Author Topic: Wiring question  (Read 24371 times)

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grumbern

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on: February 05, 2017, 11:13:49 am
Hi there,
does anyone have an original wiring harness or pictures of it, or any information, how it was done for a Chief, Super Meteor, Constellation etc.? I mean, how does it look like? I know how to wire it, but not how it was done (lenths, layout etc.).
Hope someone can help me!
Andreas


High On Octane

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Reply #1 on: February 26, 2017, 03:40:24 pm
I ended up converting to 12 volt and made my own custom harness from scratch.
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


grumbern

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Reply #2 on: February 27, 2017, 06:08:10 pm
Well, that would of cousre be much easier and cheaper, considdering smaller cable diametre and lower pricees for lightbulbs, but it wouldn't be like original, would it? ;)

You do not possibly have any info about the original wiring of the Chief, or pictures showing just anything?! I don't even know where the connectors would belong, so any info is appreciated.
Andreas


High On Octane

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Reply #3 on: February 28, 2017, 02:14:11 am
I'll have to browse my computer files.  I might, but not entirely sure.
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


grumbern

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Reply #4 on: February 28, 2017, 08:32:53 am
That'd be awsome!


High On Octane

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Reply #5 on: February 28, 2017, 02:15:59 pm
I thought I had a pic of the old twin wiring harness, but turns out it was for a newer Bullet.  Sorry.
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


grumbern

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Reply #6 on: February 28, 2017, 08:21:00 pm
Darn! But thanks anyway for looking!

Maybe someone else here has some of the needed info? *nagnagnag* ;)


Adrian II

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Reply #7 on: March 01, 2017, 05:09:10 pm
There ARE other owners of RE twins on this forum... Come on, guys!

A.
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grumbern

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Reply #8 on: March 12, 2017, 10:48:44 am
I must say, this is not only frustrating, but just sad.
You can't tell me, there's nobody on this board, with an original RE wiring harness in use or in stock!
I know the Chief is exotic, but there are other models that should have similar wiring, or offer at least some hints on how to do it!

Im offering a newly made, braided harness to the one who gives the needed advice, as soon as my braiding machine works. Maybe that will help...
Andreas


Adrian II

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Reply #9 on: March 13, 2017, 02:45:06 am
I have a theory. Ahem.

You will get fed up with waiting, and as soon as your braiding machine is working to your satisfaction, you will simply set out all the electrical components in their logical position and wire your own loom from scratch, it will look authentic and perform faultlessly.

Within three weeks someone on ebay will suddenly list a new old stock Chief loom. You will buy this and find yours is identical apart from the section to the stop/tail lamp, the original being 1/2" shorter...

There is a sort of precedent for this, on a slightly bigger scale. When steam locomotive preservation in the UK wasn't so technically advanced as it is now, a group of enthusiasts decided to go for mission impossible and buy and restore a three cylinder express passenger locomotive from the scrapyard. This was 71000 Duke of Gloucester, the first in what would have been a whole class of locomotives, but with the end of steam traction already in sight in the 1950s British Railways only built the one example. Rather small by American standards, but hey...



By the time it reached the scrapyard (after a rather short service life) both the outside cylinders had been removed. One had simply been sent for scrap and was long gone, the other still existed but had been cut in half and put on display in the Science Museum in London. This meant a new set of cylinders had to be cast as there were no spares (ever!), and with the unusual Caprotti valve gear no other cylinders from other surviving locomotives could be used.

The next step would have been to copy the original cylinder drawings from the old British Railways technical records held by the National Railway Museum in York, but the NRM were unable to find them.

The only choice was to get access to the remaining half cylinder in the Science museum and try and put together a set of drawings by carefully measuring what was left, as well as examination of the only other surviving Caprotti-geared engine in the UK, which had similar but smaller cylinders. With only incomplete or smaller parts to work from there had to be some educated guess work in the absence of any pyhsical reference. Finally they were satisfied and had a set of drawings to send to the foundry. Some time later the original drawings were actually located and lent to the enthusiast group, who were delighted to discover that the drawings were identical, apart form one section of casting which was ⅛" (3.175mm) thicker.

Did the loco run again? Yes, rather well, as it happens.  ;D

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKC_duEEd9E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4Lgv7RopnY

A.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2017, 03:04:45 am by Adrian II »
Grumpy Brit still seeking 500 AVL Bullet perfection! Will let you know if I get anywhere near...


grumbern

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Reply #10 on: March 13, 2017, 08:49:26 am
Adrian, you are probably right, some Info at least would be nice from time to time.
And now I have to look up, what a Caprotti valve gear is ;)


Arizoni

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Reply #11 on: March 13, 2017, 10:11:02 pm
The sounds that 3 cylinder engine makes are really neat!

For those not in to "steam", because the cylinders produce power on both the forward and rearward stroke, having 3 cylinders is similar to having a 6 cylinder gasoline engine.  That's why 71000 sounds like it is running so fast as it passes by.

I might mention, 71000's, 4-6-2 wheel arrangement in America would have been called a "Pacific".

The Pacific's were some of the fastest, most popular passenger locomotives of the day with the 6 drivers ranging from 67" to 80" in diameter. (1702-2032 mm)

Most of the American Pacific's were 2 cylinder with some using 3 cylinders.  Others used a 4 cylinder compound system with 2 high pressure and 2 low pressure cylinders.
Although they had more cylinders than the 3 cylinder locomotives they sounded like a 2 cylinder engine.
After the high pressure steam was used in the high pressure cylinder it was fed directly into the low pressure cylinder before exiting up the stack.
This resulted in two "choofs" per each full rotation of the drivers.
« Last Edit: March 13, 2017, 10:20:32 pm by Arizoni »
Jim
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Adrian II

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Reply #12 on: March 14, 2017, 10:48:59 pm
The Pacific, Atlantic, Mogul, etc, designation for steam wheel arrangements were used here too.

71000 was an 8P classification, the most powerful for express passenger use on British Railways. Compared with Pacifics, eight-coupled passenger engines were quite rare in the UK and none survived the end of steam. (2-8-0s were quite common on freight on some lines, we also had some USATC S160s shipped over during WW2 which were sent on to Europe after D-Day, there are a couple of preserved examples running over here.)

OK, not a problem with the missing Mikados, let's have a new-build one!

https://www.p2steam.com/

These guys are serious, they've already built a highly successful replica LNER A1 Pacific.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDlqHuEE50g

While we've been playing trains Grumbern has probably re-wired his Chief...  ;D

A.
Grumpy Brit still seeking 500 AVL Bullet perfection! Will let you know if I get anywhere near...


mattsz

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Reply #13 on: March 14, 2017, 11:37:17 pm
Now that's a thread hijack!  8)


Adrian II

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Reply #14 on: March 15, 2017, 01:22:54 am
Sometimes off-topic is the only way, but I did at least sort of acknowledge the orignal subject!

Now if someone ACTUALLY HAS the information Grumbern requested, I will gladly shut up.
Grumpy Brit still seeking 500 AVL Bullet perfection! Will let you know if I get anywhere near...