Large Scale Central

Aristo Consolidation review

Well, started playing with mine, and the most worrisome thing (after sticking myself with the included hypodermic syringe) is the wheel gage.

I’ll be posting detailed results and some pictures.

For now, I have a link to my review on my site:

http://www.elmassian.com/trains-mainmenu-27/motive-power-mods-aamp-tips-mainmenu-35/aristo-motive-power-mainmenu-72/consolidation

Regards, Greg

The hypodermic looks hugely dangerous. Can you imagine someone accidentally injecting themselves with oil? That couldn’t be good. Air is even worse. I’d just throw it away and buy a proper oiler.

Jon Radder said:
The hypodermic looks hugely dangerous. Can you imagine someone accidentally injecting themselves with oil? That couldn't be good. Air is even worse. I'd just throw it away and buy a proper oiler.
I'll try it!

Try what?
The loco, The hypodermic, the oil, the air?? Enquiring minds need to know.

Wait a minute. I think I’ve heard of an “oil injection system” before…?? :lol: :lol:

I ground the tip down.

I put more stuff on my site tonight, more info on the loco… some good stuff, some weird stuff, and some just downright stupid things…

99% of the things that need improvement could have been done easily before production…

Like where the spring clips to hold the coal load are interferes with anything plugged into the DCC socket…

Greg

Why would you stick ,YOURSELF??? to see if it works? I never take mine out of the container .

Some people will always try sharp things out before they warn others (who usually know beforehand not to touch them) not to touch them!

Well Marty, if you never took yours out of the container, then you would not be able to fill your smoke unit.

I’m talking about the masses here, not just what Marty or Greg does.

Or I suppose you could get behind putting them in cereal boxes too?

It’s stupid and dangerous to put something like this in a toy train box.

Greg

OH, thats what its for, I use eye droppers for smoke units.
I was just surprised that a smart ,very experienced , knowledgable man like yourself would do such a thing.
Hope you don’t swallow any small parts on the engine.

Re-iterating the point, and ignoring the insults…

This is dangerous to package this with a sharp tip. It is not in a sterile bag, nor are there any warnings.

Since you wish to belabor the point, I’ll just keep going and say what I really feel: This is just plain stupid by a manufacturer. Apparently this actually has been going on for a while, someone told me their new diesel, I believe it was a dash 9 also had the same hypodermic syringe.

It takes a grinding wheel to make this safe.

I can keep stating the facts. Maybe a call to the appropriate government agency? There is a product sold to young people, and it has an unsterilized hypodermic syringe, and no warnings on the package or instructions. Just keep coming at me.

Greg

I’m surprised that some bright, energetic, ambitious, young ambulance chaser doesn’t own Aristocraft by now.

Aren’t they the ones who put warning labels “Known to cause cancer in California” on all their products?

Tony I think the Rooster is going to try them all…:slight_smile:

TonyWalsham said:
Try what? The loco, The hypodermic, the oil, the air?? Enquiring minds need to know.

There is NO insults, I just care about you and if you are the only one I know of who got ,stuck, Then there is a chance you may swallow some of the tiny parts.
Why do you always take it so personal? I have two or three of those and they are in a drawer in the shop where my grandkids can’t get to them. Most small kids under eight could not get the boxes open w/o a parent to help them. The locos are heavy.

I follow your words of wisdom, just be more careful.

I’m amazed at those thick flanges. You’d think they would run them through their own gauge first…

Bruce, you are assuming that the assembling person has a gauge in the fust place. On the other paw, I checked out my Dash 9s and SD45s, as well as my remaining F-whatevers, and they are all within the figures accepted as standard for 45mm gauge track.

tac

Up until the PCC car and the “new” Pacific and Mallet and Consolidation all this year (Kader anyone?), the Aristo locos have always been close to proper gage, but under spec on back to back.

Since back to back plus the 2 flange thicknesses = wheel gage, you cannot have gage and back to back right if the flange is too thick.

For years this has been the situation, and now I will narrow to just the steam locos (their wheel contour is different from the diesels)

Now, there is a “new” wheel attachment system, which consists of a bushing pressed into the wheel. This alone should not force any differences, but now the back to back is in spec and the gage is out.

The wheel contours are as they have been for years, with an overly thick flange, approximately 3.23 mm… (spec is about 1.5 mm or less)…

Well, it’s simple math to see if you have back to back in spec (let’s use the NMRA standard of 40.1 mm)…

So if you have flanges in spec, take the b-b for 40.1, add in the 2 flanges (1.5 * 2) and you get a wheel gage of 43.1 mm… pretty clear that 43.1 mm will fit on 45mm track.

Now, the new Aristo wheelsets have a back to back almost exactly 40mm (great) but you add on the 2 flanges (3.23 * 2) and you get just about 46.5 mm

Now 46.5 mm is wider than the rails… like I said, simple math.

So TAC, if you get a “new” Mallet, Pacific, Consolidation, or PCC car from Aristo, you will have this new situation.

Hope that helps explain why your existing stuff measures differently from the new stuff, using the same wheels.

Regards, Greg

Maybe AC will expect us all to buy special wider gauge track. How in the world does this stuff happen? ??

Like I said, send them back and dont accept another unless the gauge is correct. If everyone who gets an off gauge unit sends them back AC will have to address the issue. They will have no choice but to accept it and deal with it. Man I am tired of reading about these never ending QC in the PRC issues with every new long awaited item.

Anybody ever stop to think if maybe this is the vanguard to get properly gauged trackage for 1:29?
Ever wonder if someone hasn’t wiggled his way into AC Headquarters with an offer to “help”?
Anyone remember the nmra attempts to have 5 different standards for the 5 major scales on the gauge?
Anyone ever look at the fillet on the K-27 drivers with a magnifier to see the “interim” standards someone “helped” develop for teh manufacturer of the K?
I’m sure glad I ain’t buying anything new…

When a major screwup occurs, given the choice of cause between dark conspiracy and simple stupidity, stupidity usually wins.

I’m also glad I’m not buying anything new. Dont want to feel like I’m buying a Yugo.