Aristo U25B running problem

G

Glengrant

Registered
OK here's the problem, and you've gotta remember I'm an ops man, I don't know what makes 'em go. See my comment in today's coffee shop post 17 et seq. , running the Hew Haven twentyfive twentyfive merrily away, when it suddenly slowed down. Looked like bad pickup, but then I noticed that one pair of wheels was not running continuously, sort of intermittent. Now even my simple brain could work out that there is a drive shaft connecting both pairs of wheels. In there has got to be some sort of gear, and I suspect it could be damaged. With me so far? Now we are getting into the high tech realms, which are way above my brain. How to get in there? It looks that simply four screws hold the plastic cover in place, but when I take these screws out the thing stubbornly refuses to come out. It comes off at the front OK, but not at the rear, which is where I want to be. Do I have to undo something else to remove this cover. Engine running OK but obviously this pair of wheels is freewheeling, and is probably finalising the stripping of a gear wheel in there. Who is the manufacturer of this fine engine, well, it says General Electric on the side. No, only joking, it has got to be an Aristocraft, although there's no maker's stamp on it, but it's as near identical to my Santa Fe pair. Incidentally, is this a repair job which can be undertaken by a moron such as I, I do know the difference between a screwdriver and a gringetool
 
LVT said:
Cyril,
The attached link should get you pictures of what is inside. Don't know why yours won't come apart, try careful prying along the edge with a small screwdriver. Might be a loose universal joint -- simple fix w/jeweler's screwdriver.
http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips1/brick_fix.html
Click to expand...
OK Arthur, this is pointing me in the right direction, I have to say that I was not making thjings easy for myself by trying to get inside without detaching bogie from the loco, stupid. Watch this space, thanks
Cyril
 
OK Arthur old boy, that is a first class website, better make a note of that. So I tackled the job a second time, this time using my common sense, of which I have a little. First of all I detached the "brick" which I now see is the technical term, without having to dismantle the loco body which is what I thought I would have to do. The plastic covering then comes off easy, and while I could not say that I could see any fault, I dismantled the whole thing then reassmbled it. Result? Runs as smooth as a baby's bum. I think that possibly the nylon linkage between the motor and the drive shaft had slipped out of place, it is a little worn, but there you are, fixed! And who was it who said I wasn't a technical man. Thanks Arthur, very helpful, but that's the forum for you, that's what it is all about.
 
should have added, you were spot on in your diagnosis, it probably was the universal joint, which is what I referred to as the nylon link
 
Good job! Each of my two RDC's arrived brand new with loose universals. Seems an overly complex drive arrangement compared to other makes.
 
He heh! Can't be bad.

Broke in Scotland........ and fixed in Nu Joyzy.

Wot a forum! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
Zager & Evans wasn't it Cyril?

In the year 2525, if man is still alive..................
 
going to put a close on this now, but there it is, G-scalecentral for you, broke in Scotland, fixed in Noo Joysey, and all within a couple of hours. I would agree Arthur re your summary of the linkage, surely it could have been done easier than that, but then there had to be a flexibility in the movement of the pairs of wheels. I should have diagnosed the problem myself, after all I used to drive old BMC 1800s, so who remembers those universal joints?
 
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