# Please help with my Aristo - RS-3!



## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Hey all, 

I got an RS-3 from ebay (aristocraft, NYC logo), it arrived yesterday. Great! i go to put it on the track (indoor) for the first run and...NOTHING/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gif. OK, i check the switch's and sure enough the motor switch is in the off position, great throw it in the on position, crank up power and...NOTHING!/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/crazy.gif i bring it to my test track, hook up power and still nothing. The lights come on fine, and i can even get the smoke unit to work, but no movement on the engine at all. I took the hoods off to get a look at the circut board and wiring and it all appears in place. However while unscrewing the circut board, it comes apart in the middle, breaks in half (expletive). Going from bad to worse. So i screw the circut board back down, throw it back on the test track, and while the engine still wont move the lights still come on and the smoke unit still works. What is going on?! One thing that i noticed is that on the circut board there are wires to plugs, two sets. One of which labeled motor is doubled back to itslef (not hooked up to the switch?), while the others go off to other parts of the engine. I am at work and dont have photos and can't remember the exact label on the circut board but beleive it was 'motor' 

I got to the auction late and just bid on it before emailing the seller to see if it was in running condition, (i know, stupid) however looking at the wheels clearly show signs of ware so I know it was run prior to me owning it. His other auctions were most of the same thing, and new. The engine appears to be in fairly mint condition, with no signs of too much use. 

Does anyone have any idea about what could be going on? The model is a mid '90's FYI. 

Thanks in advance... 

regards, 

josh


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

JC, 

If you include your location, etc. in your profile, maybe someone in your area could take a look at it for you.


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## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By toddalin on 08/06/2008 10:55 AM
JC, 
If you include your location, etc. in your profile, maybe someone in your area could take a look at it for you.





Thanks, I am in the Northern Adirondacks. Tupper Lake. I posted that a few years ago and there are very few ADK'ers up here who are in g scale. 

No Suggestions? 

I may be calling aristocraft, but would like input first. I know there are others with the same engine


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## jmill24 (Jan 11, 2008)

The previous owner may have ran it on battery power and disconnected the track pick-ups. This was done to assure the battery power would not conduct to the track..........Jim


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## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By jmill24 on 08/06/2008 11:45 AM
The previous owner may have ran it on battery power and disconnected the track pick-ups. This was done to assure the battery power would not conduct to the track..........Jim




i dont run battery power, but would it then still draw current from the track to run lights/smoke? or would all this be through battery? When i put it on the track, and give it power it the lights and smoke work 

Update - I talked to the seller and he said this was stored in a locked case, and never ran. While it shows some use, as i said earlier it is very clean looking. 

Other thoughts? 

How is aristocraft to work with if i call them on the phone?


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By jctp421 on 08/06/2008 12:33 PM 
Posted By jmill24 on 08/06/2008 11:45 AM 
The previous owner may have ran it on battery power and disconnected the track pick-ups. This was done to assure the battery power would not conduct to the track..........Jim

i dont run battery power, but would it then still draw current from the track to run lights/smoke? or would all this be through battery? When i put it on the track, and give it power it the lights and smoke work 
Update - I talked to the seller and he said this was stored in a locked case, and never ran. While it shows some use, as i said earlier it is very clean looking. 
Other thoughts? 
How is aristocraft to work with if i call them on the phone?

It is certainly possible (but unlikely) that the prior owner was creative and wanted to run the motors on battery, but to save from taxing the batteries and increase run time, ran the lights and smoke off the track power. There should be some indication of prior battery use though (like extra wire hookups to a trailing battery car, or stuff was moved around in the engine to make room for on-board batteries, or... 
Have you actually tried to apply power directly to a motor leads while you have it open? (Worth a try.) It is certainly possible that a "trace" to the motors burned through on the the circuit board. I've done this on several engines in the event of a derailment and had to go in and put jumper wires in place of the traces. It is even possible (though unlikely) that the motor switch has gone bad. You can check this with an ohm meter looking for continuity. 
AristoCraft can be very easy to deal with.


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## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By toddalin on 08/06/2008 2:19 PM
Posted By jctp421 on 08/06/2008 12:33 PM 
Posted By jmill24 on 08/06/2008 11:45 AM 
The previous owner may have ran it on battery power and disconnected the track pick-ups. This was done to assure the battery power would not conduct to the track..........Jim

i dont run battery power, but would it then still draw current from the track to run lights/smoke? or would all this be through battery? When i put it on the track, and give it power it the lights and smoke work 
Update - I talked to the seller and he said this was stored in a locked case, and never ran. While it shows some use, as i said earlier it is very clean looking. 
Other thoughts? 
How is aristocraft to work with if i call them on the phone?

It is certainly possible (but unlikely) that the prior owner was creative and wanted to run the motors on battery, but to save from taxing the batteries and increase run time, ran the lights and smoke off the track power. There should be some indication of prior battery use though (like extra wire hookups to a trailing battery car, or stuff was moved around in the engine to make room for on-board batteries, or... 
Have you actually tried to apply power directly to a motor leads while you have it open? (Worth a try.) It is certainly possible that a "trace" to the motors burned through on the the circuit board. I've done this on several engines in the event of a derailment and had to go in and put jumper wires in place of the traces. It is even possible (though unlikely) that the motor switch has gone bad. You can check this with an ohm meter looking for continuity. 
AristoCraft can be very easy to deal with.






thanks for the suggestions. 

There does not appear to be any extra wiring leading out to a trailing car, nor does there appear to any room for batteries onboard. 

How would i go about checking the trucks for power? what do i disconnect, and then attach to test this? 

I will plan on calling aristo tomorrow...do they walk you through any tech support over the phone?


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Maybe I'm being dense, but doesn't the first post say the board broke in half? 

Any reason we should not assume the board was not already broken, and traces to the motors are the ones damaged/cut? 

I'd repair or replace this board first, I could not expect something to run correctly if the board is damaged. 

Then you might see if you can get a schematic of the loco. 

You can start tracing at either end, either from the wheels to the motor, or the motor to the wheels. 

Brandy Bryce has a great site with nice pictures, I have a section on the RS-3 also on my site. 

Regards, Greg


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

While it is not causing the problem with the motors not running, if this unit is an earlier RS-3, you might want to get the new upgraded ball bearing trucks. You can tell by turning the locomotive over and if the wheel axles extend in to the side frames, you have the older style trucks. These will work fine, but will eventually wear out the brass bushings in the sideframes. My FA-FB has this style truck, and it is in need of replacement. Also, with the ball bearing trucks, you can add extra weight to increase the pulling power. 

Dealing with aristo service over the phone is pretty good. I would expect they'll want you to send it down to them in New Jersey. By the way- the NYC RS-3 is supposedly being re-run with a set of NYC 40' boxcars lettered for Pacemaker Service.


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## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Thanks for the input guys. I spoke with aristo and am going to send it in. The folks there were very nice to talk to. It seems the obvious problem is that it is from the board that is broke in half. He talked about soldering it, but i am not going to mess around with it if it can be replaced for not much $. 

a few things about the engine. There are traction tires but the axles do not extend into the side frames. Does this mean they are ball bearing? 

Does every series of RS-3 have body mounted aristo couplers, or was there a truck mounted? This one is body mounted. 

There are two receptors for plugs that are facing down, covered by the fuel tank, nothing is connected to them. are these for a battery install? though it would be a great spot for batteries i can't believe a pack would be small enough to fit in that space tho!? can i add weight to this area? could these receptors be for the motor blocks? maybe this is the second series? the receptors are two different sizes tho, and with the fuel tank covering them it would be wildly unsightly and strange to run the wiring from the trucks-outside-into the fuel tank, to plug in...??!! 

Greg- great site, lots of good stuff about this engine. The picture of the inside of yours looks nothing like the inside of mine... my board is flat, while the one on your site has all the circuitry/diodes in the middle. what does this mean? who is brandy bryce? link? 

any additional input is appreciated and i will update as i hear from asristo.


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## altterrain (Jan 2, 2008)

Traction tires?!? I have never seen an Aristo two axle truck with traction tires (and I own an old RS3). 

-Brian


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## markoles (Jan 2, 2008)

The RS-3 has body mounted couplers. You might ask aristo about adding weight. Depending on the truck style (and it sounds like you have a ball bearing type), it might be possible. 

Another good site for tips is George Schreyer's site. Do a google search with that name, and you should find info about the GIRR, his train website. George took a break from large scale, but it seems he's getting back in to it. 

Mark


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## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By altterrain on 08/07/2008 11:11 PM
Traction tires?!? I have never seen an Aristo two axle truck with traction tires (and I own an old RS3). 
-Brian





Both leading axles have traction tires. They are worn and with the use that i will hopefully be giving to it they will not last much longer. This shouldn't be an issue if they come off or if I take them off, right? 

Can't i add weight on my own to the fuel tank? This would be the most logical spot correct? 

any ideas about the receptors that face down into the fuel tank??


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## George Adams (Jan 2, 2008)

The first runs of the RS-3s with the BB trucks did have traction tires. I believe you can get the plain wheels as a replacement part. The plugs in the fuel tank are for adding a sound unit to the locomotive. The current runs of RS-3s have a weight in the fuel tank, so adding weight there will not be a problem. 

George


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## jctp421 (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By George Adams on 08/08/2008 10:05 AM
The first runs of the RS-3s with the BB trucks did have traction tires. I believe you can get the plain wheels as a replacement part. The plugs in the fuel tank are for adding a sound unit to the locomotive. The current runs of RS-3s have a weight in the fuel tank, so adding weight there will not be a problem. 
George





George, Thanks! So this does have BB trucks, great to know! If the traction comes off it is not a problem, right? They are about to ware through. Would I actually have to replace the wheels, or can i run as is? 

Any Ideas about the problems in my first post? You are the George Adams who is associated with Aristocraft? I sent my engine down this morning to you guys, so hopefully it is an easy fix, and i can get it running since i have not even had a chance to do that yet!


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