General Discussion (Garden Railways)

I just purchased some USA trains locomotives, was thinking about purchasing 3 Aristo Craft SD-45's.  I see one gentlemen had alot of trouble with the Aristo Craft GP-40, I was wondering if buyers had the same trouble with the SD-45.  Any information is appreciated.

Harold

My two SD-45s perform perfectly whether in snow or sun.

JimC.

 I have five of them, and they ALL are fantastic. Very powerful, and very dependable.  If you don't want to buy the three, let me know where they are.  I don't think there is a better engine.

Paul

Thanks for the information guys, appreciate it.

Harold

 Most of the reports I have read, on a few of the Fora, have always been complimentary about the SD-45 loco.  I wished, on more than one occasion, that I could have one here but it is a little too large for my small railroad.

There will always be the rogue model, as with anything that is man-made. But if you buy new then you should have no issue as Aristo have a good warranty for their new products.

Regarding rogue items: a friend of mine in Wisconsin recently bought a new truck in the cash for clunkers scheme   So far, in about three months, he has had to have a new drive shaft and shock absorbers.. He doesn't use the truck for off-road purposes; just drives about 30 miles along ordinary roads and an Interstate to get to and from work each work day.

The GP-40 has different motors.

The SD-45 is a proven performer. I would have no reservations recommending it.

Regards, Greg

 I had shorting problems with my Aristo actually all engines with rail wipers and Aristo switches. The SD-45s with their longer trucks are more prone to shorts when crossing over the frog. Some mentioned that Aristo corrected the problem. My queries to Aristo got no responses.

Which switches? The Aristo 4' diameter, the 10' diameter "wide radius" or the #6?

Shorting problems should not happen with any Aristo loco on any switch, since they do not have sliders.

There is another possiblity, but I will wait for your answer, because it depends on the switch used.

Regards, Greg

I love my Aristo SD45's (4) and Dash-9's (5). They are great runners and strong pullers. I definitely would recommend them to anyone.

Here is one I rebuilt into an SD45-2; Santa Fe 5700.