10 Pin Wire Harness Engine to Tender

You can rig a straight harness, but note that on tighter curves that the straight harness may pull the tender off the rails.  You also have to make sure you accommodate the fact that some of the straight harnesses have a different pinout than the 90-degree MTH harnesses.

Are all MTH 10 pin harnesses (read that 90 deg ones) wired the same way? In a thread I read in the last day or so, I think I read that to be true.....one of the advantages of MTH over the big L.

So that if one has a harness bad at the 90 bend, any MTH 10 pin ordered from them,  will have wires the same color as the old one and thus work.

Just curious. Greg

In general that's probably true.  However, note that the straight diesel tether and the 90 deg steam tether do NOT have the same pinouts!  If you just follow the color codes and attempt to use one of those to steamline the look, you'll get fireworks unless you adjust the wiring.

Well Pinouts are the same if it is a double ended plug.  They are straight thru.  Pin1 to 1 etc...  Early PS-2 5V slave harness did swap colors of wire(location).  So the Red/Blk and Wht/Yel in different locations.  They were the thicker 22 gauge wire.  So motor and track power function.

Bottom line is check it with a meter to make sure.  G

@GGG posted:

Well Pinouts are the same if it is a double ended plug.

True, but that's not the diesel tether.   I have hacked a couple of those up to replace the 90 degree connector with a straight one, easier than rewiring the engine connector.

Just trying to make sure someone doesn't use the diesel one thinking the colors go to the same pins.

One of the differences between steam and diesels tethers is the motor power wires. the normal yellow/white on steam are heavier wires. On diesel tethers if you wire the same way, the motor control wiring is much thinner wiring. So like GGG and John have pointed out, this is going to be a complex project.

@Chuck Sartor posted:

One of the differences between steam and diesels tethers is the motor power wires. the normal yellow/white on steam are heavier wires. On diesel tethers if you wire the same way, the motor control wiring is much thinner wiring. So like GGG and John have pointed out, this is going to be a complex project.

You can take the replacement double-headed steam tether that  has a 90-deg connector and a straight connector on the other end.  Lop off the 90-deg connector and wire that as your tether, it will retain the heavier wiring in the proper places.  That's what George was referring to.

OK I understand now!