Can anyone suggest where I can purchase a connector to go between a steam locomotive and the tender? The one that is there - a tiny “bullet” connector - is mashed and no longer stays connected… I want to replace it; the HO locomotive is A Rivarossi steam loco.
Or suggest an alternative means of electrically connecting the two pieces such that they can be mechanically disconnected easily ( i.e., I do not want to solder a wire between the tender and locomotive that would s prevent the two from being separated).
Is your loco DC or DCC? Is the plug used to bring power from the tender pickups or does it have other functions such as a backup light also. If it involves just one or two wires you might want to consider somthing like the mini plug and sockets that Micro Mark and others sell. FOr example see: http://www.micromark.com/MINI-CONNECTOR-KIT-PKG-OF-10,8839.html.
The present plug is a single-wire arrangement to utilize the tender electrical pickup ; I looked at the micro-mark mini-connector plugs ( i.e., web page), and I think that (even though they show two wires and I only need one) they will work; are these mini connector plugs difficult to separate once they are connected? They look like a connector style used in cars that that take a pair of pliers/screwdriver to separate.
They snap together and come apart reasonably easily. They are designed to stay together until you want to take them apart rather than coming apart easily when you don’t want them to.
Miniatronics makes micro-mini connectors that are much smaller and inconspicuous because they are black instead of being white like the ones sold by Micro-Mark.
Any good local hobby shop should have the Miniatronics sets in stock. They come in 2, 3, and 4 wire versions.