Technical

I have been asked by one of our senior members to write down on this forum some of the things I am working out on these locos down for the benefit of the members.

The first is an answer to why the lights on the A4 do not always work. Some posts I have read say clean the wiper board or bend the wiper blade so it contacts the light wiper board all the time. Clean the board is fair enough but I have found it is not the blade that is usually bend but the angle the board is mounted at. The board is flat mounted by 2 screws on a plastic type material mounting bracket. The mounting bracket though is mounted on the loco by 2 more small screws and if these screws are loosened the whole bracket and wiper board can pivot so gaining more or less contact at each end.

Make sure this bracket and wiper board and square with the wiper arm so maintaining contact.

I usually set mine so the red does go out at the change-over whistle point and then shows red as the regulator approaches the green. Green stays on all the time the regulator is open. I think it should be set so red on all the time through the changeover from reverse to forward. All this is adjusted by the angle of the wiper board on the two front screws securing the mounting bracket to the frame.

I have not looked at the A3 yet but I expect the arrangement will be the same. The angle of the mounting bracket and wiper board changes a lot for tiny movement at the Mounting bracket screw position.

Hope this is of interest.

Martin