Aristocraft Train Engineer . . . or is it?

[SevenOfDiamonds]

I can't now remember which other settings and filters were in use, but a search for "Aristocraft Train Engineer" on ebay this morning produced this single "match" . . .



. . . which I thought might be of interest to some of you.

The description made it sound like a plausible product . . .



. . . but the next sentence made me check that it wasn't 1st April . . .



They have sold 11, though, and still have 6 available!

On a more serious topic, are any of you still using the Aristocraft/Crest Train Engineer control system, and in need iof replacement parts?

Cheers

David

 

[PhilP]

Well I seem to be the custodian of the UK Train Engineer grave site?

I have many of the Trackside units, less (working) controllers for these, several of the later handsets and receivers..

Occasionally, I pull a couple out, and try to repair them.. A bit hit and miss. - I don't have any schematics, and there are at least two generations of the handset, plus the older lower frequency versions.

PhilP.

 

[maxi-model]

I still have my venerable 5470 10 amp TE trackside controller and TX combo, with added cooling fan ! The TX is the later model with Up/Down/Stop + key pad and their 10 mildly confusing channel/frequency selectors. It is powered by a big 20 amp 55465 Crest unit. As I have gone dead rail it is now all reduced to workbench duties and as a "clip on" to the indoor sidings for test work. Bought new from Garden Railway Specialists 22 years ago it was aways a bit of an overkill (They saw me coming ).

However, I love it to bits and it was even once linked to 3 of their momentary turnout controllers. Even that latter duty was eventually replaced with my SVRR air powered switch and signal system. It's got a few dead LED's on the handset but the one on the controller always let's me know it's communicating to whatever it is set to. I bought a near new unused one as back up but sold that on when I committed to dead rail. I might like a spare handset though, just in case. I understand the trackside power unit is the only receiving bit in their range that will "search" to find a handset's, possibly wandering, frequency setting. To paraphrase the words of Charlton Heston, "You will have to prise it from my cold dead hands" if you want it. But you probably wouldn't anyway.

On the scent of scents I found these candles advertised a few years back, made by the Yorkshire Scent Co. Does what it says on the glass jar. I would like to have been in the room when somebody suggested this product line. Did not see "diesel clag" or even "eau de 25kv ozone" as options. Max

 

[chris m01]

I still think the Aristo Train Engineer was a good piece of reasonably priced kit. They worked well for track power and also provided easy point control. I still have a couple of hand helds that were working a few years ago. I now use the RC Trains TX22 to control track power as well as my BPRC locos. I use an RX102 receiver bound to the TX22 which is coupled to a Viper loco 10HV to provide power to the track. This has worked well for some years now. For point control I use a couple of Hornby HM6010 units. The units are controlled from my phone and their output is used to control relays which send the correct power to the point motors. This works quite reliably so long as I keep within 30 feet of the receiver. Its a shame my storage sidings are about 35 feet from the receiver.