Lionel 38095 N&W J Class 911 Steam Engine

Tom, Not sure what wire you are refering to. Lionel 6-38095 uses a wireless tether between locomotive and tender. If you are refering to the drawbar with I/R transmitter, it can be ordered from Lionel.     Earl G

Tom,

Does your drawbar resemble this one?:

At the far right is the infrared (IR) transmitter that @lightningstripe referred to (inside the yellow circle).

Is is present or missing on your locomotive?

Mike

Mike, the previous owner attached a wire to the rear power pickup on the engine, ran it thru the rear truck axles, and just left it attached.  I am not that familiar with the newer Lionel engines, so I thought it was for a connector.  The IR connectors were present so I removed the wire.  The engine/tender work fine.  Thanks.  Tom L

Earl, the previous owner attached a wire to the rear power pickup on the engine, ran it thru the rear truck axles, and just left it attached.  I am not that familiar with the newer Lionel engines, so I thought it was for a connector.  The IR connectors were present so I removed the wire.  The engine/tender work fine.  Thanks.  Tom L

@Tom L posted:

Mike, the previous owner attached a wire to the rear power pickup on the engine, ran it thru the rear truck axles, and just left it attached.  I am not that familiar with the newer Lionel engines, so I thought it was for a connector.  The IR connectors were present so I removed the wire.  The engine/tender work fine.  Thanks.  Tom L

Perfect.  Nice to see that it worked out.

Mike

Tom,  Glad it's working. Running an extra wire between locomotive and tender rollers might indicate that the previous owner felt there was a problem with 3rd rail electrical pickup. Use alcohol and Q tips to keep all of the rollers clean and follow that up with a drop of Labelle 108 oil  applied to the roller axle ends. It's a great running engine. Good Luck with it.   Earl G.