Rather interesting exchange regarding the flaws and GR Review of the Aristo Consolitdation. Just curious, those of you who actually purchased one…how do they run?
Been reading it, basic problem to me is the get-the-product-out-the-door QC issues in China, this has been going on in one degree or another for over 10 years, yet no one seams to have learned much.
No, I like the Connie, but its WAY too big, and they decided to screw the small layout guys and go force everyone who want one to replace all their track to 8 foot diameter by going with all flanged wheels despite the fact that alot of small road Connies had blind driver wheels for switching. So Nope, between the forced Wider is Better (or should that now be “wider is manditory”) and the ever rising price points I’m pretty much done with LGB, Aristo, and Bachmann for that matter, unless they offer something affordable of interest for the small poor layout guys like me.
I’m saving my sheckles for the Piko 0-6-0 switcher that will come out by the end of this year. That is absolutely perfect for my layout and at a very reasonable price.
What is the Scale of the Aristo Loco? and dose it fit what you are trying to protray? If I am not wrong it is 1:29 so I am not interested! What a Delton 2-8-0 tp [;ay with?
Paul
There is another site for large scale trains??
Here we go again. Why do we care what goes on over there? We have enough trouble keeping Rooster in check. 
You can fix the all flange wheels by grinding the flanges off the middle wheels.
There is another LS site?
And I’m done buying Loco’s anyway, I have too many now considering thining the heard a little.
David you suggest grinding off the flanges. That would be something if I had the right milling machinery. Otherwise its not really an option for me I just dont understand why they dont offer flangeless aftermarket wheels for the smaller layout guys. The damn thing is the same size as a Bmann Connie and that can do 5’ dia out of the box.
Hark back a few years when first announced and Lewis intended the centre axles to be blind. The hue and cry was deafening from the masses to get flanged wheels. Lewis opted for both blind and flanged wheelsets, with the purchaser making the choice with the supplied parts. Realistically, the average hobbyist would have had didly squat expertise to carry out the task. Fast forward and the current economics and perceived lack of demand for blind axles and we have the loco as currently presented. They could not even get the flanged wheels correct.
You can please some of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.
This is not about flanged drivers vs blind drivers. That is unless someone has found a way to run a locomotive with no flanges on the wheels!!
At least some (probably most or all) of the recent Aristocraft 2-8-0s have been delivered with overly thick flanges and / or out of gauge drivers. When the driver back to back distance is set to the accepted NMRA / G1MRA dimensions, the overly thick flanges with an attendant overly large radius filet between the flange and tread causes the locomotive to derail at switches and crossovers.
Initially Aristocraft (Meaning Lewis Polk) pledged that new, correctly machined drivers would be provided. Either that or re-machining the delivered drivers would seem to be the only solution to this Chinese factory screw up. Some well respected, knowledgeable modelers have done this re-machining at their own risk and expense.
Apparently once Mr. Polk determined the cost of providing corrected drivers, he decided the problem was really with the purchaser’s track gauge and reneged on his pledge. Now along comes the GR review where the reviewer makes no mention of the problem, and states that his review sample is in gauge and does not have a problem. Whether that statement is 100% accurate or not, the battle is on!!
Unfortunately this has devolved into a mudslinging match between the reviewer and some outspoken owners while Aristocraft simply ignores the reported problem. IMHO, if the effort the involved parties are putting into pi$$ing on each other would be applied to solving the problem, our hobby would be way better off.
I don’t own nor have I ever seen one of the 2-8-0s under discussion, but I do know and respect the principles. Yes, I do believe there is a problem. The combination of Chinese manufacturing (“we only make what we are told, otherwise, we do not have clue”) and an American company that is pretty obviously stretched thin by the current money and market conditions works against getting to a solution, thence the mudslinging. Too bad for all of us.
Happy (Mud Free) RRing,
Jerry
Hi John Papadonis:
" heated " ? , I would classify that post as " red hot " !
Too much personal conflict, but amusing to read so long as I am not involved.
I guess Aristo Craft presently cannot afford to correct the problem but then again Aristo Craft really cannot afford to not correct the problem for fear of losing future product sales.
John, if you are interested in one of those locos I definitely would wait for the next production run unless you have a lathe and the mechanical skill to correct the tooling / wheel gauge error.
Jerry, my guess is all of the locos must have the same thickness of wheel flange as the drivers all come from the same mold?
This must be an extremely expensive manufacturing error for Aristo Craft. I still do not understand how such an error could occur. One would think that at least the first few locos of this INITIAL production run for a brand new product would be properly track tested prior to shipment over to North America. Errors always occur in the intial design process. That is what factory product testing is supposed to catch prior to full scale production.
Norman
Over here in UK there was a ready-made market for this loco in the form of the five ‘US Transportation Corps’ locos in preservation - three [I bleeve] still running. Sure, the market is not HUGE, but the option of getting a UK-ised version was pretty tempting to a number of folks I spoke to at the time.
Sadly, as we know, it never happened, and the chance to make new friends here in yUK was lost for ever.
tac, ig & The North Yorkshire Moors RR Boys
John asked a question in his, the first, post of this thread. No answers yet, just other views. No answer from me either John , I do not have the loco - especially at UK prices. 
Many are here on this Forum because they did not like the character assassinations (not just Lewis), vitriol and Aristo bashing common there.
One of the first comments in that thread set the scene. A side swipe at Aristo over their advertisement; before the wheels issue was mentioned.
No adverts, no GR! I haven’t got my copy of GR yet but I guess the PCC’s are the newer road names.
I also think if anyone wants an idea of how many of a particular model has sold, plus any feed back they might have got, then a 'phone call to someone who actually sells them, such as one or two of the larger dealers, might be a good idea.
Well John, I hate to say it but it looks like you have got them going here also.
Yes I have been f0llowing "THAT THRE"AD and ther are valid points on both sides.
I do feel that the QUALITY CONTROL is a thing of the past no matter what you buy because it costs.
Ron
Ron Sgroi said:Sad, but true. These discussions rarely go anywhere but down hill and are better left on "that other site". We have plenty to talk about here :)
Well John, I hate to say it but it looks like you have got them going here also. Ron
Vic;
So who has a milling machine.I used a file, dremel, and track power.
Well I’l offer a little input here, Greg is a 100% correct on this point and Kevins not, I owned 4 of these locos and sold 3 because Lewis told us once again that things were great and we believed him and bought the product and it turned out to be the same Old Lewis Polk BS. This video from someone else pritty much sums up the Loco.
As far as the Phase “Bashing” I expect that from certain members of there forum that really cant and dont want to see the truth about Aristo Products being poor at best. Aristo craft is the worst Large scale manufacture out there in my opinion because of all there constant poor Quality issues with just about eveything they produce, and I own most of it so I “CAN” speak to it 1st hand unlike "some"others that come here from the Aristo forum that own a very few trains at best and then start using words like bashing and character assassination.
I dont pay them any mind cause I know most of them dont have any clue.
Aristocraft makes there own problems and then use to try to cover them up, not a good way to take care of your customers.
But some good things have happened as well, The Old Polk “Got” retired and I hear Aristo is going to have a very LARGE increase come April 1st and that I think will put them out of Large scale, because most SANE people wont pay those prices for new defective merchandise.
And just one more gripe to prove my point, The Aristo craft dash 9 has been out for 10 years or so and they are still having problems with there latest version motors switches “STILL” what the He-l ??? http://www.mylargescale.com/Community/Forums/tabid/56/aff/33/aft/123757/afv/topic/Default.aspx This priity much sums up how much Aristo use to care about there customers. I hope things will change with the new President.
Maybe Scott can bring it back but im not going to bet on it till i see it.
Of course these are my opinions as a well stocked dumb former Aristocraft buyer. No more for me Thanks. I will stick with proven product like USAT’s and AML for my 1/29th scale trains.
Yours Truely,
The Greatest Aristo fan there is,
Nicky
P.S.
I have the very 1st PCC out there and it had all sorts of issues as well untill someone other than Aristo got it to work some what.
video here…
As far as I’m concerned Aristo will always be the RMT of Largescale till they get there QC issues solved.
That will do it for me on this Topic, Have a great day.
Nick,
No doubt there is some credence to your statements but I do call the video you linked into question. Watching the video where the loco falters across the switch I could not help but notice 4 out of the six trailing cars also “rocked” significantly going through the same switch right behind the engine. Even if the engine was a poor performer, that switch is not functioning as it should. If that were my switch I’d look into fixing it before I blamed the engine. Of course once the switch is functioning properly the engine should be able to sail through.
No apologies to Aristo, just an unfair test. Some of my best engines run poorly on bad track.
Edit: I don’t run on Aristo track so I cannot speak for the quality of their switches (I do not like their sectional trak, I run LGB and AML). I had one LGB R3 switch that no matter what I did I could not get my Bachmann “K” through it from the lead-in side. I finnally gave up and put the switch on a siding out of the way of the mainline. Every engine sailed through but the “K”. Still bugs me.
Mark V said:
Nick,No doubt there is some credence to your statements but I do call the video you linked into question. Watching the video where the loco falters across the switch I could not help but notice 4 out of the six trailing cars also “rocked” significantly going through the same switch right behind the engine. Even if the engine was a poor performer, that switch is not functioning as it should. If that were my switch I’d look into fixing it before I blamed the engine. Of course once the switch is functioning properly the engine should be able to sail through.
No apologies to Aristo, just an unfair test. Some of my best engines run poorly on bad track.
Mark,
The rest of his engines seems to preform well thru the switch’s so I dont buy it that the switch was the issue, read the comments and look at the loco bind up as well. There are plenty more videos out there of this loco performing poorly. I have a few as well but didnt post them, so others couldn’t say I was Bashing them . The loco is just poor, thats why so many Aristo dealers are trying to give them away at roughly 400.00 bucks to get rid of them.
Also lots of them left in stock at Aristo, wonder why.
Nick,
I am not defending the engine…I wanted one in GN but did not get one due to these issues.
That said, I would not tolerate a switch on my layout that caused cars to rock like that.
Mark V said:
Nick,I am not defending the engine…I wanted one in GN but did not get one due to these issues.
That said, I would not tolerate a switch on my layout that caused cars to rock like that.
I agree with you Mark, 100%