I purchased a little used Aristp FA1 and FB1 today, Does anyone have any service manuals that I could get copies from?
I don’t have manuals but I’ve torn apart at least 10 of them. What do you want to know?
Terry
Since you have worked on them you are a great source. I just want to service the two units. What do I need to do besides grease the gears?
Doug you can download the exploded parts diagrams and manuals from the Aristo-Craft web site.
I know George Schreyer has some information on these units on his web site. You might want to check Greg’s web site as well.
There are pictures in the Battery Power and Radio Section of the Ottawa Valley GRS web site of a Plug and Play FA-1. If nothing else it will show you how to open the locomotive.
There is also an article in the same section about correcting the wiring for the front MU plug in the year 2000 models
Doug, sometimes it’s a pain and butt to get the side frames back on correctly if you don’t get the power pickup wire in the correct position. What road name did you get?
It’s a Canadian Western. Since my layout dates from the late 30s I don’t plan to run it much at home but I got it for club layout operations. I must admit but with the wide corners on the layout it will look good!
Are they the newer style Aristo FA’s with the plugs in the front and back? Or are they yellow box ones without the plugs, or are they blue box ones?
The only real service they need is lubed, clean out the old grease apply new and clean the gunk off and around the wheels. Take care of them like any other loco. There isn’t a great need to take them apart, all the working parts are under the loco.
If you find the loco doesn’t track well some folks flip the trucks around putting the flexible axle at the extreme front and rear of the loco. There has been discussion on doing that on this site. Lastly a few FAs I have seen have the bottom 1/8" of the front taken off because it has rubbed on the track. This area does sit low and if you have humps or poor trackage it may need done to keep it from derailing.
Terry
A Canadian line? I can bring a can of spray paint by the house!
We have a number of Canadian members who will paint you!
Doug we love the Canadians! How about we paint those FA’s in green and black?
If I change it it has to be an easy change!
If I change it it has to be an easy change!
Terry, no plugs and no boxes.
Are there axles on the end of the wheels that ride in bushings in the side frames? If so, they are the original motor blocks that FAs had before the ball bearing blocks were introduced.
George Schreyer’s web site has an article on how to lubricate and tune them. These are very reliable motor blocks. Because they ride in sprung side frames, they actually track better than the new rigid ball bearing blocks.
If you take the blocks apart just make sure you don’t lose the little ball bearing in the small housing at the ends of the motor blocks that the motor and gearbox shafts fit into. They keep the end of the motor and gearbox shafts from binding on the lash adjusting screws.
I sure wish there was an “easy” way to lube this engine!
When did Aristo start using the grease that’s supposed to last “forever” or is that an Aristo attempt at humor?
Doug,
Do they say forever or do they say lifetime lubricated. Lifetime lubricated means whenever the lubricant/bearing or whatever fails the lifetime is up. Yep, it’s clever, clever, clever!
You’re right!
I was hoping that I could remove the four screws from the bottom of each FA1 block to access the gears and “lifetime” grease but no luck!
You really should read George Schreyer’s tips on tuning the old FA-1 blocks.
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/brick_fix.html
It will save you a lot of guess work.
Doug
two more screws on top and you really should get in there and clean it out and put
some good lube in there.
dick
Paul, being legally blind I missed the article on the motor blocks. I had seen the articles on the engine but didn’t realize the one on the motor blocks was in a different place.
Richard, I take it you mean those other two screws are on the side opposite from the other four screws?