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Hi guys,
A while back, I traded a locomotive for a stripped out MTH Hudson. I'm having an issue when I run it, however. When I am running through Aristo wide radius turnouts (trailing points), the sliders drop down between the rails and jam. Obviously, the gauge is a little wide there. Should I attempt to correct the gauge or should I remove the sliders? Also, I note that the lead drivers do not fully touch the rails, and again, I suspect the sliders are the culprit. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Mark
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Thanks Don!
For now, it appears the track power pick ups are working. I am using a first generation REVO in this Atlantic, which has that huge 6 capacitor board attached to it. But if and when it ever becomes evident to me that my set up is no longer working, I'll get in touch with you.
Thanks!
Mark
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Thanks guys!
I was able to run this engine a little around the Christmas tree this year. I wired up a new headlight and added some red/yellow lights to the firebox. I also moved the headlight up and added a PRR 7002 number plate. Batter power is not ruled out yet for this engine.
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Life got busy the second half of this year, and I have been letting Chessie sit on the shelf. Today, I opened her up and tested the REVO controls and sound, everything is good still. So I turned my attention to the power pick up point. The springs and brushes ride in regular holes drilled in the plastic motor block housing. LGB and Aristo both have the springs/brushes riding in brass tubes, so I pulled some out of a spare LGB motor block and started fitting them. I need to trim about 1/8" off the tubes so they clear the tires. I also located a brush housing I can add to the lead truck as another pick up point. It does not look like the motor ran long enough to get hot, but the amp draw through the power pick up point was enough to melt the springs, as described above.
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Mike,
I was working on my mallet's lead drive train last night (same drive train as the mikado), and after I was done, I ran the locomotive on rollers to double check my work. I found a new problem in the rear drivers. What I noticed was the rear set started later than the front. Letting the drivers rotate slowly, I found one point where there was a tiny, almost imperceptible bind in the drive train between the #2 and #3 driver linkage. I removed the links using the 4 and 5 mm socket head drivers and opened up the linkage hole. I replaced and everything rolls really smoothly and at the same time.
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Oh, and the plastic arm that you circled does not have any attachment, it just rests in a slot.
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Your Fireman's side rear driver appears slightly out of quarter, based on the counter weight. This is likely because that's the wheel that sees the most torquing when running (it is right next to the motor). Check that. If you do not want to remove the wheels, I'd suggest slotting the side rods with a dremel or router.
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Looks like it works. http://www.aristocraftforum.com/
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I wonder how many people will order 2 Big boys to get both numbers! That's cool, though. Glad they released a new catalog, even if it is simply repaints of the existing models. (and some that are being delivered).
I still like that Amtrak Dash 8.
In order to run MTH trains with the smartphone app, I'll need a TIU and the wireless interface, correct? Nothing else?
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Ray, the motor seems to be ok. At least, I do not smell any of the burned electrical smell. What I did find was the springs holding the brushed tight against the tire had lost their strength. I suspect that when the springs heated up under high amp draw, a gap was able to form between the brush and the tire. This small gap may have allowed a small arc to form, which will have very high amp draw. The locomotive was not under any load at the time, just itself. But, I was running it at full speed, which would have been 23 volts. I don't have an ammeter to measure the pull.
I did a quick bench test last night, and applying power to the leads got the headlight to work, so I believe the problem was the power pick ups over heating due to too high a voltage for the motor. The motor is open to the full interior of the boiler shell. It should be able to get the air it needs to stay cool.
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I removed the motor cover last night, expecting the worst. Instead, what I found was the springs must have gotten so hot, they started to melt the plastic, which is where the smoke came from. I removed the LGB springs and shoes, but now am pondering my next move.
Do I seek a replacement DC motor capable of handling 24V DC or do I source new springs and operate this at a maximum of 12-15 V DC?
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So I set this up and got it rolling on rollers and then did a late night test July 3. No problems.
July 4, I did a follow up bench test and nothing. No power no nothing. Then I remembered about the springs. So I pulled some out of an old LGB unit and installed them. Got it out on the track, ran two times around. Parked it to do other stuff, and was about to switch it off, when I noticed my other engines were blinking like when I have a short circuit. Then I saw the smoke coming from the Atlantic. I'll open it up tonight and see, but I have a feeling I smoked the power input wires from the pick ups. I think the insulation melted and then the wires shorted out on the motor itself. So, I will be looking at that. I'll probably need to use heavier wire and create some sort of thermal blanket to keep the wires from touching the motor. I could also look to replace the 12v motor with a 24v motor.
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A mail in survey....really?
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Ray and Neil,
Thanks for the replies. I also messaged George Schreyer, who is using one of these Atlantics on his railroad, controlled with DCC. He indicated his output is peaked at 22V, and he has encountered no problems. I can run at reduced power, but other than drawing more amperage, I think we're probably ok.
For the headlight, I was going to keep it simple. It is connected to the power inputs from the track, so it will always be "on". In addition to replacing the light itself, I was actually thinking about ditching the entire housing as well, in favor of something like Bachmann's big hauler sheet metal headlight. I see that I can purchase a headlight direct from Bachmann with the lighbulb installed (for the INDY 2-6-0) and that would look nice, too.
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A friend of mine has one and likes it. Here's his video:
He did need a PWC to Linear power converter to get the sounds to work right. Another friend reported the same thing, although his was more related to the motor going bad on PWC.
As for the caboose, the LGB 4065 D&RGW caboose looks pretty close to the ones Reading used, so you could start with that.
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So I have been tearing in to this locomotive. I added extra zip ties to secure the motor. The previous owner had wired in an LGB smoke unit, and had used wire nuts, so isolating the motor was simplified. However, I note a couple of things:
1) The motor is labeled as a 12V DC motor. I run 24V DC on my railroad. Have any of you encountered issues with the Lionel 12v motor overheating or will it simply just draw more amperage? My Kalamazoo 4-4-0 has a 12V motor and Phil Jensen (HLW) suggested not running it at more than 12V. In testing, the Lionel 12V motor seems to run OK when I apply 21v from an LGB power pack.
2) When I run the locomotive forward, there is a bit of gear noise. When I run in reverse, it is really quiet. Any ideas? I greased the gears pretty well.
3) The headlight bulb got hot enough to make the headlight housing get a little soft. It's a clunky blobby headlight and I can swap it out for another, but perhaps I just need to add a bit of resistance to the line and it would be ok? Thoughts?
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Brief update: I'm adding REVO control to this locomotive. The sound system is a PH Hobbies. There are 4 AA ni-cad rechargable batteries, which I can probably eliminate (since REVO runs on full track power). A reed switch on a tender axle takes care of the chuff; two more reed switches activate a bell and a whistle sequence. I will rewire those two to trigger from the revo board instead. I will take some pictures. Someone put a huge oval speaker in the tender and about 3lbs of lead in the boiler. I am going to add some shims for the drivers, as these move up and down easily, allowing for the wheels to go slightly out of quarter and binding the connecting rods. I'll play it safe and run the sound board with linear-ized power.
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Be pretty cool to replicate this scene:
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Jens,
F7's have been painted and repainted and painted again in the nearly 80 years since their introduction. Paint them however you like.
http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?locomotive=EMD%20F7%28A%29
Google American Orient Express, which seems to have drawn its paint scheme from the Rheingold train..
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Chuck,
That's cool! 40+ years on a locomotive is a long time. We saw F40-PH2 and PH3's working CalTrain in San Francisco in 2013. I may have seen some of those Metra F40s, too. An F40 and two or three amfleets is a great smallish train. And if they do move ahead with Amtrak equipment, I wonder if we'll see the AEM-7 way down the line. Yeah, it's a toaster and pretty ugly, but I have ridden so many miles behind them, I'd try and add it to the roster.
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Chuck, there are at least a dozen paint schemes that USAT can apply to F-40 PH's. Here's hoping they take their time to double check the artwork and fonts.
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The Amtrak equipment would be great. I could see picking up a heavyweight baggage car for my heavyweight train, too.
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I've been impressed with this guy and his company. They are using social media, along with the other traditional methods, to promote their product as often as possible. They are also doing something different from the previous g-scale manufacturers: making inexpensive toy trains. Even the funky camelback Blue Comet has some appeal! So far, I have not bought any of their trains, but the price point for the rolling stock is right for us. I also like the look of their turnouts, but wish they were making them in stainless.
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Raymond,
Glad to hear a new catalog is coming soon. Here's hoping an N&W J is offered.
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