The new Graham Farish Class 03 have recently been released and the new Class 08s are now due. These models are being supplied as dcc ready which is an upgrade on the original models but they are still tricky to fit as there is limited space. These models, as with there predecessors will run very smoothly even over insulfrog points despite the short wheelbase. It is however advisable to ensure all of the pickups are clean and touching all 6 wheels when fitting the decoder in order to prevent disappointing poor performance particularly on points. This article shows the method we use to do this
Firstly though, Bachmann are recommending their own rather expensive micro decoder with added brake function however we prefer a lenz Silver Mini which we feel operates better with the new coreless motor and is also slightly cheaper. Some minor modification is required to get a good fit. This is merely a shortening of the pins and insulation with kapton tape as can be seen in this picture
In order to insure maximum performance we use the following method to remove, clean, adjust and replace pickups.
1) Firstly remove the lower keeper plate and pickups by removing the retention screws and pickup nut
2) Excess oil and straightening of the pickups required, they need to be at about 10 to 15 degrees to the vertical to fit back into the model
3) Excess oil removed, pickups adjusted
4) First pickup plate lowered gently into place, note the nearside is lifting away from the lower chassis showing that the pickups are at a good angle to contact the wheels
5) Second pickup plate in place with the plastic insulating plate between the two. Note that the plates are now flat because the second plate clips onto the first via studs in the insulating plate. This is a great improvement on the previous versions of these models which did not have this feature
6) The two main large retention screws fixed in place
7) Carefully insert the pickup nut laterally into its original location and holding carefully in place with a fingertip screw the bolt in from the bottom of the chassis. This operation is tricky and fiddly so dont lose patience, as soon as the thread catches the nut can easily be held in place and the pickup system tightened. Its worth remembering that you cannot do any damage at this point because your pickups are already secured in place by the large retention screws so patience is all that is required to perform this task
8) Now replace the remaining lower plate screws
9) Here is the model ready to have its shell replaced
And here is a test run of the model showing its smooth running, low throttle, and excellent pickup performance. If you are interested in having pickups cleaned and adjusted or fully fitted please contact douglas@wicknessmodels.co.uk
