Going back to MTH umbilical cord?

The tether doesnt bother me either. the Wireless drawbar does and the diesel tethers are a huge PITA. I wish they would have put them ithrough the diaphragms of the diesels

Adam and Matt, I am in total agreement with you guys.  

Although I've converted all my steam to BPRC, I still use the MTH straight tether in between the engine and tender.

I think the single issue most had with the tether was the 90 degree turn and the loop that followed.  I might see that for track that's less than 054 but anything bigger would not only look better with a straight tether, it would perform just as well.

Add a deck apron and you hardly notice it at all.

Marty Fitzhenry posted:

Adam and Matt, I am in total agreement with you guys.  

Another in agreement here. Give me tethers (or Lionel IR link) any day.

Rod

Are the plug in tethers available?? Can you make your own, or are they readily available ?? Got a project I'm working on that I want to use plug in tethers.. Sources please.......... I would prefer 'straight' connectors if they are available..

Yep - tethers are the way to go. The distance between steam loco tenders and the cabs range from wrong to are-you-kidding? - and a real tether that allows you to customize your locos for your layout is the only rational model railroading choice.

The Lionel IR drawbar is a pet peeve of mine - changing the cab/tender distance becomes not simply a new, simple drawbar (or perhaps even just a new hole drilled!) and off you go, but rather an electronic and mechanical adventure.

When I get the time - and urge - I'm going to remove the IR "boxes" from one of my TMCC steamers and replace them with a 2-prong tether (there are only 2 wires on each box) - it's just data transfer, so maybe it won't confuse the computer. If all is OK, I'll design a simple new drawbar/pin arrangement usable on my layout.

Here is what I would like to do using 2 cords:

1) knock the connectors off the original drawbar and simply use it for pulling

2) have umbilical cord (A) attached to the tender

3) have umbilical cord (B) attached to the engine

4) then have the engine cord attach to the tender cord somewhere in the middle by way of a third connection for easy access and quick connect/disconnects

I never found them to be enough of an eyesore to bother me.  What does bother me is not being able to have fun switching out and running different engines during a run session without laying the steamers on their side and setting connectors, zip tying etc...

Do you guys what components you would need to fabricate such a jig?

Woodson posted:

Are the plug in tethers available?? Can you make your own, or are they readily available ?? Got a project I'm working on that I want to use plug in tethers.. Sources please.......... I would prefer 'straight' connectors if they are available..

Yes, they are available.  The one I got from MTH for my last upgrade.  The part number is BC-0000217 and is $10.  It is curved on one side and straight on the other, so you can choose which one you want.

C&O Allie posted:

Woodson posted:

Are the plug in tethers available?? Can you make your own, or are they readily available ?? Got a project I'm working on that I want to use plug in tethers.. Sources please.......... I would prefer 'straight' connectors if they are available..

Yes, they are available.  The one I got from MTH for my last upgrade.  The part number is BC-0000217 and is $10.  It is curved on one side and straight on the other, so you can choose which one you want.

Will this harness make the connection between a PS3 tender socket and engine socket?  If so, I'll by these and knock the electrical connections off the drawbar.

armfd posted:

C&O Allie posted:

Woodson posted:

Are the plug in tethers available?? Can you make your own, or are they readily available ?? Got a project I'm working on that I want to use plug in tethers.. Sources please.......... I would prefer 'straight' connectors if they are available..

Yes, they are available.  The one I got from MTH for my last upgrade.  The part number is BC-0000217 and is $10.  It is curved on one side and straight on the other, so you can choose which one you want.

Will this harness make the connection between a PS3 tender socket and engine socket?  If so, I'll by these and knock the electrical connections off the drawbar.

That I don't know because I don't have any PS3 engines.  It would be easy to check though if someone has a PS3 and a PS2 with tether.

C&O Allie posted:

armfd posted:

C&O Allie posted:

Woodson posted:

Are the plug in tethers available?? Can you make your own, or are they readily available ?? Got a project I'm working on that I want to use plug in tethers.. Sources please.......... I would prefer 'straight' connectors if they are available..

Yes, they are available.  The one I got from MTH for my last upgrade.  The part number is BC-0000217 and is $10.  It is curved on one side and straight on the other, so you can choose which one you want.

Will this harness make the connection between a PS3 tender socket and engine socket?  If so, I'll by these and knock the electrical connections off the drawbar.

That I don't know because I don't have any PS3 engines.  It would be easy to check though if someone has a PS3 and a PS2 with tether.

Thanks for the information.. I would like to find male and female straight connectors, if I can..

Woodson posted:

C&O Allie posted:

armfd posted:

C&O Allie posted:

Woodson posted:

Are the plug in tethers available?? Can you make your own, or are they readily available ?? Got a project I'm working on that I want to use plug in tethers.. Sources please.......... I would prefer 'straight' connectors if they are available..

Yes, they are available.  The one I got from MTH for my last upgrade.  The part number is BC-0000217 and is $10.  It is curved on one side and straight on the other, so you can choose which one you want.

Will this harness make the connection between a PS3 tender socket and engine socket?  If so, I'll by these and knock the electrical connections off the drawbar.

That I don't know because I don't have any PS3 engines.  It would be easy to check though if someone has a PS3 and a PS2 with tether.

Thanks for the information.. I would like to find male and female straight connectors, if I can..

Here is what I found and used on another upgrade.  It is the B-unit pass through harness.  The only issue with this is the PCB is exposed on the female end.  BC-2100070 ($18).

It will take a little surgery to seamlessly build a wired tether into a PS/3 locomotive, but it can be done.  Since the PS/3 only uses six wires, you could actually use a smaller cable with fewer wires.

Here is my story I got the imperial railking santa fe northern. Got right out the blasted box it did act right.Long story short it had a factory defect.So it went back to mth.I was so disapointed and angry!Why did mth do this?They make good product no need to do the same thing other company may does.I have a early railking erie berkshire.It has not been run for some time.Put on track plug in the tender good to go.I don,t have to walk on egg shells to put on the track.I think we should tell mike bring back the cord.I have my santa fe northern its fix and runs.But I for one am not happy with the wireless deal.Bring back the tether mth.

gunrunnerjohn posted:

It will take a little surgery to seamlessly build a wired tether into a PS/3 locomotive, but it can be done.  Since the PS/3 only uses six wires, you could actually use a smaller cable with fewer wires.

Thanks John,

Hopefully MTH will come out with an adapter kit since there are a growing number of us who prefer the tether.  (not holding my breath)  If I cared that much about the tether I would be a 2 rail guy.  I accept the third rail as a result of function over form and I accept the umbilical cord for the same reason!

As a side note, do you know what DCS command operates the red hazard light on an MTH Premier Proto 3 FEF.  I'd like to operate it independently of simply having the loco in reverse.

Thanks,

Adam

I don't really dislike the new tether but then again I never had any problems with it. If the new tether is as trouble prone as people say on this forum then I would trade the looks of the new tether for a straight cord--preferably one that does not go up and then turn down and then go into the tender. 

However, after hearing year after year folks at the OGR Meeting at York ask MTH, "When are you going to get rid of the umbilical cord?" I find it hard to believe that MTH will come out with a kit to go back to it but then again I never say never! 

I have one tinplate steam locomotive with the PS-3 with that crappy draw bar and it will be my last!  I'll take the wire any day.  

I have 12 of the drawbar type MTH locos and I have a hard time seating them in the socket in the engine but have had no problems with them and they look better.

Mikey

Another in the wireless drawbar is a real PITA camp. Nothing worse than running at shows and it all comes to a halt in front of 50 people.

Steve

seaboardm2 posted:

Here is my story I got the imperial railking santa fe northern. Got right out the blasted box it did act right.Long story short it had a factory defect.So it went back to mth.I was so disapointed and angry!Why did mth do this?They make good product no need to do the same thing other company may does.I have a early railking erie berkshire.It has not been run for some time.Put on track plug in the tender good to go.I don,t have to walk on egg shells to put on the track.I think we should tell mike bring back the cord.I have my santa fe northern its fix and runs.But I for one am not happy with the wireless deal.Bring back the tether mth.

I had the same experience with this model. Returned it to MTH as well.  Not to mention they made previous Santa Fe Northerns with the hand rails standing above the tender decks but the version I bought (2929) had the hand rails contiguous with the tender deck - sloppy and wrong!  I have not bought another Rail King Northern since.  The PS2 version of this locomotive was excellent but the PS3 version is more trouble than it's worth.  As a result of the shoddy "wireless" tether, I now prefer to get Lionel over MTH steam where they are making the same model. I much preferred the wire connection over what exists now. MTH made an excellent product with the wired connection and I did not view the wire as any sort of distraction. The truly wireless Lionel infrared connection is the easiest of all.

You just need to purchase the equivalent male connectors on the drawbar and wire a harness with flexwire.  No need to knock any thing off draw bar and it will still connect tender to engine.  Remove plug from swivel on tender end and unplug on engine end.

Alternatively, cut those plugs off and wire the connector harness of your choice so that the tender and engine 6 wires match up correctly. In this case you can use harness similiar to weaver, williams, k-line etc...  G

I won't buy anymore MTH steamers till they do away with the wireless tether, my first experience with one was a total disaster.

Any body have the MTH Part number for the 6 pin cable inside the tender to the wireless drawbar? 

I've got RK PS/3 Big Boy I've been working on for a customer that needs one.

I'd like a alternative as been mentioned here as well.  Maybe even a 2nd connector that could be built in for the tether so you could add the tether once the wireless drawbar becomes a issue.

Jim

When I have less stuff on my list of SH*T TO DO I will move my MTH diesel tethers up to the diaphragms and put kadee couplers between them to close up the gap. Im thinking of a small 6 pin mini or micro connector that I can plug up  have a couple inches of excess cable get pushed back into the loco so I can just plug them together when they are 5 inches apart then push them together and couple them. Should be no wire to be seen. The wireless draw-bars I don't have that many of , I think I only 2 or three and once on the layout they never really come off.

GGG posted:

You just need to purchase the equivalent male connectors on the drawbar and wire a harness with flexwire.  No need to knock any thing off draw bar and it will still connect tender to engine.  Remove plug from swivel on tender end and unplug on engine end.

Alternatively, cut those plugs off and wire the connector harness of your choice so that the tender and engine 6 wires match up correctly. In this case you can use harness similiar to weaver, williams, k-line etc...  G

Do you know a source?? I can think of some additional applications also!!

Digi-Key has an assortment of connector types that should work.  G

I suspect that the tether could be improved by using a lighter sheath and by reducing gauge of any conductors that carry very small currents.