AZL Amtrak California and Amtrak West

ztrack Mar 19, 2005

  1. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Wheel slip on straight aways, interesting. Question, does the loco jerk or stall or does it make a sound? The C44 should run smoothly on straight aways. It may slow a little on curves though. This is normal. It will improve over time as it breaks in. Next question, how does it run in reverse? Does it still slip?

    Here are a couple of ares to examine. First, a wheel on the leading truck may be out of gauge slightly. Check the wheels. Next, make sure there is no binding in the trucks. You may have to drop the trucks out of the chassis by pushing the pin out. I use the shaft of a small screwdriver in place of the pin to hold the gear in place while I rotate the large gear on the trucks to test for binding. Also, check the main gear in the trucks. It sounds almost like the worm gear is slipping on the main gear. Re-seating the main gear against the worm sometimes solves the problem.

    Next, make sure the wheels on the loco are very clean. If the loco is stalling in the same spot, it may be a track issue. AZL's are very finicky when it come to out of gauge track. Keep me informed.

    Rob Kluz
     
  2. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Jim,

    You are too funny. Yes, I am holding your trains hostage. Now repeat after me... Rob is cool... Rob is awesome.... Rob is da king...

    Okay.. go with that :D

    No problem holding the other sets for you. You will LOVE them. Just let me know. I have the rest of goodies tuck away and a nice safe spot (now if I could only remember where).

    Rob
     
  3. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Sean,

    I do have one closeup of the Amtrak West locomotive. I haven't had time to shoot the cars or locos in detail yet.

    [​IMG]

    Rob
     
  4. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Rob, I check the gauge of the wheel using the MTL gauge checker or whatever they call those things, After checking all the wheel, there is one set of wheel do not fit into the slot. Is that the problem ?

    John
     
  5. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    That may be part of the problem. To fix, simply clamp the wheels together. They will slide into place. Once this is done, check to see if the binding continues. I typically see this with the inside axles on the 6 axle trucks.

    Rob
     
  6. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    I have a question Rob. Do you think the wheels on the Center axle of a 6 axle loco would be better gauged closer together than the outside wheels? The reason I ask, is it seems that the loco might run smoother around turns.

    What i'm thinking is that on a turn, the front and back wheels of the truck might be pressing against inside rail, and the wheel on the center axle might be pressing on the outside rail, making the truck ride tight between the rails in a turn.

    All this is based on the center axle not being free floating, so maybe it would be better to gauge the center axle wheels slightly closer together than the front and back axles on each truck? What are your thoughts? :confused:

    -Robert
     
  7. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Rob, The wheels are actually too close. Do I bring it father apart, and do I take the trucks out first before I regauge it.
     
  8. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    Yes, slightly pull apart to open the wheels. It should not take too much. The side frames of the trucks are easily removed. You may want to pop these off in order to set the wheels correctly.

    Rob
     
  9. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I have a question about the can motors. In my AZL's, the Mabuchi powered locomotive is easily the quietest. Compare to the Faulhaber motor which is the loudest. Robert, is this true in your trains.
     
  10. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Yes, mine are the same way, but I just thought it was because the Faulhaber motored ones have brass shells vs. the plastic ones on the F59PHI's.

    I was running my new ones last night, and discovered the couplers are upside down on some of the Surfliner cars. I was going to change them over to MTL couplers anyway.

    -Robert
     
  11. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Robert, you dont have to change both couplers in the car. Just change one of the coupler, so you dont have to change so many and save money. Just match a AzL coupler to a Mtl coupler when coupling, but you won't be able to use the magnet to uncouple. There is a added benefit, now I am able to go to tighter curves because of the added separation.

    I believe the Falhaber motor is louder. I have run both with the shell off. I find the Mabuchi motor has the most pleasing sound, maybe is the older type AZL gear. Does anybody have a FREUDENREICH FEINWERKTECHNIK to compare it to AZL.
     
  12. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    I have a couple of FR locos. They are extremely quite. I think most of the noise is gear noise in the AZL's. For instance, the SZL Re 4/4s are extremely quite (10mm Faulhauber). The AZL E8s are noisier than a SD45.

    I really like the Mabuchi motors. Yes, they are very quite. I do think the plastic is helping dampen the noise. Also, the gearing is different and does use more plastic which helps with noise reduction.

    By the way, good idea to use the MT couplers with the AZL. Interesting note about tighter radius curves with the MT. I will note this as we plan on putting a sheet together on the F59PHI run. The sheet will cover notes from customers and ways to improve the performance.

    Rob Kluz
     
  13. shamoo737

    shamoo737 Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    I do plan on getting the F-40PH, but not until they release the Amtrak version. I could use it to run it with the California cars and pretend they are Superliners, or maybe AZL and FR will work together and release a F40PH and Superliner set. mmmmmmmmmm I like that Idea.
     
  14. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    I can't wait to see the F40PH in Amtrak colors. This should be a very nice looking loco. AZL and FR have discussed doing sets together, but as far as I know, there are no firm plans. Many roads run the Bombardiers with the F40s so there are some real opportunities. Regardless, the Amtrak version will go nicely with the Surfliners and California cars.

    Rob
     
  15. ztrack

    ztrack TrainBoard Supporter Advertiser

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    If any one is interested, Bill Kronenberger sent me the following link. It is a review of the F59PHI from a Nn3 perspective. What is nice about the review is that the author has taken the locomotive apart and photographed the components. It is a nice way to see under the hood!

    F59PHI review

    Rob Kluz
     
  16. rray

    rray Staff Member

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    Those are some good big photos. Now I have a better idea of how to DCC a couple of mine when I get around to it. :D
     
  17. Jim Manley

    Jim Manley New Member

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    A Hearty Hi-Ho, My Fellow PardnerZ in Grime!

    Oh, Happy Day! A nice little surpriZe was in my e-mail in-box at work Monday morning when I logged in from home upon waking up (sort of) after another short night of little sleep, while preparing for the Great Western Train Show in BakerZfield, CA, this coming weekend, 23 - 24 April. The surpriZe was a press release announcing that the remainder of the company (that I'm mainly doing work for now) has been sold to a company 25 times the siZe of the one I'm doing work for. The execZ had already sold off 80% of the company (essentially the office in Ontario, Canada) to another company in January, but they worked on different products from what I'm working on. UZ remaining doZen engineerZ have been waiting for the other shoe to drop since the first week of January, and now the sole is on the floor. The important thing is that the company that's buying the one here isn't currently making a digital video recorder product like we are, and so has agreed to hire on all of the engineerZ for at least what we're now making, with equivalent benefitZ. The really good newZ iZ that they have also agreed to pay us a significant bonus from the proceedZ of the sale, aZ well aZ accelerating our stock grantZ at a price well above the current market price.

    Sooooo what????? You may ask? Well, we've been sitting on pinZ and needleZ for three and a half monthZ, and now we know that we will be able to pay our mortgageZ and, more importantly, TRAINZ!!!!!!!!!! Yes, Rob, I will finally have the full ransom for every single one of the locoZ and setZ you have set aside for me. Now, the bad newZ, iZ that the deal probably won't close for 2 ~ 3 more months, which meanZ I'll just be another pauper until about a week after NTS 2005 gets over. The bonus would more than pay for everything Rob has or will likely have for a long time. There will be more than enough left to park some in the retirement funds, and the rest can be used to buy my first real, fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pantZ aircraft! This will enable me to fly to showZ all over the WeZt, and probably most of North America, eventually, carrying along my miniModuleZ packed in standard airline luggage. I'll be testing my packing this coming weekend when I try to fly down to Bakersfield for the Great Western Train Show, in which we're confirmed to exhibit. That'Z a long haul for people with liveZ, so I'll most likely be holding up the fort all by my lonesome, but that'Z fine - it buildZ character, right??? [​IMG]

    I also overcame a major software bug in code I'm fixing (that someone else wrote and iZ now long gone, of course), and that I've been puZZling over on and off for weekZ. Fixing this meanZ that we are one step closer to completing delivery of our latest product, and one step closer to that bonus that will pay for trainZ and planeZ (well, at least one!)! I just love it when a plan comeZ together, even if it waZn't planned that way from the beginning! Now, all I need to do iZ finish squashing the rest of the bugZ, and wait with anchovieZ in my mouth ("baited breath") for the acquisition to be completed.

    Sorry if this iZ way too far off-topic, but I'm just in such a good mood, and wanted to share the feeling with my friendZ here.

    ThankZ for putting up with thiZ, and All Z BeZt,
    Jim
     

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