Picked up an old RS3 for $100. Runs like its new, but I can’t locate the switch for the smoke unit.
The one roof section, the one with the square exhaust thingy on it, lifts off to reveal the switches.
no switch
Oh. Um. I do not know, was there a version without a working smoke unit?
I’m not sure whom we are addressing here, but my RS3 has a smoke, battery/track, and light switch under the lift out vent right in front of the cab, (“front” if you are running it with the long nose forward, which I the RR prefers for the safety of the crew in case of a collision). I’m pretty sure mine is an older one, maybe not.
John, I had an “old” one, but I do not know if the first run RS3s had smoke units. Louis’s could be that old.
I looked on George Schreyer’s website, and he states that the switches on the first run were under the cover, just like later runs. He doesn’t say that it didn’t have a smoke unit, so, if there is a switch for it, it should be there. But I can’t say that the previous owner didn’t do some “modifications”.
Louis,
I do not know when Aristo started to date their products but on all my stock mostly post 2003, but one or two older items, there is a small half moon decal somewhere usually which gives model number and approximate date of manufacture. The following link might help you date the loco.
You can easily tell the difference between 1st run and later run models.
1st run has the axle extensions riding in the truck frame.
2nd run has ball bearing axles and no axle extensions.
Both had smoke units.
The smoke unit is in the front of the long nose right behind the headlights.
If you pop up the round grill above it, you should be able to see it.
All the RS-3 switches are mounted on a circuit board at the top of the hood between the cab and speaker.
To access the smoke unit from inside the hood, the are 4 screws holding a cover on the bottom of a large plastic box.
I have a photograph of it, so it precedes the days of digital photography.
The round grill just covers the fan The smoke unit sits aft of the fan. But the question was were are the switches for the fan? If they aren’t under the lift out cover, I would have to say that someone, somewhere along the line, removed them.
Aristo-Craft slide switches usually have a black cover over them.
Printing on the cover identifies the switch use, as well as, the on and off positions.
If one of the square holes in the cover is empty, someone has removed the switch.
I wonder if like the early FA-1s the smoke switch is labelled Forward and Reverse?
yeah, the reversable smoke fan was pretty funny… there are more than 2 generations of the motor blocks… well, the op should come back and indicate if there are places for 3 switches, or post a picture.
They all came with smoke, as previously stated.
I’ll take some photos and post them this weekend.
Well?
Greg Elmassian said:
Well?
Needs to get A Round Toit maybe? (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
Louis;
Here is a parts diagram link from gscale.net that maybe of further use to ya in the future;
http://gscale.net/images/manuals/Aristo_RS3_Parts.pdf
Their AristoCraft ref. homepage; http://www.gscale.net/manuals/aristocraft
doug c
p.s. some Aristocraft parts diagrams are also available via this Aristo’ forum thread that JP posted in 2014 (alas the RS-3 is one of the missing) ;