I did another quick run with the same issues. Push up gently on the drawbar on the tender side, engine runs fine. I took the tender shell off and noticed the drawbar pin is very loose. It appears I cannot tighten the screw, I wonder if this has anything to do with it? I inspected all other connections and everything is tight, including where the drawbar connects to the tender side. I think if that drawbar pin was tighter I may have solved my problem.
My restoration edition Big Boy will arrive next week and I can inspect the drawbar on that model to see if the tender pin is just as loose.
@Jim Sandman posted:5. Cracked plastic surrounding the pins on the connector.
Good to see you here Jim. If all else fails, I might just have to leave her with you for a bit to figure things out.