This is the tender of a Bachmann Spectrum 4-4-0. As you can see the wire is fried. I don't know how it happened, though I suspect it was rubbing on something and wore through. How should I proceed on the repair.
I am thinking, take the tender apart and simply replace the wire. How do I get the old wire out of that tiny plug? Any suggestions greatly appreciated.
As always, thanks.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Had a similar issue few years ago. Contacted Bachmann and they sent a new two wire and four wire set. Very easy. Right on their website is a Parts Page.
There is an HO forum also. Scroll down a little to see this forum.
Loads of very good info at the Bachmann site. They also have a Facebook site for info and you don't have to belong to FB to see the site.\
Google bachmann forums. Very easy.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
The two wire connector is for track power from the loco drivers.Those wires go to the PC board along with the pickup wires from the tender.
You might have a more serious issue if there was a decoder in the tender. I have this loco plus a few other Bachmann models.
Their Parts page also has repair and replacement info.
I have sent a 44 tonner with cracked gear back with a check and they sent me a replacement 44 tonner.
To my knowledge, no one has found the connecdtor by itself and the pin inside the plastic piece is crimmped to the wire.
As an electronics tech, I did similar type connections years ago and just the crimp tool was over a hundred dollars. You might solder splice the wire and put 1/16 inch shrink over before soldering and slide the shrink in place.
Seen this question a few times and don't know of anyone who successfully re-did a connector. Usually the wire breaks from rough handling right at the connector.
BATMAN
The orange part of the connector is called the hardshell. Inside are two terminals. If the hardshell is warped from the heat you need a new connector. If it is straight, try to remove the terminal from the rear. Look inside for a tab and depress it with a small screw driver while pulling on the terminal from the back.
If you get it out, check the integrity of the terminal by inserting it into its mate. A wire can be soldered onto the end of the terminal and then you reseat it back into the hard shell. Run a new wire all the way back to its termination point.
Jim
+1 to what Richg said.
I didn't solder it to the circuitboard. I just clipped OFF the old plug and then spliced the new wires to the old ones connecting to the circuit board. I then isolated them with heat shrink wrap.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
From my experience when bachmann does 4 connector + 2 connector combos, the 2 wire connectors are forward headlight. The 4 wire are pickup l/r and motor +/-
The two wire plug had one wire break off from the contact on my 2-8-0 consolidation a few months ago. I was going to replace the twin wire plug and just go with direct connections to the tender. The twin wire cable supplies power to the tender from the drivers. Bachmann at the time had none in stock. Fortunately I had an exact replacement in my parts box from some relays I bought from Dallee.
Good repair.
Thanks for all the responses guys. I think I am just going to order this new harness and put it in. For $8.00 why not.
http://estore.bachmanntrains.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=1650
Any secrets to taking the tender apart? I am still flying on one wing after shoulder surgery and it takes me so long to get the day to day stuff done, I haven't had the time to look at how to open it up yet.
I am quite perplexed as to how the wire got into that condition. I would say that the Loco has only been picked up once since it was new three years ago, and that was for a little cleaning and maintenance check. I find it hard to believe the wire got that way just from chugging around the layout. All my curves are 32" or greater, so the back and forth bending of the wire on such a small engine should be minimal. Go figure.
Been some years since I opened mine. Screws will be at the front of the tender.
Flip it over.
Check the Bachmann site for the diagrams. I just looked at them.
Don't depend on the wiring colors. Bachmann does not follow the NMRA color code.
Those wires are too long and drag on the rails and switch points with my loco. Possibly with the wire dragging the rail could have worn through the insulation causing the wire to come in contact with a rail of opposite polarity
First thing I did is remove the thin plastic sleeve over each set of wires. That allowed them to be more flexible. I would carefully tuck the wires up into the tender a little.
At the loco socket, I would carefully flatten the wires where they came out of the plastic part. The wiring as you know is quite delicate.
The only reason I replaced both cables was I had cut them too short when hard wiring for a sound decoder install. Not much room in the tender for a Tsunami Micro and speaker.
The onboard sound decoders are not sold by Bachmann.
I have a 4-6-0 with onboard sound and a totally different sound decoder design.
Look at the loco diagrams to see what I mean.
I have what I think is a shell problem. While fixing a problem with the wheels on the tender of my Bachmann 4-8-4 Niagara I managed to break one of the two paired wires going into orange hard shell connector. So one is still inserted and the other wire is not. The four wire connector is good.
Is there a way to get the wire inserted back into the hard shell or do I need to replace the whole thing by ordering a replacement from Bachmann. I would really prefer not to do this because it was a real bear to open the tender and put in the decoder. The guts of the circuit board slide out the back or front. After you've done your work wires break when you replace the board. I had to cut open the top of the tender to see what was being snagged. I did finally get is seated after adding extra length wires inside and created a new coal load to cover the top. Its an experience I don't want unless I have no choice.
Thanks
Ted
tedskiIs there a way to get the wire inserted back into the hard shell or do I need to replace the whole thing by ordering a replacement from Bachmann. I would really prefer not to do this because it was a real bear to open the tender and put in the decoder.
As previously mentioned:
Soo Line fanThe orange part of the connector is called the hardshell. Inside are two terminals. If the hardshell is warped from the heat you need a new connector. If it is straight, try to remove the terminal from the rear. Look inside for a tab and depress it with a small screw driver while pulling on the terminal from the back. If you get it out, check the integrity of the terminal by inserting it into its mate. A wire can be soldered onto the end of the terminal and then you reseat it back into the hard shell. Run a new wire all the way back to its termination point.
If the terminal will not come out then buy the pig tail connector from Bachmann.
LION would remove existing insulation from both halves, solder a new wire first to the connector side, use shrink wrap to insulate and protect it, then connect other side, also with a piece of shrink wrap. Good as gnu, which is a good thing since a gnu is just another name for a Wildebeest, which will attract a hungry LION.
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Well I got my Gnu wiring harness in six days from Bachmann and opened up the tender to find the wire to one of the trucks also in meltdown stage. So seeing as how the electrical part is my weakest link in this hobby, I have two questions.
1. I have a Xytronic soldering station LF-389D . What temperature should I set the iron to for soldering wire to circut boards and the copper bit by the wheel?
2. What gauge is the wire inside the tender. I have wire that appears to be the same thickness I can use, however upon closer inspection, it appears to have a thicker insulation on it and smaller actual wire than the original.
You can always use a larger wire for a smaller one, provided it fits and moves freely. Using a smaller wire than originally there is where problems could possibly occur. Typical decoder wire is about #30 and this is what I use to extend motor or pickup wires when installign decoders if the stock wires don;t reach, and it plenty capable of handling HO loco currents.
Around 700 degrees F should be fine for most soldering. ~ 370 deg C. I have the older non-digital version, it just has a knob graduated 1-10, I usually set it at 5 when soldering, give or take. I also turn it down to minimum if it's goign to be a while between uses, like I need to stripa dn conenct the next wire before being ready to solder again - I guess that's not convenient with the digital one.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Thanks Randy, I new I could count on you to steering me straight.
I just thought I would bring back this thread to let everyone know what the outcome was of the repairs made. Just incase someone does a search in future.
I took apart the tender and took photo's and drew a diagram of the wiring setup before I started unsoldering things. Next I took the fried wires off and installed the new wire to the tender truck and then along with the wire from the new harness soldered that to the board. Then soldered the other wire from the harness along with the wire from the other truck to the board. I thought, before I put the tender back together I'll give it a test run.
The harness that according to the photo's was routed properly to the tender via the shortest route was too short to be plugged in. Soooooo....... I unsoldered the harness along with the wires to the trucks and spliced in some wire to make the harness wires longer and put it back together.
I plugged it in and waited for that eureka moment on the tracks..... Snap, crackle, pop.....ARGH!
Sooooo........after lots of poking around with the metre, I then looked at the old harness and discovered that the red wire on the new harness plug was on the opposite side of the old harness plug. Sooooo....I then unsoldered everything again and reversed the red and black wires back to the tender and put it back on the tracks hoping I had not fried something. The engine ran perfectly much to my relief. I put the tender back together, I then made sure the wires would not again drag along the tracks.
I had my technician father in-law come over in the midst of all this for the usual Sunday dinner visit and while here he looked at the old and new harness. He agreed that the wire on the new one was much shorter than the wire on the old one and yes indeed the colour of the wires was indeed reversed. So much to my relief I was not crazy.
He thought Bachmanns quality control was terrible and just shook his head. This guy designed and built one of the largest com. networks in the country, so he knows his stuff. He also said my work was very neat which made me happy as everything he does is immaculate.
I am sure a more seasoned modeler would have seen these shortcomings before putting the thing together, I have learned.