Piko pickup shoe will not budge

[viaEstrecha]

The basket case Piko 218 loco arrived - in remarkably good order considering the miles it must have done over the years, running around a model village. It seems to have been maintained and the wheels and gears appear fine and although it is to be a donor loco, I'd still like to check it out on track power, just to see how it rolls. The pickup shoes are unsurprisingly completely wrecked and so must be swapped first; no problem as I have a spare set.

But I just can't get the last one out! I can get good purchase for a straight lift with fine bendy pliers and have raised it just a few mm but now it is firmly stuck and no amount of wiggling and tugging seems to be having any effect. I've used a drop of penetrating oil, tried with both the adjacent copper strip in place and loose, and even asked it nicely, all to no use.

Anyone had this problem and can offer any tips? My current Plan A is just to tug every hour or so until one of us gives up out of boredom.

 

[Greg Elmassian]

There must have been a short through it that heated it and melted the plastic around it.

If it was me, I would cut it in 2 and try to get the 2 small pieces out individually.

I'd use a dremel and spray with water to keep it cool, so no further melting of the plastic would occur.

From the wear pattern on the bottom, it was misaligned and probably stuck for quite a while.

Greg

 

[GAP]

There must have been a short through it that heated it and melted the plastic around it.

If it was me, I would cut it in 2 and try to get the 2 small pieces out individually.

I'd use a dremel and spray with water to keep it cool, so no further melting of the plastic would occur.

From the wear pattern on the bottom, it was misaligned and probably stuck for quite a while.

Greg

I agree surgery is required.

I'd take that bronze/brass looking metal bit out first as it may be the culprit.

A method of loosening tight screws in plastic I read in the old Garden Railways; was to put a soldering iron onto the head and when the plastic was warmed then remove them with no damage.
Perhaps that method might work here.

Or just cut it up and pull it out bit by bit, like Greg said, dentists call it quartering when they do iy to you teeth do not ask how I found out.

 

[dunnyrail]

The basket case Piko 218 loco arrived - in remarkably good order considering the miles it must have done over the years, running around a model village. It seems to have been maintained and the wheels and gears appear fine and although it is to be a donor loco, I'd still like to check it out on track power, just to see how it rolls. The pickup shoes are unsurprisingly completely wrecked and so must be swapped first; no problem as I have a spare set.

But I just can't get the last one out! I can get good purchase for a straight lift with fine bendy pliers and have raised it just a few mm but now it is firmly stuck and no amount of wiggling and tugging seems to be having any effect. I've used a drop of penetrating oil, tried with both the adjacent copper strip in place and loose, and even asked it nicely, all to no use.

Anyone had this problem and can offer any tips? My current Plan A is just to tug every hour or so until one of us gives up out of boredom.

View attachment 312910

As Gap says viaEstrecha undo the screw take out the metal and it should come out with ease.

 

[Paul M]

If, as Greg suggests, it has been bent out of line, have you tried straightening it? It may just be bent below the plastic

 

[PhilP]

Be careful bending against the plastics of the block.. If you snap a piece out of the block, it won't be good.

Remove the screw, and piece of brass..

It will have run hot, melted the plastics, and that has set in such a way it is catching on the skate further in (or the spring?).
Look at a good skate. This should give you an idea what/where it is catching.

In the end, as long as you are sure anything from the top of the block does not need removing, it will be a straight-up pull..
Cleaning out the housing, so a new skate moves freely, will be your next problem.

PhilP

 

[viaEstrecha]

Thanks, chaps. Tried combinations of the above and in the end, using a screwdriver through the skate, pressing against a second one laid across the frames, finally gave me enough oomph to pull it out.

As surmised, something very hot took place in there once and the bottom of the pocket has comprehensively melted. In the shot below, of the removed bits compared to a new skate, you might just about to see the little worm of melted plastic inside the remains of the spring, and this was what was holding the shoe tight. Unfortunately, the same melted plastic has encased the bottom half of the now broken angled metal strip and it would be a mission to dig this out.

On the bright side, the motor bogies are destined to become spares and would only ever be used without shoes, now that I've moved away from track power, so in the end, it won't matter if I don't replace the skate.


I'll still put some better skates on the other 3 pockets, just to try out the loco this weekend.

 

[PhilP]

Go easy on the testing, check continuity with a meter first..

You don't want another skate melted in.

Well done for getting it out! - I have removed a number of springs like that..
B*gg*r of a job coiling them back up again.


PhilP

 

[dunnyrail]

Thanks, chaps. Tried combinations of the above and in the end, using a screwdriver through the skate, pressing against a second one laid across the frames, finally gave me enough oomph to pull it out.

As surmised, something very hot took place in there once and the bottom of the pocket has comprehensively melted. In the shot below, of the removed bits compared to a new skate, you might just about to see the little worm of melted plastic inside the remains of the spring, and this was what was holding the shoe tight. Unfortunately, the same melted plastic has encased the bottom half of the now broken angled metal strip and it would be a mission to dig this out.

On the bright side, the motor bogies are destined to become spares and would only ever be used without shoes, now that I've moved away from track power, so in the end, it won't matter if I don't replace the skate.
View attachment 312928

I'll still put some better skates on the other 3 pockets, just to try out the loco this weekend.

Not sure I would bother with track testing, if the bogie is removed and connected to jump wires tested upside down from a controller or even a 9v battery you should be able to confirm smooth running by eye.