# Testing without track??



## hudson

I know very little about G scale but I have two Aristo Craft sets that I want to test, clean up, and sell. Included in these sets are two Amtrak Diesel Engines and one Locomotive that I want to test. Is there a way of doing this without setting up tracks, I don't know if I have enough track to make a complete circle/circuit. My power will come from a MRC Control master 20 which I also know nothing about. What do I do to see if the engines run?

As always, you help is appreciated.

Nick


----------



## Railroadinovations

*Locomotive Testing/CM 20*

To test your locomotives, simply connect two wires to the front of your control master 20. Connect these two wires to the two scews under the words; track dc. Make sure your wires are long enough to get to the locomotive. Then flip the black switch on the left side from mode 11, ho, n scale up to G scale. Make sure the middle black switch, nudge, is off. Plug the controller wire into the controller plug (looks like a phone plug) and the other end into the throttle controller. Make sure the throttle knob is on 0. Then turn your power on. Place the locomotive upside down in a safe place where it is stable and will not fall over. Put something soft under it so fragile parts like horns, etc won't break. Turn your power up 1/3 of the way and touch one wire to a left wheel and one to the right. If the motor works and the wheels turn w/o squealing or other abnormal sounds you can increase power slowly. If you have loud noises stop everything as it may need repair or lubrication. If it runs, put one drop of PLASTIC COMPATIBLE oil on each axle where the axle goes into the frame. To much oil can cause other problems so don't over oil. If the axle goes into the sideframe on the opposite side of the wheel put one drop of oil there to. Do the same with the cars. Incidentally, What model of locomotive and cars are they? If you have the box it should say on it somewhere. I have a kids G scale model train program and might be interested in these models. Also would like to know what is their cosmetic condition is? Can you post photos here or send some to our e mail at [email protected]? Also you can view photos of our program here on this site under user profile; railroadinovations or click on this name to the left and view our albums. Hope all this helps! Good luck. Ken


----------



## Big Ed

Couldn't he just set up what track he has and test it?
Do you need a complete loop just to see if it runs?


----------



## hudson

Ken, thank you. I have two Amtrack 2036 Diesel Engines, one tested well in both directions, the other did not run, will have to look further into it. The other engine is a Union Pacific 2888, the wheels will turn a little in each direction but I can see where the grease boxes are loose and the rods seem to get stuck, I'll again have to look further into that. If you have any suggestions regarding trouble shooting these two problems, I would appreciate your help. As far as the models go, here is the list.

Amtrak 2036 Two of them
2086
2406 Metro Park
2306 Chicago 
2506 New Orleans
2606 Silver Vista

Union Pacific 2888 Locomotive (bell and whistle are broken off, but have them, cattle pusher is missing.)
2888 Tender
328 Open Gondola
6768 Hopper
C2109 Caboose
390235 coal filled gondolla (this one is a Bachmann)

2 MRC Control Master 20 power supplies, one is a little loud.
Lots of track and switches
Boxes for the Amtrak items but they are not in great condition
No boxes for the Union Pacific items
A Lot of stations, buildings, etc.

The overall appearance of these is as follows. The roofs are dirty from I would assume being set up for a long time but they should clean up. The Vista dome roof is the worst of the bunch, it has scratches on the top. Otherwise they are clean, no dirt in the under sides or wheels. These were set up in a detached garage built specifically for model trains, they were not set up outside or exposed to the elements.

If you are still interested in seeing photos, I can take some of them in the condition they are currently in before I start the cleaning process. My e-mail is [email protected]

Thanks again for your help,

Nick


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I use JAK Rollers to test stuff on the bench. The locomotive stays in one place and you can fully test operating functions.


----------



## Big Ed

John, the site you linked says one set for O has 2 of the blocks for third rail pickup and the other has four blocks for third rail pickup.

What do you have?

I guess the set with two blocks for third rail pickup won't work with all the trains?

Edit, I see that four blocks would be needed for an articulated engine.
The four block sets have wheel cleaning pads too.:thumbsup:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have four blocks, two have pickups, two do not.


----------



## Big Ed

OK You have the $60 one, the one listed next is this,
Set of _0-Scale Generation II_ JAK Rollers:
All 4 Bearing Blocks have _3rd Rail Pickups_ and Wheel Cleaning Pads.
0005 $95.00 
(Best used with steam engines)


----------



## gunrunnerjohn

I have the $60 set, it's been sufficient for my testing.


----------



## Railroadinovations

Nick, I believe your steam engine is an Aristocraft 4-6-2, pacific. I have repaired a lot of these and from what you are saying I believe it is possible that the large drive wheels could be out of quarter. Simply not adjusted so both sides work without binding or fighting each other. The adjustments needed are kinda complicated to explain but not to hard to fix if there are no other issues. The diesel, I believe is an FA 1 and Aristocrafts drive had some minor issues with the earlier models but easily fixable. You do need to make sure new grease is applied to the gearboxes of all the models, which can be kinda hard to do if you have not done it before. I know they are fixable and by the sound of it will run great once completed. Just don't force anything until you are sure everything is free and able to run w/o hesitations. Parts are expensive and can be hard to get. We get parts donated from Aristocraft when we need them and our program has folks who repair and detail cars and locomotives for the kids to run. Yes, we are still interested in photos and depending on what your asking and what our program can afford we may be interested in the rest. Feel free to e mail me at [email protected] (with photos) or call 406-431-6121 between 7 pm and midnight daily. (mst) Look forward to hearing from you. Ken


----------



## Railroadinovations

Big Ed, Yes he could set up the track he has and try it that way but I thought it might be better to test it and see it visibly underneath where he could know what is going on in case parts were loose or broken so as not to put power to something w/o hearing or seeing if it was damaged. Also he can run continually and hear unusual noises.I don't know just my own thoughts. Whatever he thinks is best. Ken


----------



## Dan Pierce

Make sure you try all the wheels for power on these old engines. I find that the wires break in the trucks and need to be resoldered. These look good, they break inside the heatshrink tubing!!!


----------

