aristocrat live steam mikado wiring diagram

edsmitge said:
does anyone have a diagram of the wiring for aristocrats live steam loco.
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I didn't know Aristocraft (if that is what is meant) ever made a live steam model - could you give us all some more details on exactly what model you are referring to, so we can try to help?

Jon.
 
Zerogee said:
I didn't know Aristocraft (if that is what is meant) ever made a live steam model - could you give us all some more details on exactly what model you are referring to, so we can try to help?

Jon.
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They only made one to my knowledge - a 2-8-2 that came in an extremely fancy carry case :nod: :nod:

I didn't realise that electrickery was involved, but having just googled an image, I see that there are electrical connectors between loco and tender :wondering::wondering:
 
Came from the factory with an R/C system, a sound card and I believe a headlight.

I have the manual, but there is no circuit diagram. Many people dumped the electronics and replaced with more standard stuff.

Lots of tricks to make it run better, like removing the regulator.

Greg
 
Greg Elmassian said:
Came from the factory with an R/C system, a sound card and I believe a headlight.

I have the manual, but there is no circuit diagram. Many people dumped the electronics and replaced with more standard stuff.

Lots of tricks to make it run better, like removing the regulator.

Greg
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That takes a bit of doing - a sound card in a live steamer ;);)

I seem to remember that it wasn't overwhelmingly received :think::think:
 
Aristocraft also did a 0-4-0 live steamer which also came in a nice aluminium case.

I bought a used one of their mikado 2-8-2 live steamers and it was, unfortunately, riddled with problems so I sadly returned it to the seller.

If you get a good one they are great little engines.

I was going to replace the electronics with a 2.4ghz system
 
For future reference for any company considering making live steam locomotives:
Please do not give it wires, circuits, or batterys of any kind. ;)
Live steam operators dont want it and dont need it.

yeah, the circuitry in the Aristo live steam locomotives was universally unpopular.
and if it didn't work (which was often) you couldn't run the locomotive at all.
Live steam locomotives should only require water, fuel, fire and lubricating oil. that's the whole point. ;)

Scot
 
Scot Lawrence said:
For future reference for any company considering making live steam locomotives:
Please do not give it wires, circuits, or batterys of any kind. ;)
Live steam operators dont want it and dont need it.

yeah, the circuitry in the Aristo live steam locomotives was universally unpopular.
and if it didn't work (which was often) you couldn't run the locomotive at all.
Live steam locomotives should only require water, fuel, fire and lubricating oil. that's the whole point. ;)

Scot
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You might just have a point :rock::rock::rock:
 
Scot Lawrence said:
For future reference for any company considering making live steam locomotives:
Please do not give it wires, circuits, or batterys of any kind. ;)
Live steam operators dont want it and dont need it.

yeah, the circuitry in the Aristo live steam locomotives was universally unpopular.
and if it didn't work (which was often) you couldn't run the locomotive at all.
Live steam locomotives should only require water, fuel, fire and lubricating oil. that's the whole point. ;)

Scot
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Except for RC... some people do not have flat layouts (in fact some of us have pretty tortuous gradients..me for example) and the locos need to be 'driven' which is not so easy if the layout is at ground level and the track is not always in knee/arm's length.
 
Jerry Barnes seems to run his with great success....however, he HAS virtually rebuilt it a number of times. They also made as very awkward-looking 0-4-0 switcher that only Stevie Wonder could love. I never read about one working well enough for the owner to be pleased with it.

No doubt it all helped contribute to the eventual demise of a once-great model railroad manufacturer - I have ten of their diesels, one in a one-off paint scheme from Shawmut Car Shops...

251907
 
Many people have had success with the LS Mikado, and the 0-4-0 ran pretty well too.

Aristo's customers did indeed want something ready to run, and most of them were not steam experts, so paying a lot more for a custom R/C installation, or trying to do it themselves was out of the question.

Once you make the few mods that everyone seemed to make (remove regulator, and change popoff valve output routing) they pulled well and worked well.

Indeed the electronics were not really robust, and if they failed, you were best off removing completely and replacing with something else.

But the low cost and good pulling was a good entry level solution.

Greg
 
Scot Lawrence said:
For future reference for any company considering making live steam locomotives:
Please do not give it wires, circuits, or batterys of any kind. ;)
Live steam operators dont want it and dont need it.

yeah, the circuitry in the Aristo live steam locomotives was universally unpopular.
and if it didn't work (which was often) you couldn't run the locomotive at all.
Live steam locomotives should only require water, fuel, fire and lubricating oil. that's the whole point. ;)

Scot
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Sorry Scot have to disagree and agree. I have thought that a Sound Card in a Live Steam is a little bit over the top, a Chuff Pipe does work nicely if one can be fitted. The Live Steam Sounds just fine but small whistles can be a little weak sounding. Perhaps a card for just a proper whistle would be fine. But for Operation and I mean Shunting, Running Round and all around Control up and down Gradients then a SloMo coupled with Radio Control puts you in another world of satisfaction.
 
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