I am busy getting FD's Maxi sets running under the tree. The little loco from the 54407 set hardly runs. When I pulled it apart, I can see that the plastic housings for the electric contact brushes have gone brittle and no longer make good contact with the inside of the front wheels.

Here are some pictures:

This is the broken part:



This is the rear ones, which are okay at the moment:



This is the "bush mechanics" fix using Gaff tape:




Can anyone confirm that these are the correct replacement part numbers 106430 and 106403? I can't seem to find any photos of these on the net and, as usual, Marklin has no online parts list for the loco in this set.. I believe that the German word for it is Radschleifer..

Failing either of those, find someone that has a 3D printer and see if they can copy the original item. You will still need the spring and contact from your original.

Good find, but the contact material on the genuine part is made of copper or bronze, which is softer than the metal used on the wheels.. Those rods look like they might be steel and wear the wheels.. I think I will go with the more expensive part and see how I go..

I agree that a 3D printer might be the way to go, but I am not in a position to access one quickly or to develop the necessary files to make the part. It might be a project for one day when 3D printers become more mainstream.. Thanks for the part numbers too - I will get my dealer to talk to Germany and see if there are superseded numbers available before I order the expensive ones off eBay..

Thanks for your help everyone.. I will report back on the success or otherwise of the repair.