# Dragging Brakes



## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

A while back I bought a Aristo Craft Rock Island Gondola.

I was new in the box with metal wheels.

I put it on the track with other fry cars and found that the car squeaked.

So I pulled the car into the maintanace shop and greases the bearings.

A quick check of everything and it was put back into service only to find out it was still squeaking.

Well last night the gon had been returned to the shop and low and behold we found the brake shoes were dragging.

Yes, the large dia wheel sets spun freely but when lowered on the track the car was not freely moving.

Another look and we found the bottom of the brake shoes were dragging the track.

So with a little help from the dremel, the gon now rolls free.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

A common problem with Aristo, the brake shoes were installed upside down in the trucks on many cars. 

If you take them out and put them back on right, no problem. 

Greg


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I used to buy SanVals wheels and they was smaller dia , thus the brake shoes dragged. I just filed them.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Or you could just drag them until they ground off, ha ha! 

I think if you fixed the brakes, then they would not even drag with the San Val wheels... 

Greg


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## noelw (Jan 2, 2008)

I got a couple of them and at one of our get-together train run, we heard something dragging. .. Being these were mine., I just shorten them up with a pr. of side cutter.. I got a lot of funny looks on some guys faces, but they run fine now.









I don't know anybody that uses brakes on there layout anyway.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I thought about taking the easy way out by clipping them, but then the shoes look bad. Just reassembling them makes them look right. Of course it is WAY more work, those @#[email protected]#$ Aristo springs!!! 

Greg


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## Pterosaur (May 6, 2008)

I noted the same thing when replacing the original Aristo plastic wheels with San-Val. I dislike the Aristo trucks disassembly/reassembly so much that I have taken to tossing them and replacing with USA/LGB trucks. Finally got smart and just sell 'em on ebay now.


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