Andromeda

@pilgrim Try and keep your point switch motor questions here? I constructed the Lego holder (1st page dated Jan 26th 2013), to actually make it easier to pull off the bottom plate using a metal hook or L-shaped rod/tool, whilst the top part remained in the holder. Don't worry if you pull the whole motor out of the holder, just push it back in, and work on another hole. You need to take extra care when inserting into the two holes near the plug/socket end, as there is a coil of very thin delicate wire which you do not want to break.

Does the white plastic 'horse shoe' type thing in the middle have two round posts sticking up on either side, that would fit inside the holes of the metal pieces? Is that a little corrosion on the top right output metal connector?

@pilgrim The photos look like you have not broken the chemical weld in the five places shown in the first picture of my post? The top part(studs 2 x 8) slightly goes into the bottom, so the welds are towards the the bottom piece. I had messed up re-uploading the images. You have a gen 2 switch with triangular sockets, you will find a sliding circuit board inside, which has most likely got dirty or has lost/worn out its copper traces.

Or maybe not! Yes damn those image hosting websites that change their domain name. Good luck @pilgrim.

The links to Bricklink above, only have second hand parts available. I would offer to make some, but trading is not allowed, and you do not have enough posts to PM me I've attached a screen clip of the pickup from Autocad because it was easier than figuring out where to put the DWG file, all units are mm. brass works well.

Indeed! Luckily I had followed post when i created it, and received a notification! Now I need to fix my other posts...

Hi All, I have been able to turn a few these of my own since purchasing a lathe. PM me only if you are really stuck?

Hi People. I need to find the pics, re-host and upload. Please bear with me...

Of course! I was looking up the spares number, not the part.... Good find Peterab ! I think if I was going to use the pickup studs from one, I'd keep the metal plug tines too, they may help in fixing any broken tines on the 12V switches, signal, point etc...

Alainneke has been in touch, but he is incredibly busy ATM bu(sy)ilding until next year... But unfortunately it is not Lego building... I have taken apart a 1151 and the pickups are identical... but there are only 11 pairs left on Bricklink, and they are 13EUR+ a set...

@DET I'd ask you to PM me, but I think less than 10 posts stops you. I have a spare spring that I can get to you...

I started my Train collection with the 7710 push along for my 8th birthday, and I was fortunate to have had the 7861 lighting set, 7864 Transformer, 7865 motor along with the power rails for Christmas... Over the coming years I had the 7867 light set, 7862 decoupler, 7860 signal, 7859 remote points, 7821 repair car, and the 7838 freight depot. There ended my childhood collection until I was in my 30's, that's when I decided to aquire the sets that I'd drooled over in the toy stores as a lad, and more....

Totally Awesome layouts! Thanks for sharing .

Nice tutorial Pirate Rob ! How did you fix the new piece into the coupler? I would recommend welding it with a small drop of MEK.

That's great Andy, glad that my thread has helped you... JopieK, now we're just showing our age... No?!?

Thanks for the positive feedback ! I absolutely love the 80's Train era, I now as an adult have every(well nearly every) set that I ever wanted and more... I'm only glad I can help others fix some of the rarer Lego items from our past train sets . @ LEGO Train 12 Volts If you missed it above , I sent Alainneke the drawings, and he custom made them on a lathe for me as a test. I have looked him up on Bricklink, and he is selling them in his store 'Sage Rail Works', but it is closed right now. I have tried to get hold of him, but perhaps he is on holiday, but he may not be speaking to me - he did send me those pickups two and half years ago... Edit: Having said that, his store has been closed since November 16th, 2014... Hope all is well with you Alainneke???!!!??? Edit II: You could break open a set of 1151's, I have not done this, but they appear to be similarly constructed: http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/1151-1

Here you go DET:

Hi All, It's been awhile since my last post, so I thought it was time I made another. I have been in receipt of a BB12VB-RED recently! Ahem, probably more like a year or so ago. As you can see from the photos, one of the pickups is very damaged… Another Eurobrick member, Alainneke, had already kindly made some replacements out of brass… I had sent him the diagrams of the pickups in AutoCAD, and extremely excellent reproductions were sent as a test in return. At the time I’d only opened my 'teenaged' black motor, as seen in photos, and the new brass pickup studs were supposed to be destined for it… The RED 12V motor is very, very rare, I have held back on using the replacement pickups until now… I am glad I have waited though, my apologies Alainneke! After reading VGO’s suggestion in post http://www.eurobrick...pic=50345&st=25, post #28, I tried the idea out on a black motor and it moved during the operation and I snapped a tab off the end, see pic. So I decided to build a jig out of Lego to hold the motor. The top part of my jig is real Lego, while the bottom is entirely made of Fako(Fake Lego) due to my needing to augment some of the pieces to fit the underside of the motor and wheels. I used MEK(Methyl-Ethyl-Ketone) to ‘weld’ the pieces together, along with some small strips of a smooth(no embossed numbers) credit type card, see pics. Okay, My advice is that you try and run a razor blade around the circumference of the bottom of the motor, hopefully using a ‘jig’ like shown. I do mean “Razor blade” as a “Stanley” knife blade will do the damage that I have shown in my earlier openings, try a ‘BIC single blade’… Making and using a ‘BIC’ single razor blade… I used the razor whilst the motor was in the top part of the jig. Once in the jig, use a 2.5mm rod/nail and hammer in both power plug holes, to gently persuade the bottom to come loose on either side. Seat partially opened motor on the ‘bottom’ part of the jig, and use the remainder of the credit/shopping card to gently hammer down on the wheel axle to pry the last of the plastic welds apart. The motor is now broken open… Here are some pics of the open casing with the old and new pickups, I will update the post after I have cleaned up the motor parts. If for whatever reason you need to take a wheel off, I.e. for cleaning excessive hair/crud in sleeve bearing, then you start by removing the cir-clip next to the sleeve bearing. Move bearing nearer to gear cog, then gently pries the cylindrical spring clip out of the wheel in the same area as the hole in the wheel. When you're cleaning the parts inside, be careful with the metal part 'A'. There are two small hardened steel discs that sit either end of the spindle, only the dirty grease is holding them in.... Now it's time for reassembly and re-greasing...

A good quality screw driver! EEEEEEEK! A thin blade between the join first to break any vertical chemical weld, then a hook through the holes to pull the bottom piece carefully away:-). The piece missing from your manual DET is a piece of shaped spring wire. If I come across one I will let you know.

I am finding that 0.86 is giving back results from some sellers that are only selling in multiples. So I can get the part cheaper, but only if I comply with the sellers multiple rules. Is this a setting I've missed? Has anyone else experienced this at all? Edit: I have also found that I have been pointed towards a shop that has not included 25% VAT.

Thanks for the positive feedback! @Heppeng, if the above MkII socket-ed rails were used, you could make a double isolator. MEK (these base of most solvent weld products) is so similar to what ogeL used to weld their components? And it welds really well, esp when used with a little plastic material to fill in any deficits!

Ever thought that the price for the 'stop' rails was a little too high? I did, so I thought to modify a stock straight rail. As you can see from the picture below, I have made a good approximation in my first attempt. I used a Mk I rail, but you can see in the picture on the left there is a Mk II rail. Belatedly I found that these come with two plug contact points, so making them easier to convert:-)! Differences to note: The square plastic piece that sits in between the break in the rail. And the extra plastic directly underneath the plug socket to accommodate the hole. The rail was cut using a dremel, and the plug contact was formed by making small cuts and then folding with pliers. The hole was drilled with my dremel mounted horizontally on a piece of board in lathe like fashion. A piece of plastic was temporarily MEK'd to the top to minimize burring. The plastic pieces were measured and cut from a doner piece of track, and then welded in place with MEK mixed with a small amount of plastic shaving from the cutting. The end result is not bad. Next time I will seek out the Mk II's with plug holes, as these already have the two plug contacts formed! You could use this technique to replace your original stop rails that have gone rusty. Take care not to mix Mk I and Mk II rails as they are slightly different, the male connecting pin on a Mk II has plastic reinforcement. see pictures above. And make sure you use the plug holed variety, ogeL did make rails without connection points!

From three broken flasher units I have not found one broken 1N4148! Two had a failed 12/15/18R resistor, center center component. When replaced, the lights illuminate constantly in either polarity. All three had a blown MPSA13, outer pins showed a dead short, even when center to outer showed 0.7V. One had a blown BC547B/BC237B - yes ogeL really had a variation of parts! I have, in my excitement to fix these, omitted to take any photos! I have one more coming from FleaBay, and I have at least one fried resistor, so I'll endeavor to to upload a few pics soon...! @Heppeng I can pm you a care suspected package. Have you been able to follow any of my testing from post the above post?

Well done and keep up the good work! I, like Heppeng, found the same error with 0.85. Although this has not finished processing, I am feeling really confident...!

Thanks for confirming my sanity ! I have just opened up a MkII Signal switch, the triangular internal socket type ! I will dissemble and take photos, watch this space...!