What exactly do I have?

[scatteredparts]

First I would like to say howdy from Texas! I'm the latest "newbe" and just as I am new to this board I am equally as new to model railroading. Please have patience and try to over look my ignorance . I just purchased a used 4 8 4 New York Central steam engine. The lady I bought it from hasn't a clue as to the function and accessories of this engine. I have discovered some thing I am very curiuos about and would like some help in understanding what I have. After pulling the tender body off the frame I found a bare wire running from one screw to the other that hold the trucks to the frame. Inspecting the (metal) trucks I found that they are equiped to pick up voltage from the track. But there doesn't appear to be any way for the wire that runs from the two screws to become "hot" from the trucks. I have seen the undercarriage of cars that have search lights and what not  and they all have a copper or tin strip of metal that make contact with the axles of the trucks to activate the equipment their supplying voltage to. The pin that connects the tender to the engine is steel but the connector on the engine is plastic. That tells anyone with a little common sense that the engine doesn't have any thing to do as far as supplying any type of power to the tender. SO, can anyone tell me if there is something missing on the tender that would allow it to receive power from the tracks? 

[Mike]

It would help us to help you if we knew what scale you have. I suspect HO. If so, it is about 3/4" inch between the wheels. O would be about twice that size. N would be about half that. Let us know. - Mike

[scatteredparts]

Thanks for responding Mike. Excuse me for being so naive. I'm new to everything but I'm eager to learn and come to understand the world of  train modeling. The engine and tender I'm asking about is HO scale. It's a Bachmann 4 8 4, grey black and silver with a gold accent stripe running the length of the engine. The number 806 is on the cab. On the bottom the only markings I see are "Bachmann, China". I know it's a smoker because I can see the element in the stack. The tender is  grey with black and silver accents on the side and New York Central printed on it. OK, I've just discovered that the tender is a Rivarossi made in Italy! So this is a mismatched set. I suppose I should do some research and try to find what type of tender really goes behind the engine. To someone like me, the engine and tender appear to go together by just looking at them. 

I do know that if the trucks on the tender had some way of conducting power to the stiff metal wire inside, it would short out the tracks because there's nothing inside the tender to make use of the power being supplied to it.

[trains]

make sure the eletric current only goes to anything you want to power and the motor of course. those screws are probaly getting hot because they come in contact with the current, that is very dangerous.make sure they do not cause a short and remember you need a positive wire and a negative wire for everything you power. make sure you are not running to many locomotives.espcecialy with a analog layout. maybe its that your track is too dirty.

[RAM]

I may be wrong, but I think that all of the Bachmann standard line of steam locomotives picked up current from both rails and the tender just went along for the ride.  The Rivarossi locomtives picked up surrent from one rial and the tender picked current from the other rail. 

[VirginiaCentral]

Scatteredparts, I think RAM has it right.  The engine picks up power and the tender is just along for the ride.  From your first post, I suspected that the tender had been changed out.  Try running the engine by itself without the tender on the track.  If this works, then add the tender.  If the train stops when you add the tender, there must be a short in the tender wiring. It could be that one of ther tender trucks has been turned end for end or that one of the axles has been turned the wrong direction, allowing a short through the truck or the tender frame.  If you are able, send some pics of your disassembled tender.  That might help us identify the problem.

Jerry

[NickelPlate759]

Scatteredparts, the Niagara will run with the Rivarossi tender if you make a drawbar to couple them together, but of course the tender is completely wrong for the locomotive. Niagaras had centipede tenders, as you can see here:

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=1560

There's a dealer at my local Greenberg show who has a tons of the older style Niagara tenders, but they're loose in a box and tend to be pretty beat up.