I’m contemplating a project that will require 2 motorblocks. My choices are aristos die cast power trucks at $80-90 ea or hartlands blocks at $55 ea. I am familiar with the aristo units but not the hartlands. Does any one run a current production hartland doozie railbus or motor car and can comment on the quality of the drive block. I am also curious as to how tall they are( rail to top of mount to body).
Thanks, Dave
Dave Funk said:I would go with the Aristo or USA Trains motor blocks. Hartlands is not reliable enough.
I'm contemplating a project that will require 2 motorblocks. My choices are aristos die cast power trucks at $80-90 ea or hartlands blocks at $55 ea. I am familiar with the aristo units but not the hartlands. Does any one run a current production hartland doozie railbus or motor car and can comment on the quality of the drive block. I am also curious as to how tall they are( rail to top of mount to body). Thanks, Dave
just my opinion.
Hartland blocks don’t stop working.
Both the Aristo and USA power trucks are very good. I think you can find them cheaper than $80 though. Do some online shopping around.
Dave
Due to recent developments in quality control, I would recommend the USAT over the Aristo. The power pickup system is superior, in that power is picked up from each wheel “twice” even if you remove the sliders… the power is picked up from the end of each axle tip, and from the axle itself, so a 2 axle truck has 8 pickups, and if you add the sliders, 10 pickups total.
The Aristo system relies on a single pickup per wheel. I won’t go into details, but you can see an analysis of the new gearbox design on my site and make your own conclusions. Also, on the older type Aristo blocks, there is a single wire pickup that is often not soldered well, and a thin brass plate to conduct power. A friend of mine recently had 4 bad blocks, which included 2 replaced, one replaced unit bad, 2 bad from the factory, and 1 brand new one bad from a LHS.
Note: not ALL the pickups on ALL wheels were bad, so they passed testing, but the pickup was poor due to the “dead wheels”.
Regards, Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
Due to recent developments in quality control, I would recommend the USAT over the Aristo. The power pickup system is superior, in that power is picked up from each wheel "twice" even if you remove the sliders... the power is picked up from the end of each axle tip, and from the axle itself, so a 2 axle truck has 8 pickups, and if you add the sliders, 10 pickups total.The Aristo system relies on a single pickup per wheel. I won’t go into details, but you can see an analysis of the new gearbox design on my site and make your own conclusions. Also, on the older type Aristo blocks, there is a single wire pickup that is often not soldered well, and a thin brass plate to conduct power. A friend of mine recently had 4 bad blocks, which included 2 replaced, one replaced unit bad, 2 bad from the factory, and 1 brand new one bad from a LHS.
Note: not ALL the pickups on ALL wheels were bad, so they passed testing, but the pickup was poor due to the “dead wheels”.
Regards, Greg
Oh, Greg, there you go again, bashing Aristo. Don’t you know that Aristo doesn’t put out bad stuff? Lewis says so, just ask him!
:lol: 
Yeah… I’m getting flack from the Kool Aid squad… well, all I can tell is the truth, based on facts and experience… My buddy with the 4 bad blocks is not happy, since he had to repair them himself. The rest of the story is even more damning that what I have revealed.
But I’m trying to be nice to Aristo. Unfortunately some people will not believe that until I start drinking the Kool Aid too.
Regards, Greg
GREG buddy ya gots to quit eatin them SOUR GRAPES Hee Hee LOL The Regal Hahttp://www.lscdata.com/users/blueregal/_forumfiles/bunny_anim.gifppy Easter
I try to keep objective… this last one was 100%, in fact I pulled some more damaging information…
Yep, better pickup on USAT blocks and poorer pickup and quality control on Aristo blocks. Got lots of data…
Them’s the facts…
Greg
Two axle motor blocks.
I grant you the pick ups on AC motor blocks are not the best. However, being battery powered I find the 2 x axle AC motor blocks, which have ball bearing axles, are by far the smoothest running and best tracking of all.
They have a three point suspension that works really well.
The USA Trains are OK but I simply prefer the AC 2 x axle types.
The Hartland 2 x axle blocks are likewise OK. Just not brilliant.
Three axle motor blocks.
The three axle AC motor blocks usually run smoothly enough. If all the pick ups are actually connected. It is a crap design.
The USA Trains 3 axle motor blocks are an even worse design than the AC ones.
Just an observation: No matter how many wires (Contacts) anyone makes between the wheels, and axles, to the motor; you will always be limited by the miniscule contact points between the wheels and the track, which cannot be expanded. This is the reason that some manufacturers have resorted to sliders for additional contact when depending on track power and DCC signals.
This also applies to the real locomotives but in a different way…the real locos depend on that same wee bit of track contact for traction…of course we as modellers also need that same contact for traction along with electrical contact.
Try figuring out how much of the tread of a wheel (Solid metal) contacts a flat rail; and you soon see the miniscule amount of surface area that we depend on for electrical contact for our model locomotives. After actually seeing and realizing this fact…you soon see why a growing few of us have turned to self contained power for our locos.
This is NOT meant to start a TP/Battery war…it’s just an observation of the facts as they exist.
Yep, it is a very small contact patch to be sure, and the size of the contact patch between the wheel and the rail is something that manufacturers cannot change. There is a small side benefit, the small contact patch does increase the pressure per square inch at that spot, which some what helps things.
I feel the small contact patch makes it even more important that the rest of the electrical path is as good as possible.
Tony: I hear your recommendation, so on a 2 axle truck, the preferred AC design is the newer ball-bearing ones, but not the ones with the modular gearbox in the 3 axle designs and the newer steamers? I think I agree with this.
I know a lot of people don’t like the USAT 3 axle design with the floppy axle, but I have not had any problems with it, and I have about 5 locos with this design. I have replaced the traction-tired wheels, and I’m not convinced that powering the floppy axle adds a lot of tractive effort.
Interesting discussion.
Regards, Greg
A member of our club, Jens Bang, has replaced all his Aristo blocks with USAT blocks. He runs track power, mostly, but has been influenced by the dark side. Hehehehehe.
Another reason to buy USAT:
Aristo wheels are plated steel, USAT appear to be brass or nickle silver and plated. Guess which one rusts when the plating wears from the treads?
Regards, Greg
Guess what sort of power and control system is not affected when that happens? 
Guess which wheel when rusted looks just like the wheels on the real loco…which is apparently what a lot of the consumers want in the first place and go to extremes to PAINT them, to look like rust…so what’s the problem…!!!
Rusty wheels don’t pick up power too well.
Oh!!!
Wait!!!
We don’t need them to.
Dave did not indicate if he was battery or track power, so of course the potential of rust would not matter to battery power people.
Regards, Greg
Greg, motor blocks will be track power. I wont play with them in the rain so rust wont be a problem. I am familair with old aristo motor blocks…they were of good quality…it sounds like that is no longer the case. I was looking for good pickup potential…it seems that your observations show them to be using non conductive ball bearings…how stoopid is that!!! At 1/2 the price maybe I 'll get the hartland blocks…
Dave
Dave.
For track power, stick with USA. Except the 3 x axle ones.