Model Forum / General / Railroads / October 2007

The primary winding on the ZW is the lower of the two windings on the
transformer core.  The power cord connects to a pair of hollow rivets on a
small fiber board on the right front of the primary winding.  Access is
tight, but better if you advance the A-U and B-U controls to their maximum
positions.  I find it easiest to use a long thin pencil type soldering iron,
to remove the old cord by unsoldering the cord where it passes through the
hollow rivets, and pulling the old wires free to leave clean, open holes to
receive the end of the new power cord.  Remove any broken strands with a
needle nose pliers, and any extra solder with a solder wick (or as
substitute, a scarp of clean finely stranded wire to wick up the old
solder.)  Be careful not to damage or loosen the two wire leads to the
primary windings which also pass through these same hollow rivets.  Strip
the insulation off the two leads of the new cord for about 3/8", tin these
ends, and I find it easier to get them into the hollow rivets if the tinned
leads have a slight curve in them.  Thread the new power cord up through the
bakelite base of the ZW, pull through some extra cord and put an overhand
knot in the cord as a strain relief, pull  the cord back until the knot
seats on the base of the case, then thread the tinned leads into the hollow
rivets, and solder them in place.  Good luck.  Geezer