well i got it going. i ended up buying a roller pick up assembly off ebay & just put it on the factory truck & wired it. it works like a charm.
i think you both are right. i can put these trucks on another tender, & put roller pick ups on this one. it might be tricky getting it wired to the older 2018, plus it would be cleaner looking. thank you all.
Went to the ebay site and saw what you are talking about, the tender has a plug coming out of it to the engine. Wiring it to an older engine may be tricky, may have to wire it to the headlight wire not any wire coming off the reverse unit. Also not sure if you need to provide a negative wire to the whistle unit. Test things before doing any final wiring.
Lee F
here's a like to one like it on ebay. i bought the tender for a 2056 but it just didn't look righ behind it. i had a 2018 so now i'm just going to run it behind it.
http://cgi.ebay.com/Lionel-N-W-2-6-4-Steam-loco-Tender-18638-1994_W0QQitemZ260026586620QQihZ016QQcategoryZ4148QQssPageNameZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Does the tender have a number on it, usually on the bottom. I am not familiar with this tender or truck set.
Lee F.
Have not heard of Lionel using diecast trucks in years, diecast trucks went out in the 70's from Lionel. Lionel usually has plastic truck frames unless it is the O gauge trucks with springs inside and these have a habit of coming apart.
Maybe you can find a part at Radio Shack or an electronics store.
What I would do is find a truck assembly with a roller wheel for center pickup and wire it that way as it will look better and you won't have to take the steam locomotive apart.
Lee
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