# New Aristo-Craft Locos - Do you use Battery or Track Power or Both?



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

I am curious about how people are using the plug and play capability of NEW Aristo-Craft locos that have the plug-and-play interface. 

In order for the poll to have any value I would like to avoid comments regarding locomotives of any brand (including Aristo-Craft) that do not have the plug-and-play (DCC) interface. 

The only reason I am asking that it be limited to new Aristo locos is because they have both the Plug and Play interface and a switch to easily switch between track and battery power. Also because the new Aristo locos are easy enough for most owners to take apart and install the control system of their choice. 

Other locomotives that may be a bit more complicated to convert may slant the poll for or against some systems while limiting the poll to plug and play should make it fair for everyone. 

This is NOT to promote any brand or model of anything. I am just curious and I have no idea how this poll will turn out. 

These questions should be fair and easy: 

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
a. very important 
b. somewhat important 
c. important 
d. not important 
e. would rather not have it(this is for buyers only - not those who are buying other brands) 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
a. very important 
b. somewhat important 
c. important 
d. not important 
e. would rather not have it (this is for buyers only - not those who are buying other brands) 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
a. battery power 
b. track power 
c. both 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
a. Battery Car 
b. Battery mounted inside locomotive 

5. What system will you use? 
a. DCC decoder (any brand - list brand if you like) 
b. On Board Train Engineer (old - I don't know if it fits the PnP interface) 
c. Revolution 
d. Track Power with Radio Control and Track Side Receiver (any brand - list brand if you like) 
e. Track Power without Radio Control (no brand) 
f. QSI (I don't know enough about it to know if there should be more than one category) 
g. any other brand or type that fits the PnP interface (I don't know of any but there might be some) 

The short version is that since you have the plug and play interface and battery to track power switch, what if anything are you going to do with these extra features? 

I have tried to make the questions alphabetical to avoid any bias. 

If there are any significant questions I have missed feel free to add them. 

Please remember THIS IS NOT ABOUT BRAND A, B, C or whatever. It is ONLY about what people are or are not doing with the plug and play interface and battery switch on Aristo-Craft locos. 

If there is any other brand with the DCC interface that can be included as well. I have not mentioned LGB because I would not suggest that many owners would take them apart and install decoders plus I think that would fall more into a DCC poll or discussion. 

Thanks, 

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

1. yes 
2. junk the switch, not wired right for anyone 
3. track power (is there another way, ha ha?) 
4. n/a 
5. QSI (nothing else fits the PNP socket except the Revo and Remote Control systems' stuff) 

Greg


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Neither of mine are plug and play, but on #4 you might want to allow for both. Got the batteries in the C-16's boiler, but the 4-4-0 gets aa aux tender w/batts. Controls will fit the tender. 

1. d 
2. e .. took it out. 
3. c 
4. b (aristo) 
5. n/a


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

1) Not important, but certainly a luxury in that I wouldn't have to "cut and gut." It wasn't a consideration when choosing a control system. I've got two locos with "the socket," neither of which are on my active roster. They're both testbed locos for product reviews and the like. 
2) Not needed for me, as I see no reason to have to switch back and forth. Give me a 4.4 mAh LiIon battery, and I'll run all day. 
3) See #2. Is there another way? (Had to, Greg.  ) 
4) Battery cars? We don't need no stinkin' battery cars. 
5) Revolution 

For my personal needs, the PnP socket is merely a luxury that would save me the trouble of removing the existing wiring. Since I'm used to doing that, it's not a big deal for me. I'll either use Aristo's or QSI's adapter boards (essentially sockets with screw terminals) for those installs. I think, however, that the concept of PnP control systems will ultimately be a boon to the hobby. Technophobic modelers will be able to enjoy the benefits of any of the "higher" forms of control without having to worry about wiring a darned thing. Pretty cool concept in my book. 

Later, 

K


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

If the Aristo Craft PnP sockets were designed like the Bachmann PnP sockets in that they positively selected one or the other and the purchaser could rely on them to be consistently so wired, I would produce RCS and BELTROL equipment to run on track or battery power. 
Sadly they are not. So, for reliability reasons I make sure they are eliminated from the equation. 
1. No, but I can understand that it could be to others. 
2. If they worked correctly on every AristoCraft loco they are fitted to then yes, they could be important. 
3. Battery power. Unless of course # 2 changes for the better. 
4. All on board except for the BELTROL to QSI version in which case I would use a trail car set up. 
5. RCS or BELTROL + a suitable sound system. Or, BELTROL and QSI. 

Thanks for creating the survey.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By Totalwrecker on 21 Oct 2009 11:40 PM 
on #4 you might want to allow for both. 

Good point. I did not think about that but it is too late for me to add the option. 

Still, anyone is welcome to say they use both battery car and loco mounted batteries. 

Thanks, 

Jerry


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

I think most folks know that OVGRS members are very long time battery RC users and also the club members have nearly every Aristo diesel loco produced. 

The questions ... 

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
a. very important as it means the loco does not have to be gutted to install RC ... it makes life easier for everyone and of course a standard would help ... 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
d. not important though it can be used (with the removal of the track contacts) to wire in the charging circuit but since no one here uses track power (for Greg - why would anyone want to fight the continuity battle!) it is irrelevant 


3. Will you run your new loco on: 
a. battery power 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
b. Battery mounted inside locomotive 

5. What system will you use? 
c. Revolution ... since the Revolution has been available, all club members installing in new locos have gone this route ... there are still many club members (myself included) with locos using the 27 Mhz Trackside mounted onboard or with 27 Mhz mobile systens or with RCS systems and as these all give satisfactory to excellent performance, there is not much apetite to replace them. Virtually all of the 75 Mhz mobile installations have been replaced. 

Sound has not been club members' highest priority although many locos do have sound installed. I have sound installed in three locos using RCS but have several others without sound and no intention of changing that. The slight cost advantage of Gwire/QSI for sound installations did not persuade a single club member to even try that route and once the Revolution Tx has been bought, any sound installations will of course be with the Revolution system using likely Phoenix. 

Regards ... Doug


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## jmill24 (Jan 11, 2008)

I have found I can run track or battery power by using the Aristo switch on the following locos, E8 GP40 SD45 C16 Dash9. I have smoked an RS3 and A U25B, it seems the new Diesels are okay, but avoid the older ones and the steam locos........Jim


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

Going down your list of questions, 
1. Plug-n-play socket is somewhat important 
2. Battery-track switch is somewhat important 
both the switch and socket make things a little easier, but most of my engines don't have either, 
so I am comfortable converting them to battery usage without these conveniences. 
3. I use battery only 
4. All my batteries are in trailing cars for easy swapout in recharging. 
5. I am currently using Revolution and 27 MHz TE's, slowly converting to all Revolution TE's 
Ed


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

To answer my own poll: 

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
a. very important 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
a. very important 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
c. both - very infrequently on Battery and primarily on Track Power 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
c. both Battery Car (for infrequent use) and perhaps one loco with an Internal Battery. 

5. What system will you use? 
c. Revolution 

When the plug and play interface and battery switch were introduced I was totally unimpressed. It was not until I surprised myself by ordering the Revolution that I started to appreciate the value to me of the interface and the battery switch. 

In fairness I have no idea how the Bachmann interface compares with the Aristo interface. I had forgotten about Bachmann as I don't have any of their locos anymore. Perhaps someone might like to start a topic or poll about it but it would get confusing to discuss it here as I could not be objective about something I don't know anything about - just as I know nothing about other systems competitive with the Revolution. 

I prefer steam locos but if running diesels I prefer running multiple units. Putting Revolutions into FA/B-1s (1 per AB set) is much cheaper for me than it was to put decoders into my LGB F7s plus I quickly discovered that my 5 amp LGB Central Stations could not handle my Aristo FA/B-1s with lighted Streamliners. I ended up removing the decoders I had installed in my PRR F-1 ABBA and selling the locos. 

It also happened that I could not get enough amps through my various radio control throttles to power my F-1 ABBAs with 12 lighted Streamliners. The radio control throttles could only pass through 7 - 8 amps even though 15 amps were available. 

For the first time, because of the battery switch, I found myself taking a couple of locos to Marty's. I would not have gone to the trouble of converting a loco to battery power but the battery switch on the E8s and GP40 made it too easy not to throw a battery into a boxcar and go. 

Its funny how things change. A year ago if I answered the same poll I would have said the PnP interface and battery switch were of no value to me and I had no intention of buying the Revolution or any other system because I was strictly track power with my non-LGB locos. 

Perhaps the most important feature of the PnP interface and battery switch is that they give us options we did not have before even if we don't have any immediate plans to use them. For one thing they (for the first time) gave me the possibility of running some of my trains on someone else's battery powered layout. 

It will be interesting to see how others view the PnP interface and battery switch. There are no right or wrong answers. It is what folks think that this poll is all about. 

Jerry


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

Jerry, 



1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
a. very important 
My reply here is based on the system I am now using. Before that, it didn't matter to me. 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
d. not important 
Running on track power, the battery/track switch doesn't do much for me. Perhaps in the future, I will explore a battery car so I can run on railroads that are battery only, like the OVGRS, North Table Creek or the Petersburg and Charlottesville. 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
b. track power 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
n/a 

5. What system will you use? 
Revolution 

intersting results so far...


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Posted By Jerry McColgan on 21 Oct 2009 06:45 PM 

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 

b. somewhat important 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 

b. somewhat important 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 

b. track power 


5. What system will you use? 
a. DCC decoder (mostly QSI) 




I was initially attracted to aristo as a brand because of the PNP interface. It seemed so easy--plug it in, track/battery switch. I still think it's a great idea. My less than enthusiastic response is entirely about the implementation and Aristo's whacky and and shoddy wiring. It seems like the folks at the factory periodically just start randomly wiring things. I have three PnP locos, two steamer sand a diesel. On both the steamers, you could not have track power from the loco and the tender at the same time--why? George Schreyer found an easy one wire fix for that, but if it's that easy why not do it right at the factory? Second, you just can't count on the board looking like the schematic--the polarity is different on different boards, for example. I've never tried that track/battery switch, but at this point I'd be afraid to. I've read several accounts of people burning the board up trying to use the track battery switch. I would not trust it. 

It's a great idea: I wish all locos came with a standardized interface. Like a lot of Aristo's otherwise excellent ideas, it's flawed in the execution


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## jmill24 (Jan 11, 2008)

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
a. Very important 


2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
b. Somewhat important 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
c. both 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
a. Battery Car 


5. What system will you use? 
c. Revolution 

................Jim


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By Jerry McColgan on 21 Oct 2009 06:45 PM 
I am curious about how people are using the plug and play capability of NEW Aristo-Craft locos that have the plug-and-play interface. 
In order for the poll to have any value I would like to avoid comments regarding locomotives of any brand (including Aristo-Craft) that do not have the plug-and-play (DCC) interface. 
The only reason I am asking that it be limited to new Aristo locos is because they have both the Plug and Play interface and a switch to easily switch between track and battery power. Also because the new Aristo locos are easy enough for most owners to take apart and install the control system of their choice. 
Other locomotives that may be a bit more complicated to convert may slant the poll for or against some systems while limiting the poll to plug and play should make it fair for everyone. 
This is NOT to promote any brand or model of anything. I am just curious and I have no idea how this poll will turn out. 
These questions should be fair and easy: 
1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 

a. very important 
Plut and play makes it so much easier. 

There are so many who are concerened about cutting into thier engine to make a installation of a RC unit or Sound unit. 



2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 

D. not important 

It's ncie feature but would not stop be from buying a engine if its not there 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
a. battery power 


4. If Battery Power will you use 
a. Battery Car 

5. What system will you use? 

Right now TRack side mounted in a battery car. 
But in the future will have to review what's out there 

The short version is that since you have the plug and play interface and battery to track power switch, what if anything are you going to do with these extra features? 
I have tried to make the questions alphabetical to avoid any bias. 
If there are any significant questions I have missed feel free to add them. 
Please remember THIS IS NOT ABOUT BRAND A, B, C or whatever. It is ONLY about what people are or are not doing with the plug and play interface and battery switch on Aristo-Craft locos. 
If there is any other brand with the DCC interface that can be included as well. I have not mentioned LGB because I would not suggest that many owners would take them apart and install decoders plus I think that would fall more into a DCC poll or discussion. 
Thanks, 
Jerry


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

All battery. 

Plug & Play? What's that? Na, just rip all that out and wire it so it works!


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## Stan Cedarleaf (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Jerry McColgan on 21 Oct 2009 06:45 PM 

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 

d. not important 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 

d. not important 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 

a. battery power 

4. If Battery Power will you use 

a. Battery Car 

5. What system will you use? 

c. Revolution 
f. QSI (I don't know enough about it to know if there should be more than one category) 
g. any other brand


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

(1) A very important 

(2) Not important (junk) 

(3 B track power. Is there any other way. 

(4) N/A I removed all the dragging plugs. 

(5) F QSI all the way. 

Later RJD


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## Great Western (Jan 2, 2008)

The facility to run either track or battery power is one of the reasons I chose to buy my three Aristo RS3's. UK trading laws are very firm and any faulty goods purchased here are replaced or a monetary refund made.* Unfortunately my two Center Cabs are not so fitted with this facility although I understand future productions of these little locos will be fitted for both options. 

The battery/track option and switch are, therefore, very important to me. 

All of the switches on the three locos work as intended - no faults or re-wiring required. However, I do keep one of the RS3's purely for battery power and the other two for track power. 

Track power is used in the main but in damp (not wet) conditions battery power is used. A battery car houses the TE (27Mhz.) and batteries. 

As some folks seem to have issues in the States with the switch I wondered if the models imported into the UK were superior. But as two of the locos were imported from the USA (they were produced for a Show in 2006) that cannot be so. 

* (One of the "Annie" locos I purchased had mechanical faults and was instantly replaced by the vendor).


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Alan, 
The issues with the Track - Battery switch are random. 
With some locos all of them are completely miswired, such as the Pacific and the Mikado. 
With some locos the battery pigtails are wired backwars to others. 
With some locos within one particular model, the switch does not completely disconnect the track. 

In short it is a bit of a crap shoot as to what you get. 

The Track - Battery switch concept is great and Bachmann have actually got it right the way they do it. 
Track = track only. 
Battery = battery only. 
No tricky wiring that may or may not work properly.


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## bruce a m (Jan 2, 2008)

I use track power . It works very good


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## jdmitchell (Jan 2, 2008)

Today I installed battery in my last loco (I only have 3), so now I am all battery. I hope to never have to clean and look for shorts again.


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## Del Tapparo (Jan 4, 2008)

1) d - PNP just takes up room I could use for something else. 
2) d - Don't need it. Switch it to battery and leave it! 
3) a 
4) b 
5) g G-Scale Graphics 2.4GHZ Railboss R/C (not Plug 'n Play because I haven't been convinced there is a "standard" yet! 

And if you think this post isn't biased towards A/C, think again.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By Del Tapparo on 04 Nov 2009 05:22 PM 
And if you think this post isn't biased towards A/C, think again. 


Hi Del, 

With a title of "New Aristo-Craft Locos - Do you use Battery or Track Power or Both?" the poll is obviously biased toward Aristo-Craft locomotives and specifically biased toward the Aristo Battery/Track Power Switch and the Aristo Plug and Play Interface. 

The purpose of the poll is not to promote Aristo-Craft (responders to the poll are assumed to have already made a choice to buy new Aristo-Craft locomotives) but simply to ask those who have already chosen to buy Aristo-Craft locos if the Battery Switch and Plug and Play Interface were important options to them. 

What was important to me was the fact that I prefer track power but the switch made it easy for me to stay with track power and yet have a quick and easy way to temporarily switch to battery power if I want. This might be to take a locomotive to another layout that was on battery power or to have battery power as a backup if for any reason I could not or did not want to run on track power (such as if my track was acting up or I wanted to run a switcher independent of track power). 

The other factor for me was that I had already decided on the Aristo-Craft Revolution because of the Plug and Play interface (no - I did not look at anything else). 

My attempt to avoid bias was not to pretend that the poll is not all about new Aristo-Craft locomotives (it is) but to see how important the switch and PnP interface are to other buyers of new Aristo-Craft locomotives and what if anything they are going to do with those options. 

It is true that there have been some wiring issues but from my viewpoint I would prefer to have the battery switch and PnP even if I have to rewire them as opposed to not having them at all. It would be far easier for me to correct wiring errors with the existing switch and PnP board than for me to totally wire in those options myself. In effect the PnP interface means that the locos with the PnP board will have full remote functions while the non-PnP locos I add Revolutions to will end up with just the motor controls because I can't be bothered with more extensive wiring and perhaps having to replace existing 18 volt light bulbs with LEDs or other low voltage lights. The same is true of the battery/track power switch. My locos that do not have the switch will remain track power (only) while my newer locos with the switch will occasionally be run on battery power. 

In effect I consider the new Aristo locos to be "Hybrids" in that like Hybrid gas and electric cars they enable motive choices between two dissimilar power sources. 

I see no problem with having topics or polls that are biased toward a specific manufacturer. Where I have a problem is when a poll is claimed to be unbiased but the questions are worded to obtain predetermined answers. I am curious about but unconcerned with what others buy with their money. 

Regards, 

Jerry


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## Bret W Tesson (Jan 6, 2008)

Jerry, Here are my inputs: 

1) Yes...The plug & play interface in Bachmann and Aristo locos is the way ALL large scale engines should be configured for easy installation of sound and RC cards 

2) Yes...The battery/track power switch IS important. Some locomotves simply work better on track and other's on battery. I have modified all of my engines to accept either power source for this reason. I've had good luck with both the Aristo and Bachmann engines that have this feature. 

3) Both. I have found the Bachmann 1:20 stuff (climax, shays etc) get their wheels dirty VERY fast and don't run well after short periods. I tend to use battery for these and they work MUCH better. On the other hand, Aristo and USA engines wheels seem to stay cleaner and work fine on track power (plus they have lots of pickup points). Track power is also much better for power hogs and using passenger cars with lights. I actually run my Bachmann K-27 on battery, but leave the track powered so that my AMS coaches stay lighted without using battery. Works great. 

4) For battery powerd applications, I using a trailing car with Aristo Revolution receivers. Some of my battery cars also double as sound cars and this works great for my purposes. 

5) I currently use the Bridgewerks UR-15 for remote track power control. Unfortunately, it's headed back for repair again. I plan to dump this unit and purchase the new Aristo trackside receiver that works with the revolution transmitter (20A of power). I also strictly use the Aristo Revolution receivers in my engines and battery cars.


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By Bret W Tesson on 05 Nov 2009 12:37 PM 
Jerry, Here are my inputs: 
1) Yes...The plug & play interface in Bachmann and Aristo locos is the way ALL large scale engines should be configured for easy installation of sound and RC cards 

Hi Bret (or anyone), 

I have no knowledge of or experience with the Bachmann plug and play interface so I would be interested in any comments about how it is or is not compatible with the Aristo-Craft interface. 

Does the Revolution fit and work with the Bachmann interface? 

Thanks, 

Jerry


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## Ted Doskaris (Oct 7, 2008)

RE: "I am curious about how people are using the plug and play capability of NEW Aristo-Craft locos that have the plug-and-play interface." 
I am not using this feature to date. 

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
b. somewhat important 
(Potentially - if someday in the future I were to have the need.) 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
b. somewhat important 
I don't use battery power, but if I were to make use of battery power on a limited selective basis, its wise to have this feature. 
Whether the switch feature is wrongly implemented should not fault the concept. Rather, I believe it incumbent on Aristo (or any manufacturer) to make it right and with a consistent design across products. Perhaps a standard needs to be developed for all manufactures to follow. 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
b. track power 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
b. Battery mounted inside locomotive 
If I were to use batteries given my planned train operation on grades, I believe designing a loco to include batteries is preferred for traction purposes in conjunction with avoiding pulling the dead weight of a battery car. 

5. What system will you use? 
d. Track Power with Radio Control and Track Side Receiver (any brand - list brand if you like) 
some) 
So far my old Aristo track side Train Engineer system works just fine - but if some point in the future I were to adopt a newer system, I may favor DCC principally because control signals - as I understand it - are carried by the rails. For me, this is potentially beneficial as the layout is under my house, but it is to be expanded outdoors. 

-Ted


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

All battery here!


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

The battery switch was a "life saver" Saturday when we had a scheduled club meeting here. Due to problems with burning leaves I ran out of time to get the layout up and running before members were expected to arrive. 

Since I had put a train on the tracks earlier I was able to just grab a battery and a pre-wired boxcar, connect the battery to the boxcar and the boxcar to an E8 and I was then ready to run a train before the first member arrived. 

Since he too had an Aristo loco with a battery switch (GP40 with QSI and Airwire) we just plugged his loco into the battery car and he was ready to run. 

Both of us normally run 100% track power. 

Jerry


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 

b. somewhat important, I'll use it if it is there, I've bypassed it on occasion 


2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 

d. not important, it is not wired properly in some locos AND I use DCC track power anyway 


3. Will you run your new loco on: 

b. track power , DCC. I gave up on batteries, too much of a PITA 


4. If Battery Power will you use 

not applicable 


5. What system will you use? 
a. DCC decoder, QSI if I need sound, Digitrax DG383AR or DG583AR if the loco already has sound or the sound file I want isn't available on QSI


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## acmartina (Jan 6, 2008)

Hi Jerry, 
Interesting topic. Here is my input. As background, I own four Aristocraft locos (SD45, GP40, 2xRS3), all plug and play. Used to run track power. Then went through a transition period. Now only battery. 


1. Is the plug and play interface important to you? 
a. very important - I have wired other makers' non PnP locos, but prefer not to. I am reasonably capable, but I don't get any joy from it. PnP will influence my future purchases. 

2. Is the Battery to Track Power Switch important to you? 
b. somewhat important - I have never had a problem with these switches, even when I was running track and battery, but maybe I have been lucky. I like it because it functions as on/off with no track power present. But not a big deal in any case. Switches are easy to install / replace. 

3. Will you run your new loco on: 
a. battery power 

4. If Battery Power will you use 
a. Battery Car - Yes for some 
b. Battery mounted inside locomotive - Yes for some 

5. What system will you use? 
f. QSI 

Thanks, 
Steve H. 
Cypress, TX


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## rmcintir (Apr 24, 2009)

1) PNP - C, important but what makes things easy is separately wired track pickup, motor and lighting. 

2) Switch - C, important but I can't rely on the AC track/battery switch, they don't all disconnect. 

3) Battery and Track power - C. I have both. 

4) Battery location - A and B. Depends on the loco 

5) What system - My own designed and manufactured Cab Command digital radio control with Back EMF, receiver is AC PNP or with screw terminals built-in.


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## Gregoryzim (May 2, 2011)

Hi I am building a new outdoor railroad down here in Oz and it will be all R/C and battery powered. When hunting for Aristocraft locos - is there some code in their product numbers that tells me it IS R'C plug and play ready? I am constanly asking resellers of NEW locos if a loco is plug and play or R/C ready and no one ever has a clue. I have written to Aristocraft and asked too - no reply !! Somewhat disapointing. Any help gratefully accepted thanks. Rgds Greg


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Greg. 
Every recent AristoCraft loco is PnP ready so you are safe with them. 
You will need to be careful with NEW old stock.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By TonyWalsham on 06 Jun 2011 06:36 AM 
Greg. 
Every recent AristoCraft loco is PnP ready so you are safe with them. 
You will need to be careful with NEW old stock. 

Hey Tony 

Remember the old 75 MGHZ Remote system Arisot made that was suppose to plug into thier engines?

Would there be trouble with that vintage engine? 

I asume they have changed the plug in system since. 

JJ


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## TonyWalsham (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi JJ. 

Apart from from some rather odd pcb wiring in certain locos, the actual pin outs of the AristoCraft PnP socket have not changed since it was introduced. 

What I meant by being careful of NEW old stock is, that early versions of AristoCraft locos that now have the PnP socket, did NOT[/b] have the socket originally.


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

1. a. very important
2. d. not important
3. b. track power
4.
5. f. QSI

Bob


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

This last winter Stan Cedarleaf helped my set up an older (original) Aristo Mallet for Revo and battery. The revo and battery are in a trailing car plugged into the power jack on the rear of the tender. Once I found the track-battery switch (switched it to battery) and put it on Stan's track for a test, everything worked. He is all battery and no track power.

When I got it home, I put it on the track an started to run it. I have several passing tracks set up with diodes so that I can change trains with a change of polarity. For some reason the engines on both tracks became active. The mallet had to have been putting out some kind of AC voltage. 

After discussing this with Stan, I cut one of the wires from the tender truck to the engine and the problem was solved. 

Chuck


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