This one is for Gunrunner or Barry Broskowitz?

Brandy,

Just about any PS2 or PS3 engine can handle a front coupler. All you'd have to to is connect the wires form the coupler to the appropriate spot on the engine's PS2 or PS3 board

The only issue that you'd have is getting the coupler's wires into the tender, where the electronics are. In a Climax, you should be able to run a wire pair along the axle between the two halves of the engine.

It'll probably harder to mechanically mount the coupler than to power it.  However, you do have the issue of getting the proper sized connector pins to connect the coupler, depending on what the harness looks like.

Thanks alot guys for your help and suggestions, now I have to buy one, I think I may spring for a new 3.0 model. We have a local MTH Service Shop, and I may make the trip to see if he can get me one, and also do the honors of adding the electro coupler!  If he doesn't, would either of you guys be interested in making the sale and doing the install?....................................Thanks again ..................Brandy!

Henning's Trains will sell you one, and since I do MTH repairs for them, I can put in the EC.  Like I said, the real issue in my mind is how it fit mechanically.  That's something that would have to be researched.

MTH actually provided the Forward coupler jumper in the PS-2 version.  No additional wires were needed.  It used a 16 pin connector harness which gave more functions.  Especially since the reverse light is actually on the Engine.   G

This is the PS/3 version, I'm not 100% sure they followed the same path.

Would surprise me if it didn't, but it is an answer to his original question.  He was mislead when he was told the original PS-2 electronics could not support the forward coupler.  It can.  G

Obviously the PS/3 electronics supports the front coupler as well, but my only doubt is if it's wired from the board connector in that model.  That would be my only question about the install.

Ok, To be more clear.

Who ever told you this was wrong.  The original PS-2 Climax has a 16 pin harness and the wire for forward coupler is already run to the front of the engine, with a 2 pin plug available.  If you installed a coupler you could plug it directly in. 

The climax has a 16 pin harness because more features are controlled on the engine side including the reverse light.  So a 10 pin harness was not going to be good enough.  They used a 16 pin which allowed for the forward coupler wire.   G

Do you know that the PS/3 version also directly supports the coupler and has the wiring for it?   I know the board supports it, the question is it wired already.

John, I do not, but since it should have a boiler board in the engine with 28 pin connector, it has the fwd coupler port available. No extra wires to run from a tender harness for PS-3.  It would be disappointing if MTH did not have the wire run already.

For what it is worth I have seen RK PS 3 diesels with extra wire connections run for features not installed.   It is a shame Brandy was given bad advice about the original Climax.  G

It'll be interesting to see what he finds.  I have one of the original Climax locomotives, but I've never had the occasion to tear it apart.