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Post by ugeesta on Feb 21, 2016 15:40:37 GMT -5
After years of staring at the AZL products on websites, I've finally comitted and picked up a couple engines and rolling stock. I picked up a GP38-2 and a SD70 from one of the on line dealers and am now questioning why I waited so long. All of my Z experience is with Marklin products but I see these AZL's becoming an addiction.
Being new to the line, I have a couple questions:
What is the maintenance schedule for the engines? I.e, how often should they be oiled? Any brushes the need replacing?
What at is the bast way to loosen up the rolling stock trucks? Some of the trucks are stiff.
How many cars can be added to the train and not lose connection? I'm running a 1.5-2.0% slopes on my grades and several of the coal porters are disconnecting on a 12 car train. If found pushing the coupler to the side helps.
i don't plan on running DCC. How compatable are the dual trains on the same circuit? The Marklins are best wired together to run together.
how often do the traction tires need to be replaced. Can the traction tires be used on the Marklin diesels?
thanks.
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Post by ztrack on Feb 21, 2016 20:39:51 GMT -5
Welcome to AZL! Yes AZL is very different than Marklin!
AZL locos require very little maintenance. There are no brushed to replace. The gearing is pretty much self-lubricating. I only add a VERY small amount of oil if the locos start to run a little noisy. But this is only after many hours of heavy use. Most of AZL locos have never had oil added. Too much oil can gum up the gears. Less is definitely better.
Just run the cars. The more you run them, the better they will perform. Cars and locos do need a break-in period. I found they will run smoother over time.
The number of cars really depends on the locos and track work. Grades will diminish performance. Typically 20 - 30 cars behind a single loco is quite common. My personal preference is to double head locos. This drastically increases the pulling power while also smoothing out the locos as they work together.
Check the couplers on your coal porters. The couplers on the cars that are disconnecting may be slightly opened too much. Pinch these together to close the gap. See if this solves the issue. If not, contact me offline. We may beed to replace the truck/coupler.
You don't need to wire locos together to operate them in tandem. But you will want to run like locos if you are not operating DCC. I run SD70s together and GP38s together, but I don't mix and match.
Life of traction tires really depends on wear. AZL wheels have grooves that the traction tires fit in. If you add them to Marklin, you may get a wobble.
I hope this helps.
Rob Kluz
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Post by Rob Albritton on Feb 21, 2016 20:47:40 GMT -5
Hey there, Welcome to the world of AZL! Glad to have you aboard. Marklin uses metal gears in their locomotives. Great 1980s technology. They need to be oiled. We use a type of POM (polyoxymethylene) for our gears. POM is also known as acetal, polyacetal and polyformaldehyde which are forms of an engineering thermoplastic used in precision parts that require high stiffness, low friction and excellent dimensional stability. Examples of parts that are frequently machined from the acetal plastics, incuding Delrin, are wear strips, rollers, and bushings and other applications requiring a combination of strength, low moisture absorbtion, dimensional stability and chemical resistance. Because POM has very low friction, we do not advise oiling your locomotive. If you run it very frequently, like at train shows for hours and hours at a time, then one drop per truck in the hole that exposes the gears is all you need. I wouldn't do this more than every 6 to 12 months. Our motors are sealed units. There are no brushes to replace. Interesting that you say some of the rolling stock trucks are stuff. Do you mean that they do not roll well (wheels) or they do not rotate (kingpin)  If the Kingpin is too stiff, that is a friction insert piece. You can VERY gently pry it out a bit until it rotates well. If the wheels do not roll well, make sure they are seated in the truck properly. If that doesn't do the trick, then write us for replacements. None of your coal porters should disconnect on a 12 car train. We regularly run 80 cars at train shows with no problems. Contact us as you may need some replacement trucks. Not sure what you mean by "dual trains on the same circuit" do you mean two locomotives on the same DC power pack? that should be no problem for AZL units. Our locomotives efficient modern motors draw less than 20% of the power of a normal marklin locomotive. The traction tires should last you many years. Oil is their enemy, as is the case for all rubber and nylon compounds. If they get oily they can slip and become useless. (Another reason to resist oiling your locomotive.) I've actually never replaced a traction tire, including on the locomotive that set the record in our office when it ran for something like 45 days without stopping. The AZL traction tire wheel has a groove cut in it to hold the tire in place. Marklin locomotives do not have that groove, so they cannot accept a traction tire without modifying the wheel - not easily done. But there is one exception: the Marklin E8 units can accept our traction tires, for one simple reason: AZL made those locomotives for Marklin! Enjoy! -Rob(A) AZL |
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Post by ugeesta on Feb 22, 2016 21:29:32 GMT -5
Thanks for the info, I appreciate it.
Yes, I was referring to running the engines in tandem. That word escaped me last night.
The GP38-2 is running much noisier than the SD70. Is that normal?
With the trucks on the coal porters. Some are a little stiff rotating left to right. The wheels are fine. I've taken a small screwdriver and rotated the kingpin and lifted the truck some and that seems to help so far.
Thanks again.
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Post by zdave on Feb 23, 2016 9:18:11 GMT -5
Thanks for that info, Rob and Rob. Have you folks considered including this with the engine, on a piece of paper in the plastic container the engine comes in? Even if it was just a slip of paper that said something to the effect of "see the AZL website for any FAQ questions (maintenance, etc.)." I don't notice this interesting info after a quick check of the AZL website, at least under Tech Tips. Of course, the nice thing by having any similar info on the website is it can be updated by AZL, as required. Otherwise, you have to do a search of the forum.
Thanks and keep the great products coming!
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If the Kingpin is too stiff, that is a friction insert piece. You can VERY gently pry it out a bit until it rotates well. If the wheels do not roll well, make sure they are seated in the truck properly. If that doesn't do the trick, then write us for replacements.
