Interesting, so that is a side effect of unsealed bearings?

I could see how pressurizing the gearbox could avoid this, but first report I have read of this... was the loco left outside for a long time? Basically all I can figure was heating and cooling allowed the cooling gearbox to draw moisture with attendant grit into the gearbox.

What are your theories?

Greg

I doubt they will change the design, but the design needs a facelift, and a way to accurately index/quarter steam loco drivers.

The power pickup needs some help, but a simple change in the assembly process would do.

You want grease? Being sealed, they should virtually never need greasing. If you want to grease them, drill a hole and put in a rubber plug.

Greg

Ahh... I checked my Aristo history page, yes, mentioned in 2010
the SW-1500 was in the 1996 catalog.

Well, I'm happy Kader/Bachmann is using the old Aristo molds to make more stuff. I agree, they need to make more, the RS-3 might be a good choice, but I'm thinking they are going more modern.

They are also probably learning their lesson about making big locos that don't fit on every layout. The Mikado would not be a bad loco to bring back either, although it's fidelity to prototype is poor.

greg

I have to comment:

the length of a layout does not DIRECTLY dictate the amps needed in a power supply.

It's the electrical losses between the power supply and the locomotive that are important. This is why there is often controversy, where someone states the 1 amp power supply is not enough, and the next guy says his same size layout is fine.

The losses from from resistance, normally between sections of rails (but can also be poor wire feeder gauge, or poor connections)

So, brass track, 2 feet points, rail clamps, no problem in your "60 foot" layout.

rusted steel track, stock corroded joiners, light gauge wire, no good and perhaps even a much larger (volts and/or amps) transformer may not solve your issue.

So, gauge (pun intended) what you need by the quality of your layout connections, joiners, feed(s) quality.

Greg

How can that gear be universal? Aren't there 2 different axles/gears?

if so, the gear alone clearly cannot be universal.

perhaps a list of part numbers, and then the user searches for that part number is a more permanent solution.

I have a large (750 pages) web site, and over the years, the organization changes, but if you use the search routine will find what you want.

I've had complaints that a 10 year old bookmark no longer works, but my home page says don't do this.

I realize a simple link is easier, but there is a lot of maintenance in effectively keeping a database of bookmarks current.

Greg

first thing to do might be monitor the track voltage and see if it changes when the loco slows...

if it drops, then check for higher current (overload / motor issues) when it slows.

Voltage stays ok, then would suspect the loco, maybe carbon buildup between commutator segments, severely worn brushes, etc.

Do you mean the SW-1500?


it was listed in the 1996 catalog...

Very typical story with large/long locos.

Many people got excited and made a lot of noise over the:

Dash 9
E8
Mallet

But when it came down to it, it was a limited market and since there was a lot of time between announcement and delivery, the number of people who would ACTUALLY buy the locos was limited.

Also, many people found out that they just did not have the layout to run such large locos.

But Bachmann must have seen the outrageous prices on the used/NOS market, and dove in.

This happened with each of the above locos... people made a lot of noise, but the second or subsequent shipments sat on the dealer floor and eventually were sold at cost... RLD hobbies had pallets of E8's, Dash 9's sold for very cheap. Many mallets were sold cheap.

So it's good to see that Bachman did not fall into the same trap. Wise decisions will keep the company profitable.

Perhaps they could now make another MORE POPULAR Aristo loco?

Greg

The ESU sound decoders (that you are using) have firebox flicker function for LEDs

Why not use blinking LEDs and just turn them on?

starting at the beginning, what does ESU say?

1 no ground needed, just available off the decoder board
2 wire gauge will be fine, it does not draw a lot of current
3 resistor is calculated by the supply voltage in the normal way
4 on the 4-4-0, I think the smoke unit is wired from the track, i.e. it is NOT a logic output, so you will need perhaps a relay operated by a function output on the Blunami. I do not have a schematic of the 4-4-0.

Greg

Yeah, buy a 5v seuth unit, and then add a 5 volt regulator and you will get smoke at less than the speed of light.

Greg

I did not think the smoke unit is fan driven? Modulating the heater will not make it puff... it's a resistor that has thermal mass... it will not switch on and off rapidly like an LED.

I pulse a fan motor, leaving the heater pretty constant, lowering and raising the heater current with speed somewhat.