improving an aristo 0-4-0

[PB+J]

The aristocraft 0-4-0 is a pretty reasonably proportioned model of a Pennsylvania RR A5s switcher. But it's underdetailed and a weak puller. I decided to try to make it less toy like and more workmanlike.

I scraped off a lot of the old detail, repainted it, added some valve gear parts, a new air pump, some piping, a reverser, steam turret, and a smaller more accurate bell. I used Jerry Barnes' trick of pressing rivets into metal foil to add some rivet detail, and cut out one of the cab doors so it would open. The marker lights are homemade and look it. I also added trucks from an aristo center cab switcher to the tender, with two DCC decoders, one of the loco and one for the tender. The tender looks a little silly, but it really pulls reliably now.

The paint is Scalecoat Brunswick Green with NeoLube on the smokebox

 

[MR SPOCK]

excellent idea using the trucks in the tender, mine just about makes the grades with five boxcars on it never thought about using the tender, I did put the battery in it for the radio controls so it is even more disadvantaged, the extra details I am also working on,​

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[j garry]

Where did you get the bell and steam dome from.?? Jack

 

[PB+J]

The steam done is just the original. I made a steam turrett out of an old track clamp and some wire. The bell was ordered from USA trains

 

[j garry]

PB&J which loco from USA is the bell from. Thanks Jack

 

[PB+J]

the Hudson

 

[beavercreek]

A very nice little bash Mike

The centre cab blocks are certainly very useful, I use them to motorise rolling stock to 'help' my steamers get up my grades whilst pulling a half decent number of cars. I am about to see if the block's speed near enough matches to that of an Aristo Mikado's power block wit no load, as I would like to mount a couple in that loco's tender to give it a bit more dragging power.

 

[Don Gilham]

That's very nice indeed Mike ! I don't think the tender looks that bad at all

 

[PB+J]

Thank you all very much.

The center cab trucks are very useful indeed. But I think they make the tender sit too high. Also I wonder if anyone has managed to get "stealth" archbar trucks installed on the center cab switcher?

Aristo's PCC car trucks would be an excellent basis for stealth power, I would think, although they haven't gotten the best reviews. They're very small/low

 

[Greg Elmassian]

The PCC trucks have a very small toy motor, no long term experience with pulling power, they are also geared way slower than anything you have ever seen. Really not an option.

Greg