Hv%2F3%2BTLXPNBQCgM5l9ALd0DASbPAE%2B5sS%2BCr4AxTIrZ7wcQRUdHu4KGgYV7srl9n%2FwmxXUc5kgfN8Uzlx9xW7PiLNJyuf8AloK5nYsZnEhRKuj5NJxp0MersrTQ2vnkgZPOV%2F%2FdwlKVvzvP1UkM2No8AVhXuUi52Fiv6Er1hi6Z1mE2w3GcCto%2FYBOGKVqF3A8oQAjinr2yqSts2aTdseez7Dlz9%2F0PCi%2B9HfXXMBBaj2tULyfI4g05b%2B3Ec9skvb6D3sZdyi8TRrvEvJ%2BORyI6K9%2FilLasebKxs3sqM%2FTmK6kVW%2FlfgGt1%2BVssRScJ0NoFZz7Dv%2F3Tc%2B4Npkqbj6c1ULEHmIEYkBDRI05w7c8ojGA5pGzWqY5vo9dVV%2FD7hNroGIvUQJrc43HgkzOF5p%2BxGTzP35457ZvDHN8zuvPRRoie9Bhc5soLdMynac96vtb93GSo6zffnwDE%2BIUbavcBNKDj6yyXxUFIM5BZZ32kycnG6ULiEGXCdzoAyoCD%2BcJe2To3syBbGhM7GHs3LDT5qAzglIwt4NAKs0ptkrlodeiErwIKLn56LDqTa2LLb181CW%2B9Mw%3D%3D&checksum=333227700197f6481a15d1294eadb6861124680540e8

Couldn't get the link to work, but these are pretty small:

https://www.buyneomagnets.com/p/1mm-dia-x-0-5mm-thick-small-round-rare-earth-magnets-n42-little-thin-neodymium-magnet-amazon/

Might be workable for that air hose thing, even in HO scale 

Ed

[peteski]

Couldn't get the link to work, but these are pretty small:

https://www.buyneomagnets.com/p/1mm-dia-x-0-5mm-thick-small-round-rare-earth-magnets-n42-little-thin-neodymium-magnet-amazon/

Might be workable for that air hose thing, even in HO scale 

Ed

That link was full of tracking codes, and who knows what else.  ALl you need it the beginning part of the link. Here you go:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/TINY-1mm-Neodymium-Disc-Strong-Magnets-Rare-Earth-Neodymium-N35-Super-Strong/333227700197

[peteski]

I had to look that up on Mark's website to confirm, but he's right.  1987 not 1982.

I bought mine about 30 seconds after it showed up in my local hobby shop.   It was the very first fun, and mine was an Undecorated.   The plan was to replace my Rapido GP7 with something better and this locomotive looked fantastic compared to that.

I too was an early adopter of that  first Kato USA model.  It was quite revolutionary: dual flywheels integral with the worms, wire-free PC board based design, and very heavy lead-alloy chassis.  I'm actually servicing couple of those now.

I got mine in May 1987 from:

[randgust]

back some time there was a article on how to put kato f7  updated trucks on a gp50. I did it to my kato gp50 and 38-2 and the pickup is great.

Whaaa?   Are you talking this truck design?  http://www.katousa.com/images/929122.jpg

Or this one?  http://www.katousa.com/images/929301.jpg

I have four of the original F7's with that first truck design, and while kinda noisy, they have never had any pickup issues, they are little bulldozers.  The end-axle pickups solve the pickup issues I've seeing from the frame on inner axle despite that non-sprung wiper.   I can see how that might work... but the second design?

Seriously, I have a second GP38 just to play lab rat with, so I'm really interested

[ns737]

the first one

[ncbqguy]

The pictures are of the 2nd and 3rd truck design.
The 2nd works really well on the 1st design units....better than you’d think without pickup contact strips.   
The problem is they were obsoleted by Kato Kaizen....Re-engineering things that work really well to begin with.   Now the 1st and 2nd generation F units cannot get replacement parts because of the redesign to the top pickup style mechanism.
Charlie Vlk

[randgust]

Charlie, if anybody knows, you do.   There were a couple of those front trucks left, I just ordered a couple to test on my second lab rat GP38.  I like that better than jumper cables if it works.  My F7's with those trucks are great, but it never occurred to me that this might work.

[ns737]

the trick is you need to get the truck gear at the right height to the worm gear. the truck pickups are flat. keep them that way. stack and solder pieces on to flat pickups to get the right gear mesh.

[randgust]

Any idea on what that target thickness might be here?   Or how to figure it out other than trial & error?  I'd think that top layer would want to be good phosphor bronze wiper material and anything under that wouldn't much matter.

On my original one I went ahead and started to fabricate the plugs in the sills, we'll see how that goes, with the idea of swapping the trucks on the lab rat parts unit and see how that works as well.

[ns737]

sorry it was over 10yrs ago. wow time fly's. I do remember that I did one truck at a time. so I could run the mech. as to check the gear mash. you can see the gear and worms with the shell off. I did solder wiper pieces on to the wiper tops.

[randgust]

I went ahead and finished the first GP38  with my GP30 without swapping the trucks.

This is with putting 1/16" (.060) brass tube in the sill if the GP38, jumpers from those tubes to the contact plates (it would solder), then phosphor bronze strips jammed between the shell and frame halves with wire soldered to those.   I could have put the .060 tube in that but wanted to test the concept first.  The actual 'pins' are .010 spring wire bent in a tight "U" shape and inserted in the tubes, #30 black insulated stranded wire soldered to that.   So it's pretty easy to plug and unplug with a pair of tweezers.





But the real payoff is that wow, does this every work!    This pair now just has perfect pickup and performance.

I did get the Kato F trucks in, the second GP38 will be the lab rat on that one.