Wiring a Pennsy 6-18306 MU Commuter For Overhead Power

I did disconnect the rollers.  The two wires that were attached to the rollers are now attached to the pantograph.

Fear not, problem solved.  When I disconnected the wires from the rollers, I installed brass washers to keep the machine screws from falling through the plastic insulating washer, as the washer seemed to have a large enough hole for the head of the screw to pass through.  

In my zeal to do the right thing, I neglected to think !   The brass washers are touching the motor block casting.....DUH.  

Congrats Dan, you solved a puzzling electrical mind bender,

on the following.

1. You did it before the electrical gurus that inhabit the OGR forum could have chimed in.

2. you did it in less than two hours. app. 111 min.56 seconds.

3 I always wanted to do that same thing to my MU electrics, now I know what to watch for. 

Thanks

John

Thanks John.  It's not difficult to do.  Remove the shell first.  Six screws hold it to the chassis.  When you take the shell off, the end steps and a metal plate at the opposite end will fall out.  No big deal.  Now remove the motor trucks from the motor.  A single screw underneath holds them in place.  Looking at the top of the trucks the wire that goes to the roller is attached with a small machine screw.  Remove these screws and you will see a plastic bushing washer.  This keeps the ring connector on the ends of the wire from shorting on the metal truck block.  When I did this one of the plastic bushing/washers fell on the workbench unbeknownst to me.  Of course, this is the first one I replace the screw on and consequently used a brass washer to keep the screw from falling through the motor block.  You would think that while replacing the second screw on the other truck that I would have noticed the plastic washer, but being of a certain age, and working in not enough light, I didn't.  

So you now have the two wires from the center rollers.  Connect them together with a piece of wire and be sure to use heat shrink tubing on those connections.  Splice another piece of wire to the new connector wire.  Again heat shrink tubing on the splice.  

Under the pantograph, inside of the shell, there is a metal rivet that look to be about a quarter inch in diameter.  This is the bottom of the stud that holds the pantograph in place.  At first I thought I I could solder the wire to this, but it is steel I presume.  So I drilled a small hole in the roof under the base of the pantograph and ran the wire through it.  Again since the pantograph is steel, it cannot be soldered to.  So I drilled a hole in the flat base of the pantograph and inserted a small screw from the bottom.  The wire gets wrapped around this screw.  

You're ready to power the commuter cars as they were meant to be powered. 

Thanks for the info Dan, Of course I need to do it to a few other electric as well, e.g  GG1s, E44s, EP5s, B1 rat, E60, EF4, DD1, P5 boxcab and a modified version as well.

Can you tell I am a Pennsy Juice Jack.

Can't blame you John.  Electrics, Pennsy in particular have always been a major railroading interest to me.  I was disappointed when Conrail removed the catenary from the Trenton Cutoff and the High Line by 30th Street Station. 

Dan Padova posted:

Can't blame you John.  Electrics, Pennsy in particular have always been a major railroading interest to me.  I was disappointed when Conrail removed the catenary from the Trenton Cutoff and the High Line by 30th Street Station. 

I watched them take it down on the viaduct. I cried to myself and cursed Penn Central and Conrail.

John, I wonder if they scrapped the wire.  A pretty penny can be had at the scrap yard for copper.  And that was one hell of alot of it.  

Dan if the government had anything to do with it they most likely gave the contract to a friend of a friend in congress.