Greg, when I get it back I will take a look at it and see how difficult it is to take the wheels out.
Thanks.
Jon, I am sure nothing magical happened on route back to Accucraft.
I have had (2) of these locomotives and they have both operated exactly the same.
I am just glad you and others were able to witness the lack of performance this engine has… At least a few people believe me!
Dave, I wish I could say I was making that line up… But I am not.
Vincent , your saying that “at least a few people believe me” sounds a bit like you’ve been accused of making a fuss .
Far from it , I think maybe people do not want to believe that such a coveted product is a bit outside their expectations .
I think you should persevere with it and possibly try what Greg suggested , he generally knows what is best in dealing with train problems .
I think I would have felt just as peed off as you are , you are not alone in getting the occasional bad buy.
Keep at it mate , you’ll get there .
Mike
Vincent,
That sucks, did they test it under any sort of load? When you get it back let me know if you need any help. We can get her to be a strong running engine.
Nico Corbo said:
Vincent,
That sucks, did they test it under any sort of load? When you get it back let me know if you need any help. We can get her to be a strong running engine.
They sent me a video of it running on there test layout pulling a few cars.
I know the engine will run and pull cars when operated at a faster speed and on level track (such as there test layout). They did slow it down for a few seconds to show it pulling the cars, they reversed it, put it back in forward etc.
And as far as what the video shows and what they witnessed yes, the train performs as it should.
I keep telling them the issues are easily observed when the locomotive is run slow and has to tackle the slightest grade… but that is not how they are testing the locomotive.
I don’t know how else to explain it, others at Shawns house seen this locomotive fail… and fail badly.
Looks like it will be a paperweight when I get it back, at least it will look good.
Vincent,
Did you tell them how easily it shut down, when the engine stopped?
Nico Corbo said:
Vincent,
Did you tell them how easily it shut down, when the engine stopped?
Yes indeed… multiple times
Maybe you need to run it with the packing foam, like they did.
Just talked with Cliff again, I give him credit he keeps trying!
I explained again that the locomotive needs to be tested running slow and on a grade, this is where the locomotive struggles.
He is going to try to setup a test track with a grade and see how it goes.
Well the locomotive will be shipped back to me tomorrow.
Nothing fixed, no problems solved.
Cliff tried the locomotive on a small incline (about 3’ in length ) and of course it worked.
He called me again to discuss and he said the one thing he does find a little surprising is that the engine draws a lot of amps when going up the grade.
He also noticed when running on there flat test track after a few minutes that there Bridgewerks power supply was very warm.
So I am taking it back, I don’t know why… Probably because I just like the looks of the engine.
Any ideas?
Battery power maybe?
Display shelf?
Trash bin?
The overheated power pack Indicates that there is a bind in the mechanism, bad motors etc. that is causing an increased amperage draw probably near the packs maximum?
My 2 cents
Al P.
It may be in the thread, but do you know the manufacturer of the motor? Typical Accucraft is Pittman (now sold to Ametek).
These motors are not designed for trains, but are typical precision lab motors and can draw surprising current when operated outside their performance envelop. The will continue to run way outside the safe limits when the motor will melt down.
The Pittman in my Accucraft K4 is designed for .5 to .7 amp continuous, but I did not know that and kept adding weight to an improperly geared loco and pulled almost 5 amps… for a while, until the insides of the motor melted and it locked solid.
So there may not be anything wrong with the gears, mechanism or the motor, just being operated outside it’s specifications.
Regards, Greg
Vincent, just like my Aristo Consolidation. Returned with no problem found. I think Gregg may have a point. Maybe you should see if you could substitute a more suitable motor. Of course that will not solve the wheel wobble.
A final add to this topic…
Accucraft eventually took this locomotive back and issued me credit through Reindeer Pass (The retailer I purchased from)
Its to bad because it is a great looking locomotive, but from what I have found out through them shipping me different locomotives to try (and from there own inspection of some at their facility) they all have the same issues… even though they wont admit about the stalling out at low speed, at least I have others on this forum that were able to witness it first hand.
Up to now, Accucraft is not “known” for their diesel motor blocks.
I think they have the steam loco drivetrain down, but these “one off” designs are not really worked out it seems.
When I started the hobby, I was told that Accucraft locos were museum quality, but not intended for general purpose train running like Aristo or USAT.
Greg