Looking for HO scale NYC-style third-rail shoes

Does anybody knows where i can find HO scale third rail shoes like used from New York Central, New Haven and Metro North?

Thanks

I'm not aware of any commercial manufacturers that make them, maybe partly due to the fact that there is not too much of an interest and the type of shoes and mounting is not universal and varies among different types of equipment.

Hey,
I bid on some about 6 months ago on E-bay, I lost of course. I remember they were brass castings, made in the mid to late 60's, but I can't remember the manufacturer. There were 6 in the package, but they went for about 18 bucks.
Mike

Acela82 wrote:Does anybody knows where i can find HO scale third rail shoes like used from New York Central, New Haven and Metro North?

Thanks

Model Memories, the company that makes the NH and PRR caternary, makes an NYC style of third rail.
http://www.info-4u.com/modelmemories/

Not third rail, third rail pick-up shoes.

-otto-

I would suspect that the Red Caboose in NYC might carry those items. They specialize in hard-to-find brass model commuter and rapid transit cars and accessories.

The company that might have made third-rail pick-up shoes could have been MTS (Model Traction Supply Co.) of Middletown, NY.

As you know these worked by picking up power from the underside of
a suspension mount third rail, that was commonly safety covered with boards, or occassionally ceramic material, on top aand outboard side of the third rail.
They had spring and/or electro-hydraulic (some locos) units that maintained upward pressure on the underside of the third rail to insure good electric power transmission to the traction motors.

Modelling this function in any scale, much less a small one like 'HO',
with miniatures of the prototype- will prove frustrating and frought
with continuous broken parts and lousy power continuity.

Outside pickup units employed with two rail AC model railroads
( and by John Armstrong and Frank Ellison on their home railroads)
are not scale sized or representative in appearance of prototype
pickups. Now dummies have been made, but I believe they came with
Baldwin electric traction power truck side frames in 'O' scale. I would
guess that some one made dummies for other scales as well, in order
to enhance apperances.

Don't the many New York Subway 'R' class
models currently being made in 'HO' and 'O' have dummy third rail
pickups on their trucks? I know the prototypes rest on top of the
third rail in this caser, but doctoring them a little to resemble
NYC/NH pickups is not a big deal.
Good-Luck, PJB

I don't think he was asking about operating HO scale pickup shoes - just dummy castings to add to a model. You're right, one would have to be mad to attempt that!

As far as separately available shoes, the only ones I'm aware of are cast brass parts from MTS Imports, intended for old-style NYCTA subway cars. They're over-running shoes and are the older vertical U-shaped design, instead of the flat horizontal shoes used now. These are often available on eBay from seller "modeltrains2003". The only company that might make suitable under-running NYC shoes is Overland, but I doubt they sell the castings separately (though I haven't checked their catalog to confirm).

Otto Vondrak wrote:Not third rail, third rail pick-up shoes.

-otto-

Oops!! Sorry ......my bad!!! I'm surprised that they don't offer them, though.