| Author | Messages | |
Greg Elmassian
1st Class Member
Carlsbad (San Diego), CA
Engineer
Posts:1225
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 | | 09/29/2008 9:50 AM |
| Looks like it will be a nice loco. It's way closer to the prototype than the Mikado.
I sure hope Lewis makes good on providing the non-blind drivers like he said. The discussion over there had a bunch of people jump on a guy who asked for no blind drivers. Big lecture on how the engine is cast in stone, and the locos came with blind drivers, blah blah blah.
Well, look at the prototype B&W picture first posted by Tom, and quoted by Victor... sure looks like all drivers flanged.
You have never had fun until you pull a driver on an Aristo steam loco, since you typically have to pull the thing pretty much apart to get the driver past the brakes. In my case, (Mallet, Mikado, Pacific) I had to remove the brakes, and you have to split the motor block to get them off.
Fun.
Regards, Greg | |
Be sure to visit my site, lots of technical tips and modifications, and you can search for topics and key words.
Click here for Greg's web site | |
| lownote
1st Class Member
Arlington VA
Conductor
Posts:555
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| | 09/29/2008 10:11 AM |
| I can see both sides of the argument--lots of people jumped on Lewis for having blind drivers, and I can see why, but there's a good argument to be made for blind drivers. On my layout, I run trains into a storage barn, and some of the tracks are served by LGB 1200 switches. I can't get a 2-8-0 into those tracks, although the rest of my railroad has 8 ft minimum curves. It would give me more flexibility to have blind drivers. A lot of his market is people using small radius curves. At the same time, I don't like the look of blind drivers and I assume--though I don't know--that a loco with all flanged drivers would pull better.
I would not want to be a manufacturer of large scale equipment. People are always really mad at you!
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Evading the Midas touch of expertise
http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/magic/westover/ | |
| markoles
1st Class Member
Lancaster, PA
Conductor
Posts:810
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| | 09/29/2008 10:14 AM |
| Greg, I think the pictures that Davy sent me (see my posts) might be the prototype Aristo made. Take a look at the ladders, etc.. Most of the appliances, etc appear to be in the exact same spots as the one Aristo is showing. I don't think I'm going to mess with the drivers. I had 'fun' getting my mikado wheels off for painting. Should have just left them on and taped everything around them. Blind drivers should not be a problem for me, after they are painted. From the photo, all appear to be making contact with the rail. In the proto photos, it looks like all wheels are flanged. Mark | |
Mark Oles
Millersvillanova Railroad, Lancaster, PA | |
| Greg Elmassian
1st Class Member
Carlsbad (San Diego), CA
Engineer
Posts:1225
Send Message
| | 09/29/2008 10:22 AM |
| Yep, looks "spot on" with the picture, I agree.
My concerns with blind drivers are I don't like the "look", but more that my experiences with blind drivers have not been good, from what I believe is reduced pulling power, to increased derailments as the drivers can drop "inside" the rails on sharp curves. (This can be mitigated by increasing the tread width, but then it looks worse).
I'm not happy about pulling a new loco apart to put the drivers on, but I can live with it, especially if, as Lewis hopes, doing this will broaden the appeal for the loco.
There is a theory that the Mikado and Mallet did not sell well because they required too broad of curves, limiting the sales. (I think the reasons are otherwise, but it seems that no one really knows).
So, I can accept the "experiment" to see if this helps. I want to find out how many people it "helped" after the loco has been out for a while.
Regards, Greg |
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Be sure to visit my site, lots of technical tips and modifications, and you can search for topics and key words.
Click here for Greg's web site | |
| rwjenkins
1st Class Member
Lawrence, Massachusetts USA
Brakeman
Posts:60
Send Message
| | 09/29/2008 12:13 PM |
| Posted By markoles on 09/29/2008 8:32 AM Those looked like the mikado's 63" drivers. Where'd the 55" drivers come from?
The Mikado drivers are almost 63" in 1:32 scale (fortunately for me), but they only work out to about 55" across the treads in 1:29. Looks to me like the 2-8-0 is using the same drivers.
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| Torby
1st Class Member
North Chicago 'burbs.
Engineer
Posts:1664
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| | 09/29/2008 3:00 PM |
| Looks mighty close to this one:
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 "If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with Fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about."-- C. S. Lewis | |
| vsmith
1st Class Member
SoCal
Conductor
Posts:996
Send Message
| | 09/29/2008 4:09 PM |
| With blind drivers, just like the new C16 (same block BTW), methinks theres a possibility this beasty just might be R1 capable... | |
 Kitbashing, welcome to the Dark Side | |
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