The video below shows the Shifter - minus boiler and tender shell - rolling again under its own power for the first time in, well, I don't know how long. Years. I have made an allowance in the wiring for adding pickup from the loco drivers if that's necessary. So far the Keep Alive circuit in the decoder seems to be working very well. Time will tell if I need to add more pickup.
While I was operating the engine I had a realization; there's a nice parallel between this model and the real thing. A real locomotive carries its fuel and water in the tender. That fuel and water is moved into the boiler where it is used to generate the steam that turns the wheels. This model picks up power from the tender wheels only. The power is routed through cables under the tender up into the locomotive body where the motor in the firebox drives the wheels. Just like the real thing, the tender provides the "fuel" while the locomotive delivers the power.
Up next...testing LEDs in the headlight housings and adding a connector for the front headlight.
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