Ok, I did the write-up of WHY in an different thread, but in short, lets say you want to ad light to a passenger car or caboose, or want to install a decoder to control light, or add sound to a freight car or caboose, using the new Soundtraxx SoundCar decoders, or a function only decoder. You will need to get DCC signals (or just power for non-DCC applications) into the car...
Yes, there are commercial options, guys that sell a bogie that has metal pickups already installed. you can also salvage some from an old coal tender, or other disused model that might have had it factory installed for whatever reason (usually to add interior or directional lighting) this is all good and feel free to do so. the commercial bogies will have to be ordered from the USA or Europe, since I have never seen any local shop stock these.... having said that, our local hobby shops are Box Movers. they tend to be very badly stocked on loose parts or kit bashing consumables. yes, we get paint and loose wheels or couplers, but few other items are typically available...
I have to say also, that the original idea to do this conversion is not my own. This is a slightly refined way of achieving what others have done for quite some time already. I have simply added my own little bits here and there.
But, lets get back to converting standard
PLASTIC bogies into power pick-up bogies... metal bogies CAN be used, but there are some considerations. firstly, you MUST have wheel sets with plastic axles, and secondly, you need to use one bogie to pick up LEFT rail, and one bogie to pick up RIGHT rail power, otherwise, the method I am describing will create a short! Thus, bogies with plastic frames work better, since you can then effectively have 8 wheel pickup on a standard car with 2 bogies and 2 axles per bogie...
1)
Parts needed:your model might already have some of these items, others you will need to source. I have not added cost, since prices will vary, and in a couple years' time will be 100% incorrect... but still, this conversion will cost you very little... look at the parts list... this is for EACH BOGIE, ie, you need to double this up if you want to convert both bogies on a car...
~2x short pieces of thin, flexible wire (color is irrelevant, but red and black is the standard for DC and DCC)
~2x small self tapping screws (1mm x 3mm is ideal)
~2x Kadee coupler centring springs
~2x insulated axles with METAL wheels (plastic wheels are not good conductors of electricity, so make for VERY BAD power pickup!!!!
)
~1x your model's old bogie frames
