Shoe springs on a Corpet - help

P

philkelly

France, railcars, DCC
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Could anyone advise on getting to and replacing the pick-up shoe springs on a Corpet? I have two different problems ; one has lost its "spring" and is not pushed on to the track: the other sticks in whatever position it is placed. The carrier for the shoe and spring seems to be a moulded part of the chassis (see pic) and there seems no way to remove the shoe to get at the srping. The Champex Linden exploded parts diagram seems to confirm this. I am reluctant to pull out the shoe using brute force, as there must be something which restrains it from dropping out enitirely. Am I missing something?

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philkelly said:
Could anyone advise on getting to and replacing the pick-up shoe springs on a Corpet? I have two different problems ; one has lost its "spring" and is not pushed on to the track: the other sticks in whatever position it is placed. The carrier for the shoe and spring seems to be a moulded part of the chassis (see pic) and there seems no way to remove the shoe to get at the srping. The Champex Linden exploded parts diagram seems to confirm this. I am reluctant to pull out the shoe using brute force, as there must be something which restrains it from dropping out enitirely. Am I missing something?

IMG_1258.jpg
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Hi Phil

The thing which is preventing you removing the shoes is the metal bar between the carbon pickups in your photo. On this older design of gearbox, it protrudes through the sidewall and physically restrains the pickup skates. To remove it, you need to free the metal rods which hold the metal strip in place. It can then be teazed out with the tip of a craft knife and some tweezers (or it will fall out of its own accord, generally to bury itself in the carpet....). You'll find it easier to remove the entire gearbox from the loco before doing this and pulling the wire connectors from the loco's internals off the metal rods. They'll then be much freer to move. Removing the gearbox will also mean you can be sure that all the wires and bits of metal are properly connected when you put everything together again.

The sticking skate may simply require a drop of oil on the spring, but if you are replacing it altogether the new spring should solve the problem.

As this is not a fun way of spending your time, you may want to consider removing the skates altogether, as I do on all my locos. They will run more freely and haul more.
 
Hi Whatlep and thanks. Exactly right. I have been making progress. Doing as you suggest, on the working skate, this procedure allows the skate to drop free of the carrier revealing the spring. What had me fooled was that this did not happen on the non-working skate. Skate still stuck. I could see the spring, so I captured with a hat pin - about the only thing that would fit in behind the skate and allow access to the spring. It came out in two bits. Quite why one spring should have disintegated in this way I have no idea, but because it was broken, it had caught against the carrier and was the reason why the skate did not slide out. I now feel confident that I can replace the spring. Truly, there are people on this forum who can help with anything!
 
philkelly said:
Truly, there are people on this forum who can help with anything!
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'Tis true, though GSC's experiment with a nuclear powered Stainz is probably best forgotten. :nail:
 
Those springs actually carry the power. I've known a fair few examples that have become jambed in melted plastic due to overheating, presumably as a result of high resistance contacts. Even when the plastic doesn't melt high temperatures are bad news for the springs as it causes loss of springiness.
If new skates and springs don't move freely judicious use of a small file on the plastic often frees them up.
 
If you need pickup springs, and havn't the LGB ones to hand, use Biro springs they work a treat, and will carry the current. Alyn
 
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