Plunger Pickups

Here's how I fit them...

1. Snip the back of the housing about 0.50mm. This removes any flash, and gives the plunger a little extra travel.

2. I don't stretch the spring, I get the impression many do to improve the tension of the plunger on the wheel... Which leads me to...

3. When fitting the plunger assembly into the frame, I ensure the plunger housing is as close to the wheel at it's closest travel to ensure good plunger pressure on the wheel, I use the washers provided in the plunger kit.

4. I never "daisy chain" the pickups. I run one fine Silicone stranded wire to each one. I also never restrain the wire, the wires float naturally, but above the axles so they can't fall down on to the track. I have seen plungers daisy chained with what must be clothes hanger wire, each plunger needs to move separate to it's neighbour, this is a must...

5. I never solder the wire to the plunger, always use the supplied tab and the pair of nuts. The nuts can move and this can lead to a loose tab... I slip a piece of heat shrink over the tab and this is one case where I do use a dot of thread lock on the end nut.

6. Off you go... I have fitted these to locos approaching 10-12 Years old and I can still see the cone shape, and these locos are run quite often.