Having researched further, it appears that the problem may be down to excessive wear on the pick-up shoes, or spoons as they're sometimes referred to.
The problem seems to be more so with the 0-6-2 tank engines, even though the pick-up skate is the same length as the standard locos, although it does tend to overhang slightly at one end which appears to be a design problem.
Having double-checked the pick-up spoons, a number were grooved quite badly so I've sourced some reproduction ones and replaced the worst looking ones, however I've also read that others have attempted to re-profile the old ones using solder, so I decided to test this for myself.
Of the three pairs of spoons below, the top left are the new, reproduction ones sourced recently. Top right is a pair that I previously experimented with, and the bottom pair are the two that were in the worst condition, the groove is clearly visible:
First job was to clean up the spoons, removing all dirt & grime ready for soldering:
Once cleaned, I applied heat from the soldering iron, then applied the solder:
Waiting for the solder to cool:
Once cooled, this is the result:
Now for some grinding:
And a final polish:
The solder will probably be much softer so these may require work again in future. I'll test them shortly.
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