Arnold U25C

[Freight Train]

I'm interested in purchasing a Arnold U25C but have questions before doing so. Been reading post here and the review at Mark's Spookshow site that has raised some questions about it? For one is the wheel wipers ? Are they really that filmsy and has Hornsby addressed the problem ? Reading Mark's review over at his Spookshow site states the model details on 9 3/4 radius curves. This could be problematic for me since I'm building a small n scale layout that has these curves. I read post stating the wheels gauge fluctuates in the U25C's. Will regauging the wheels allow the loco to run on 9 3/4 curves or is that the nature of this beast ?I

[MichaelWinicki]

I have several of these locomotives...

And yeah, Mark's review is pretty much spot on.

Why they did the wipers that way is beyond me... They are far more problematic than the cup & axle-end system used on Kato, Atlas & others. 

And yes the wheels may need to be regauged– I had to regauge all of mine.  I do not have any curves as tight as 9 3/4" radius so I can not comment on that aspect.

I have two other issues with the model...

The first being the need to take off the couplers in order to remove the shell.  And most of the time the coupler boxes would fall apart in the act of removing them.

The second being the handrails–They'll fall off with the least bit of provocation.

Even with all those negatives I like the models.  They run well, they're well detailed, they're heavy and once you get the shell removed installing a decoder board is a snap.

I'm in the marketing business and source products.  I question some of the decisions made when it came to creating these models– The results could have been far better than what they ended up with, but again I like the models.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Keep an eye out on eBay. You can get  3 for under  100 dollars. At that price or might be smart to keep a few spares around

[nkalanaga]

My only real complaint is the complicated wiper system.  The wheel wipers contact a vertical wiper, which contacts a horizontal strip attached to the circuit board, which then transfers the power to the circuit board.  I solved my contact problems by soldering a fine insulated wire (stranded 12V light bulb wire) from the wheel wiper to the circuit board, bypassing all of the wiper contact points.  After that, and regauging, they ran as well as my Kato and Atlas locos.

Most N scale diesels need to be regauged, as the manufacturers can't seem to get them right.  Or maybe the tight gauge is to help on tight curves?

[delamaize]

I have 2 of them, Mark's Review is dead accurate. I really like mine overall.

Although today at the Washington History Museum train show, Mine had some kind of problem with a section of track work, and I ended up melting down a truck. Something happened with the middle axle on the front truck, of the lead unit. I'm 90% sure this was something with the trackwork at that spot, as it was stalled there for a bit, and another member had the wheels and trucks of a Kato combine melt down in the same spot.....
The remaining unit had no issues pulling 50 mixed freight for the rest of my session....

Now to find parts.

[jjb62556]

Have three with the Zimo decoder, all work great!

[nkalanaga]

Mike:  It sounds like there was a short through the wheel, such as between a switch point and the stock rail, and the breakers didn't work.  This can happen with DC, and was common in the "old days", when trains were often powered by a auto battery.  It has become common again with DCC, if the system is properly protected.  Sounds like the breakers didn't trip fast enough.

[C855B]

Mike:  It sounds like there was a short through the wheel, such as between a switch point and the stock rail, and the breakers didn't work.  This can happen with DC, and was common in the "old days", when trains were often powered by a auto battery.  It has become common again with DCC, if the system is properly protected.  Sounds like the breakers didn't trip fast enough.

Agreed. If DCC protection is set to 5A or so, that's enough to heat-up a shorted axle but not enough to trip protection. I've learned this the hard way.

[peteski]

I have several of these locomotives...

Why they did the wipers that way is beyond me... They are far more problematic than the cup & axle-end system used on Kato, Atlas & others. 

Because Arnold is an European manufacturer and they still use the back-of-the-wheel wipers in most European models. These engines were likely designed by the same people who do the European models so they unfortunately used the same old-fashion electric pickup design on these U25Cs. Same as on their SW1s.