Large Scale Central

AristoCraft Dash 9 wheel removal?

Problem Solving
#5

Hmmmmmmm.

The guy doing the work for me, who has a wheel-profiling lather tool, is not happy to use this kind of force on a loco for which there are no longer any spares, and dang it all, I have five of 'em, five SD45’s nd four FA+Bs

He’s happier working on the USA Trains locos I have - seems they are way easier, AND there are still spares if it all goes T-U.

I’d like to say a big thank you to you all for this advice and assistance.

tac, ig, ken the GFT & The Port Orford Traffic Light Appreciation Society Boys

#6

I would refrain from removing the screws and brute force. First pre heating the screw. I broke one screw head off prior to learning of heating the screw. What I use is a pen torch pre heat the screw by putting heat directly to the screw. I do this in several steps so as not to have the flame on the screw to lone. I apply several time to let the heat penetrate. Once this is done then one should use the correct Phillips driver and they will come out pretty easily. As mentioned make sure to have the truck held firmly. Heating a screw driver never provides enough heat for removing screws with loctite. I have not broken another screw since. and I have removed a lot of wheels. Later RJD

#7

If all goes south, you can always replace the Aristo trucks with USAT trucks. I have a friend who did that prophylactically.

#8

Northwest Shortline does have replacement wheel-sets for the Aristo SD45s. I didn’t see the FA listed, and I don’t know if they are different.

#9

Some times lucky is not the right way! I’ll try the heat on the screw next time if I get a tough one. Some have come off easier than others.

#10

Joe Paonessa said:

Some times lucky is not the right way! I’ll try the heat on the screw next time if I get a tough one. Some have come off easier than others.

Make sure that you have your moaning chair close by. Its an essential piece of equipment for exercises like this.

#11

Better yet crying towel. Biggest difference in FA wheels and SD45 is the flange thickness. I have installed the FA/RDC wheels on my -9s and SD45 becuase of the smaller flanges which helps traverse through the diverging route of the AC wide radius switches. Later RJD

#12

R.J that is why i’m changing all of my 40’s to the new sd45 d-center wheels

richard

#13

I remember taking a router to my frogs to make them deeper on the Aristo wide radius switches. Some equipment would hop up. I didn’t have any problems since. I have to look at the newer ones still in boxes to see if they ever made them deeper.
I haven’t got my SD45’s running on the layout yet. I’m not sure if flange thickness is a problem. I’ll have to go check.

#14

I have used a soldering iron to heat screw-heads with good results many a time… Safe, easy to control and heat transfer is good too.

Michael

#15

Steve Featherkile said:

If all goes south, you can always replace the Aristo trucks with USAT trucks. I have a friend who did that prophylactically.

You mean, like a suppository? :open_mouth:

I would never have thought of that.

tac

#16

tac Foley said:

Steve Featherkile said:

If all goes south, you can always replace the Aristo trucks with USAT trucks. I have a friend who did that prophylactically.

You mean, like a suppository? :open_mouth:

I would never have thought of that.

tac

Well, more like the stretchy kind of prophy… The kind supplied by our “Doc” before we went out in the “Ville.”

His opinion of the Aristo trucks was based on something that I couldn’t understand, so he just replaced all of them before they “Failed.” I have no experience of any Aristo diseasal trucks failing, so I can’t explain his prejudice, however.

#17

I’ve done plenty, RJ’s method is best, get a small hobby torch, with a pinpoint flame.

Loosen the screw right away after heating, seconds count.

Richard, how are you changing to D cut wheels? are you swapping wheels and axles? Where are you getting them?

Greg

#18

Terry, if you still have the CNR FA-1/FB-1 set I sold you, they have the old motor blocks. They are similar in design to 2-axle USA Trains motor blocks in that they have chrome wheels with half axles that push into the sleeves on a plastic drive gear. You will have to open the motor blocks and pivoting gear boxes to remove them. The wheels could then be turned down in a metal lathe. This also true of any vintage U25-B and RS-3 motor blocks.

#19

Afternoon, Paul - good to hear from you. I certainly DO have the old girl and her hanger-on, and they are staying just like the way I bought them off you

What I HAVE done, whinemeal, is to give up on running these locos on Code 180 track, and concentrated on running them on our portable track instead - mostly Code 250 from AMS or Cliff Barker here in yUK. I swapped out the Aristo connectors for the Tamiya race-car type, and run them using a pal’s battery car and r/c-style Train Engineer - until THAT breaks, no doubt.

Thanks to all of you for all the advice - at one time, when Aristocraft were a going concern, I might have risked the soldering iron method, but now I know that I’d have to use USA Trains replacement trucks -at around $400 a set, I’m just going to run these locos until they wear out, and then shelve them.

Best to all there, from us here.

tac, ig, ken the GFT & The Train of Thort Boys
Ottawa Valley GRS

#20

Are you loath to try heat? It’s really simple and I’ve done dozens.

Of course then you need a lathe… but why not just reduce them with the poor man’s lathe? A file or sandpaper while the wheels are turning.

I’m surprised that you seem to be “giving up”.

Greg

#21

Ah, Greg - it’s just the tthought of screwing up a $650 loco, I guess - times five.

Concentrates the mind wonderfully, bein’ poor. :wink:

Best

tac
Ottawa Valley GRS

#22

Understand tac, that drivetrain is pretty rugged though, the file method is surprisingly easy, lay the loco on it’s back and apply power or put on rollers.

Pulling the wheels to turn them down would give you an additional problem, you need a tapered mandrel for a lathe to mount the wheel, or an old axle with the flange turned down, but the axles are not really strong.

Greg

#23

Thanks, Greg - I might just give it a try. It would be nice to be able to run at least one of my big dismals on a pal’s ALL-Gauge 1 layout with his finer track. He’s already had to modificate a bridge so my Hudson can clear it…G1 British locos really are teeny little things.

Best

tac, ig, ken the GFT & The Filing System boys

#24

This is funny. I have a BNSF Dash 9 I traded some fellow many months ago. He acquired it from God knows who. Anyway, the engine had everything wrong that one can imagine or dream up. LOL So, I did the trade and decided to fix the old gal up. Well, besides having a nest of spiders inside the body shell and mud all over the place, the wheels were so badly rusted and pitted, I thought, I would simply try and clean them up manually. The engine came with a weight set and this made tractive efforts exceptional. Except, the wheels were so bad, she wasn’t getting no electricity. I cleaned the wheels for a couple of hours. After some coaxing, she started moving, but was bucking real bad and sparks were flying. So, I cleaned the wheels some more and eventually, she made a loop around my small track. Needless to say, the spiders all escaped and are at large in my basement. LOL

In reference to those wheels being removed, I found out the hard way. I broke two screws before I said, enough is enough. Truth is, I am purchasing new motor blocks anyway. That will eliminate any need for wheel removal. I suspect that the screws are held in place by a form of lock tight. However, this should not preclude one from removing the wheels if the motor block is clean and not real old. My BNSF sits watching the Canadian Nat make its rounds for now. As for the mud and grime and dirt as well as oil on the engine, it made the whole affair look impressively realistic.