# Mallets on the rails



## Guest (Sep 15, 2008)

Welp after 2 trips back to aristo for these new mallets and they couldnt fix them right? i shipped them to Ray Manley for DCS conversion and Ray NOT ONLY CONVERTED THEM BUT DID SOMETHING ARISTO COULDN'T... HE MADE THEM RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!! and run well with a hours time on the rails no issues, thanks Ray for making them work!!!!! also Billy had his hudson out for a spin..heres a video... 
Nick.


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

You're very welcome Nick, I'm glad they run good!! 


Raymond


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Yea Ray! 

I can't imagine them giving you such trouble.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

They weren't giving him trouble, just could not fix them. 

Believe me, between Ray and another person I know, they know way more about how to repair the loco than Aristo will ever know. It's not meant in a mean fashion, but things we all understand as commonly known information is not always so. I won't go into denials of obvious facts. 

And Ray, nice catch on the crankpin screws hitting the connecting rods, will do the "tink" check on mine this weekend, since it spun 2 drivers. (I've never worked over my mallet) I always lap the axles to the drivers because I found the mismatched tapers just as you found them. I use a mild valve lapping compound, and no loctite is required. 

Regards, Greg


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## Guest (Sep 18, 2008)




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## leikec (Jul 19, 2008)

I was thinking about these, but everytime I read about them, it's a post about their problems... 



By the way: Raymond - I think I hate you. No offense, but that video #23 with the doubleheaded big-boys... WOW! 

Somehow I don't think they will look that good going around a 5' radius curve. 

Jeff C


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## lownote (Jan 3, 2008)

Doesn't lapping the axles cause gage problems? I remember this question coming up before and I can't remember the resolution


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

I will have to check my two Mallet for the crank pin issue. However one is 3 years old and running like a top the other is 4 months old and also running good. Lucky I guess but I do tend to check things every so often. Little PM goes a long way. Later RJD


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Mine gronked once, but only took a few minutes to remedy. I think I want to relieve the holes in the rods according to that one suggestion.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I have not found lapping them just enough to get the entire taper to engage to radically affect the gauge. 

That said, Aristo locos are notoriously narrow in back to back gauge. But since the flanges are overly thick, setting the back to back properly makes the wheel gauge too wide. 

RJ DeBerg has thinned the flanges on his locos and it has allowed him back to back and wheel gauge within specs. Made a big difference for him. 

There are commercially available shims you can put in the gearboxes to gauge the wheels properly. A pain in the butt to do, but you can get them pretty much perfect. 

Regards, Greg


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree. The little bit done to get the axle surfaces to mate is an almost insignificant distance for the tollerances we have on the switches, etc. If you were moving them the distance of a human hair I would be surprised. Yeah, the point was trying to be driven home about the gauge in the thread I started on this some time ago, but as I said before, if you don't have gauge problems before, you won't after mating them (by hand). If you have problems after, you most definitely had problems before. It appears from what was provided in that thread that if you run Aristo or USA Trains switches you don't have to worry about the gauge causeing impacting and serious issues on Aristo engines, but if you run some other third party switches you better check it and be careful. 

Raymond


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Wondering about stuffing a little JB Weld inside this hole when I put the wheel back on.


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2008)

Posted By Torby on 09/21/2008 11:11 AM
Wondering about stuffing a little JB Weld inside this hole when I put the wheel back on.




I would not do that, could cause more problems than its worth, just keep heating the screw it'l come. then put it back the way you took it apart..................


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

I agree with Nick, I wouldn't put it in the screw hole... MAYBE the axle surface but if you ever needed to get it back apart and it really did adhere you could be in a world of hurt. I know, it is all a real pain.. lol 

Raymond


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Tom, are you wanting to put something in the axle hole, or where (no pun intended). 

I had several axle holes that were pretty loose after removing the screw and 10 pounds or loctite red. I used a couple of layers of heavy duty aluminum foil in the hole to make things nice and tight. 

Regards, Greg


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2008)

Interesting ideal!!! the screw never loosened back up after the foil?


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

If you have back to back gage problems on your AC locos you can bet that you will have problems on your AC and USA turnouts. LGB is the only switch I have found that you can run anything through it without a problem. Later RJD


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

Definitely, but my point was that for all the time I've been on the forums this is not something I hardly ever hear about as being a serious issue for most people. Based on this an my personal experience, AC engines out of the box just do not have flange impacting issues on AC (and I assume USAT) turnouts because the wheel gauge is too narrow. I have heard before that by the book the AC wheels are too tight in gauge. The way these things are mass produced (cast axles screwed into the sides of a cast plastic gear), if the turnouts are made to close to the same tollerances, there should be no real variation in the engine wheel gauge on the engines themselves. Even if they aren't "correct" you won't have them hitting the flange guides and ripping the axles out of the gearboxes as was being talked about in my other thread. It was happening because they were using a third party turnout. I've inspected my engines and watched them all go through the turnouts and don't have impacting issues. (24 engines and have used up to 8 #6 AC turnouts) 

I just think it's important to make sure the for new people reading this that they should not be freaking out and look at this as yet one more major thing to be scared of when it comes to their G scale trains. Take the information and advice and maybe be careful the first time out to watch it, but you should be ok. However, if you are using any other mfg of turnout, you better check it carefully as it could be a problem. Check the extreme side to side play on the wheels on the track and see if the flange impacts or binds going through the turnout. 


Raymond


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## Guest (Sep 21, 2008)

You have 24 engines???? man what am i doing wrong he he he/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blink.gif 
Nick


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

LOL Hey, I know you must have twice that number! /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue.gif Heck I've lost count of how many you've had converted to DCS! lol 


Raymond


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## Rayman4449 (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By nick s. on 09/21/2008 3:31 PM
Interesting ideal!!! the screw never loosened back up after the foil?




That is an interesting idea, I'll have to remember that if I ever have that problem.  


Raymond


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yes, made a aluminum foil "sliver" and thinner near the opening and thicker further in, the screw threads in pretty well, and snugs up tight. 

Basically like a little aluminum carrot, then flatten it and put it in the hole, making it conform a bit by using a very small screwdriver to sort of flatten it to one side of the threaded hole. 

Start the screw in the hole, and you can feel it bite in... I had several "virgin" axles that after pulling the screw/bolt were too loose to hold tightly... again the use of loctite as glue and filler... 

Regards, Greg


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