# Aster Challenger update



## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Version 2- Greyhound Challenger "ride along" in the true sense of the words...


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Interesting. 
Let's see what we can understand from this? 
1) NEW BOILER, BURNER, FIREBOX. 
So, I wonder if the grey one having a different type of boiler, burner and firebox than the black one? 
2) Too bad that it is going to be supplied with left over S-2 tenders! 
3) Pulling an 80 pound Japanese young man makes the front engine slip! 
4) I wonder if you get any more bodywork parts in the kit, or is that it? 
Other than that, it looks good to me. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By David Leech on 26 Nov 2011 04:39 PM 
Interesting. 
Let's see what we can understand from this? 
1) NEW BOILER, BURNER, FIREBOX. 
So, I wonder if the grey one having a different type of boiler, burner and firebox than the black one? 
2) Too bad that it is going to be supplied with left over S-2 tenders! 
3) Pulling an 80 pound Japanese young man makes the front engine slip! 
4) I wonder if you get any more bodywork parts in the kit, or is that it? 
Other than that, it looks good to me. 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada David
You got your 25 cents worth of interesting footage... for more got to put more coins in the machine. As to tender:










As to the "Aster Jockey" I guessing near double that weight.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

Thanks Charles, 
NOW, I have to ask, BUT why are the rear two axle boxes sitting lower than the others? 
Smaller diameter wheels at the back end? 
The drawing that I have show them all at 42". 
Other than that, looks good to me! 
Regards, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By David Leech on 26 Nov 2011 04:59 PM 
Thanks Charles, 
NOW, I have to ask, BUT why are the rear two axle boxes sitting lower than the others? 
Smaller diameter wheels at the back end? 
The drawing that I have show them all at 42". 
Other than that, looks good to me! 
Regards, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada 
David
Other than the photo set up was not done correctly with wheels improperly placed on the rails:

Separate smaller frame near the engine for guiding the tender the other axles are fixed but move side-side:

The centipede (sometimes called pedestal) tender was introduced in the late 1930s. What gives this style of tender its name is the number of wheels it uses. A centipede tender is rigidly mounted to five axles (ten wheels) which are allowed to move laterally. There is also a four-wheel leading truck that is able to swivel, for a grand total of 14 wheels. This tender is also sometimes referred to as a "pedestal" tender because of the shape of the container -- slightly smaller at the bottom which had "pedestal" for supporting the five rigid axles.


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## jfrank (Jan 2, 2008)

As everyone has heard by now, the pilot model of this $15,000 engine had a number of problems one of which was no power to pull anything. Does this mean that Aster has corrected all the mistakes on the pilot model and they will be incorporated in the production model?


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## Dan Pantages (Jan 2, 2008)

Yes John, this is why you do a pilot model.


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

John


$12900 for the kit given the exchange rate it was hard to control the bottomline. . No matter how one looks at it Hans is working towards an excellent product and given the cost in comparison to the Aster Allegheny it is a bargain. The locomotive is SOLD OUT, I am betting my money on it being a museum quality locomotive, that is just as impressive in its function!

Just keep these prices in mind, could be "sticker shock" in the future for Accucraft products whether it be from China or Accucraft itself or a combination thereof (as with the most recent increase).


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## jfrank (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dan Pantages on 27 Nov 2011 12:41 PM 
Yes John, this is why you do a pilot model. 

Well Dan I just wondered, since I have seen nothing posted on here about any of it. Yet other manufacturers pilot models are picked apart and scoffed at on here. I would think people putting out the big bucks for one of these deserve to know. But hey maybe there is a secret Aster network and you all already know everything.


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## David Leech (Dec 9, 2008)

John, 
I was wondering the same thing as, contrary to what you said, I had heard nothing about the poor performance of the original prototype until yesterday. 
I guess that I am just not an ASS (ASTER SNOB SOCIETY). 
Mind you, who would want to be! 
All the best, 
David Leech, Delta, Canada


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## Charles (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By jfrank on 27 Nov 2011 02:32 PM 
Posted By Dan Pantages on 27 Nov 2011 12:41 PM 
Yes John, this is why you do a pilot model. 

Well Dan I just wondered, since I have seen nothing posted on here about any of it. Yet other manufacturers pilot models are picked apart and scoffed at on here. I would think people putting out the big bucks for one of these deserve to know. But hey maybe there is a secret Aster network and you all already know everything.







John
Here is the secret Aster network:
http://www.asterhobbyusa.com/

http://www.asterhobby.com/CL04_01/list.php?major=1&minor=2

As you know, there is no difference between this situation at Aster than Accucraft: built, test, revise, and test run....


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## jfrank (Jan 2, 2008)

Charles, I have heard that Hans has sweated bullets over this engine. He had to completely disasemble it and actually have parts hand made to try and fix the problems. He sent this all back to Aster to incorporate into the production model. However, he did this on the Berkshire also and they did not incorporate some of his changes. If anyone can fix it I am sure Hans can do it. We have at least one ordered here in Houston and I am looking forward to seeing it. I hope they have one at Diamondhead. The part I don't understand is why this was all kept so secret. Are they afraid they will somehow hurt Aster's reputation? The best thing you can do with a pilot model is expose it's every fault so you can fix it on the production model.


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