Rob, Thanks for the comeback- I'll get out on the other side of the rock tomorrow. You have to admit I haven't made these observations known till now- hoping there would not be bugs in next release--- I'm still waiting to purchase a mess of switches but continue hearing of problems- just today even. He hopes it was a first run set of switches. It's not just AZL with teething pains. Please inform groupS when regular run is available. I got a stash of cash- mostly pennies-hidden from the house spouse. Best, Fred
Rob, First of all, I want you to know that I wasn't really complaining. I know that this is a beta run, so, I was pointing out my observations. The problem that I am having isn't the trucks binding. I have already tried to loosen the screws a bit but it didn't help. The loc actually loses all electrical contact when it hits the straights. I can duplicate it with my MT wheel cleaner, as well. After I applied a bit of pressure to the truck sideframes, it ran fine again. The question is, for how long. I am currently working in Indiana, and have not found a Post Office, yet. Not that I have really looked. I was playing around a bit with MUing with the GP35 today as well, and found that there is a pretty good speed range that they are pretty closely matched. I ran the two of them uncoupled, initially at the 9:00 and 3:00 positions on the track. After observing them for a while, I started them coupler to coupler. At speeds below 1/4 throttle the GP7 is a bit faster than my GP35s, and above 1/2 throttle, the gp35 is a bit faster, but between those speeds, they stayed within about 1/2" of eachother all the way around the track. Dan S.
I'm sure any problems can be figured out. I'm glad these aren't brass cheap enough for me to buy and I'm a cheap ass too. Still going to wait for the next couple roads for one with least parts to remove, but man you guys got me drooling on my keyboard.
yeah, but you are not charging pre-production prices :shade: and using your customers as final developement department and quality team for AZL could potentially backfire ... Anyway - it is going to be my first AZL loco so I look forward to playing with it when it actually arrives here in UK :thumbs_up: Chris
Rob (Kluz) one thing AZL must chance is the availability of spare parts for the Brass Models. I've two Brass Models with a gear wheel problem and I can't run them anymore. This would be a small problem if the Locomotive comes from Märklin and I would have a replacement in just a few days but AZL has no such parts on stock.
Dan, no need to apologize. These are valid comments and good ones that should be shared. I am very interested in knowing why this unit is loosing electrical contact. This way, we can look for it in our testing. Ajin did hurry these locos to AZL in order to meet our deadline. Our plan was not to release these to clients until we were sure they met our standards. Frankly, they have been great! I am just kicking myself that Dan's slipped through my examination. Jurg, contact me to let me know what parts you need. The brass runs are older runs. Ajin just did not create spare parts for these locos. I may be able to find a gear or two, but there is no guarantee. I kind of like the Beta test idea. Okay I herby declare the GP7s v2. Yes, there was a v1. V3 is coming! LOL!!! Rob
While no one likes to admit it, the first "real" run of any product that requires the assebly of multiple parts is a Beta unit. When a product is designed, the engineers have to envision how to build the thing. They go through step by step contruction plans and a come up with a production procedure. They closely monitor the prototype assemblies and (true) pre-production tests to make sure that everything goes as planned. Then, production begins. Everyone on the floor has a "better idea" of how things should be done. If you could follow each individual piece, you would discover that each one was assembled in a slightly different way (few of which actually match what engineering had intended). Some of these methods are actually improvements to the original plan, but many of them are just short cuts without regard for the next stage of assembly. The engineers can not imagine what might happen if their procedures are not followed (if people do things "wrong"). This is why full automation is so attractive for mass production. It takes out a lot of variables and leads to a higher percentage of identical products. But, this only really works for production on massive scales. So, manual assembly is still the best for small scale production. The only drawback is that it takes a couple of full runs to locate and eliminate the human induced variables that are causing the problems. These runs are also used to locate and correct any design flaws that can only be found through continuous use by many different users. Anyone can design a product that works if everything is done exactly correctly and it is used precisely as designed. The "Holy Grail" of engineering is to design a product that can not be assembled or used improperly, or at least to be able to survive and go on to lead a productive life when it is. Dan S.
Pennsy GP7 Since no one else has posted pictures of the Pennsy, yet... Sorry about the quality, I only have a cheap wide angle that I use for work here with me today.
Thanks for that. Mine has been held up owing to a credit card mixup. I'm looking at the couplers in the photos and wondering what they are. They almost look like non-functional dummies, but I can't imagine that they'd ship with non-working couplers. What's the prognosis for installing M-Ts?
It is an AZL "Microtrains Compatible" coupler. There are mixed reviews on them. Earlier in this thread, I think someone showed a coupler conversion to MT. The attached photo was used for another purpose, but you can see the coupler better. Dan S.
Thanks again. I had gone through the thread before, thinking the coupler issue might have been raised, but the images Robert had posted weren't loading, so I missed it the first time through.
I for one am quite thankful that a pre-production run was made available. The Z scale market is too small to be viewed from the same perspective as, say, HO, where mass-produced goods should rightfully be fully "debugged" before hitting the shelves. The Z scale community ought to accept the role of "beta-testers" in order to support the tiny production runs--and their tiny manufacturers--so that we can enjoy a continuous supply of new merchandise. My $0.02.
Dan, In your last pic with the coupler... Are the wheelsets in gauge? or are they too narrow? If the gauge is too narrow (a common problem with any locomotive) that would also make the total length of the axle too short and leave it loose at the contact. Something to check anyways.
Chris, I sort of wondered about that myself. I am currently haning out in a hotel room in Bloomington, Indiana, about 620 miles from my calipers or wheel gauge. So, I am a bit out of luck for the time being. There does seem to be a fair bit of play between te rails, but I would rather not mess with gauge without being able to make sure they were all the same. Thanks for the suggestion. Dan S.
If I can borrow some of Chris (Bambuko's) photos the wheels should be sort of like this: http://zcentralstation.com/modules/xcgal/albums/userpics/10014/wheel%2004.jpg But the red part would have a gear on it. You can see here the axles are solid with the wheels: http://zcentralstation.com/modules/xcgal/albums/userpics/10014/marklin 2.jpg I don't have one to play with yet, but I think this is the problem with yours.
I have found that I really like the AZL couplers. I find that they actually uncouple less. This is because they have more of a hook to the claw than an MTL. But, they are not Magne-Matic. If you are looking at using these locos as switchers, the MTL's may be necessary. I would test the GP7 with the AZL couplers first before switching. If you go the body mount route, adding a MTL 905 is easy. The AZL coupler box is the same size as the MTL coupler box. Just remove the AZL coupler of the spare pilots that have been supplied and replace with a 905. If you want to go with the truck mounted couplers, this may be more tricky. The 905 may be glued to the tab that the AZL coupler rest on. Just a thought. By the way, a lot of clients prefer AZL couplers when they connect two locos together. They won't easily uncouple and act more like a drawbar. Rob
