Dear Members.
I have just ordered a Railking gauge 1 Challenger and I expect it in the coming weeks. I would like to have an insight of any problems that might arise. I run a lot of aristo and have done so for many years problem free. How does MTH rate against Aristo,I have not seen any MTH products on any of my trips with our G-Scale club and I cant find a dealer that sells the g-scale range. There seems to be a lack of MTH owners in Australia, maybe I should have kept waiting for the arrival of the new Aristo Mallet.
I hope you guys can give me some information to make me feel better about my new choice in g-scale brands.
Best Regards 3609
3609 Dear Members. I have just ordered a Railking gauge 1 Challenger and I expect it in the coming weeks. I would like to have an insight of any problems that might arise. I run a lot of aristo and have done so for many years problem free. How does MTH rate against Aristo,I have not seen any MTH products on any of my trips with our G-Scale club and I cant find a dealer that sells the g-scale range. There seems to be a lack of MTH owners in Australia, maybe I should have kept waiting for the arrival of the new Aristo Mallet. I hope you guys can give me some information to make me feel better about my new choice in g-scale brands. Best Regards 3609
I have one of the MTH Challengers and the sound is very good. For my money, I prefer the MTH products but the Challenger is a 1/32 scale. The Challenger is a very nice looking model and the chuffs and smoke is unmatched since it is synced and will double chuff with the smoke doing the same.
Just my thoughts.
I have an MTH GS4 in Daylight colors. It's a beautiful engine. The sound is superb, and it sounds as good as it looks. The smoke puffs with the chuffs, and looks like real smoke.
I ran it for several months in straight DC. Then I got a TIU so I could use the DCS system. I guess I don't know how to use it well. It worked very well on a test bench. Now I've been trying to use it on my railroad and the DCS seems very twitchy. Sometimes nothing happens, sometimes the engine just takes off at full speed. Often the handheld throttle doesn't see the engine sitting on the tracks.
MTH has been slow (meaning they haven't responded) to my questions about how to use DCS.
I have all of M.T.H.s steam engines.
ONE major problem, running through Aristo Craft 10 dia switches, especially if it is a cross over. The rail wipers will short out. It also happens with Aristo's SD-45s. When the engine wheels change direction.
AS far as the engines running a loop. They run great. They sound fabulous. I use a standard step-down transformer. I run on 18V AC.
I have not attempted to find out how many cars it will pull. The weight of the engine will surprise you. It weights a ton. I am sure it will and pull and pull.
I have also had problem with several of M.T.H.s engines out of the box. I had to return them to M.T.H.
The 2 GG-1s I have. I had to re-return to M.T.H. 1 immediately and the other a week or to after running it.
Now they have been running for a while great.
If you search the MLS forum, you will find a number of threads on how to get an outdoor MTH layout on DCS working well. It takes a filtered power supply, terminators (either light bulbs or resistor/capacitor filters), good wiring, and some work.
Raymond Manley is probably the best expert "on the web", read his site...
http://www.rayman4449.dynip.com/
Regards, Greg
Visit my site: http://www.elmassian.com - lots of tips on locos, rolling stock and more.
Click here for Greg's web site
Hi Greg. What did the MTH pro 2 board cost?
I assume from your blog that you installed a MTH pro 2 unit in a U.S.A. "D.C." motor engine.
Are you using A.C. or D.C. track power to the U.S.A. engines?
Nope, no MTH installs here, I'm a DCC guy.
Raymond Manley is the guy, go to his web site and you should be able to email him. He does installs too.
p.s. I have no blog that I am aware of, my web site has 350 pages, but no blogs or chats.
MTH sells "Upgrade Kits". --- O Gauge Diesel kit, G Gauge Diesel Kit, O Gauge Steam Kit, and G Gauge Steam Kit. The "G" kit can handel higher amps.List price, $189, Price to MTH Club Members $149
Kit includes all boards, wiring, bulbs, and battery. It has a 42 page, step by step, instalation manual. When finished you download the sound files from the MTH Web Site (free).
I've done 5, below is an Aristo-Craft RS3 converted to Proto2.
Don U. TCA 73-5735
My understanding is that the Protosound II requires a flywheel with a tachometer strip on it so the system reads the motor rpm.
How was that accomplished in the RS-3?
Thanks, Greg
Yes, the MTH system is a "closed loop" system. It converts motor RPM into a digital signal controlling speed to within 1 Scale Miles per Hour. They do this by putting a tape with Black & White bars on the flywheel that can be read as "0"s and "1"s by a sensor.
The stub shaft on the RS3 power block is long enough to mount a NWSL brass flywheel.
On the SD45, I removed one of the 4 motors, replaced it with a dummy shaft with a flywheel on it.
Nice! forgot there was enough room at that end! I assume the sensor is mounted just out of sight in the picture on the far side of the flywheel.
Yeah, on the "prime mover" type locos with 2 motors per truck, that's the common trick. Have you ever seen the conversion on the GP40? That's the only 2 axle per truck Aristo with the "prime mover".
Thanks for the picture,
Greg
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