Well, THAT Was A Challenge — And I Don’t Mean Challenger!

I've been hunting for a long time for a 20-3022 UP auxiliary tender for my UP Big Boys.  I finally found one at a decent price and it came in the other day. Smile Since I've converted both Big Boys to PS2, I needed to convert the new aux tender over as well.  Fortunately, when I converted the SP GS-4 Daylight aux tender to PS2 some time ago, I ordered two sets of parts, so I already had the parts I needed.  Or so I thought. Embarassed Opening up the aux tender, I just followed the instructions that I had written down when I did the conversion on the Daylight aux tender.  No big deal, in and out in all of ten minutes.  Now, which Big Boy should I get ready for the aux tender.  Hmmm, interesting … the newer DAP Big Boy tender has neither the main/aux tender switch nor even a cutout for the switch.  Gee, I wonder if I can use the aux tender on the Challenger or the FEF?  Nope, those tenders don't have switches or cutouts either.  So, I guess the aux tender is going to go with the original Big Boy, for which it was originally manufactured.  Open it up and surprise!  While I have a switch cutout, I have no switch.  And then, it all comes flooding back — that Big Boy was purchased used and had a QSI 3000 board installed rather than the original equipment.  No switch, no wiring harness, no nothing.  Ever have one of those days? Yell Going through all the PS1 parts that I kept after doing all the conversions (boy, am I glad I don't throw things away), I found a harness with a straight plug that would work with the socket on the aux tender.  Great!  Then I scavenged a switch out of another locomotive that no longer needed it (when you convert a steam locomotive from PS1 to PS2, the smoke on/off switch in the locomotive, if there is one, becomes superfluous), discovered the mounting holes in the aux tender were a little off for that switch, drilled a new mounting hole, got the switch mounted, got it wired up, set the switch for AUX, put it on the track and fired it up.  It started up fine!  Fire the rear coupler and the backup light blinks.  Oops!  Silly me! Undecided Why would I ever assume that the wiring harnesses would have the same color codes as the one in the Daylight tender?  Ripped everything open again, traced the wires, and fortunately only had to exchange/splice two wires in the main tender to get things connected where they're supposed to be connected.  Once again on the track and, this time, success!  It works like a charm! Cool I'll film it in action and post a video when I have the chance.

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