how does my lil critter work?

Garden Railroading
1

OK - I need a little help from the Garden Railways Forum - I acquired an Aristo-Craft Lil Critter awhile back and am wondering if it operates from track electricity or is it battery powered? I do not have track set up yet to test, otherwise…

It has an ON-OFF switch and since I came from the HO world I have never seen an ON-OFF switch on an engine.

Thanks for your help.

Loren (Calidus)

2

Hi Loren, If its battery powered you should see someware on the enginge or tender a jack plug socket just like one that you see on sterio units If not between the wheels there will be a set of what are called shoes thats how the loco picks up power from the track.[:)] Hope this helps

3

Unless it has been modified, it is set up for track power. If it has been modified for battery power, there would probably be an electrical socket on the back into which a battery car would be plugged.

The manual for it was found on the Aristo-Craft web site, but does not say anything about the ON/OFF switch other than showing where it is.

http://www.aristocraft.com/techinfo/manuals%20pdf/22500_lilcritter.pdf

My guess is that the ON/OFF switch is there so you can park the loco on a siding and run other trains.

Why don’t you just put it on a piece of track connected to a power pack and see what happens? Even an HO power pack (MRC or similar) will work with G scale. It could be tested even without track by turning it upside down and touching the power pack’s wires to the wheels.

4

Thanks for the kind reply.

Nope - no shoes for pickup, nor a plug…think it might be track powered.

Odd since it is an outdoor train and I want to use radio control so the track get no power.

Thanks again.

Loren

5

Yes thank you…I do think it is track powered since there is no plug, nor access to any battery.

I will do as you suggest and test it on a piece of track (will get me to start laying some track to run trains) and confirm that the engine is track powered. Then want to figure out how to change it to battery powered and radio control…

Thanks for the kind relpy!

Loren

6

Hi Loren,

I don’t have a 'L’ill Critter so can be very helpful here. But I do have Center Cab locos from Aristo-Craft, which you may well know, are a kind of double bonnet version of the Critter. These have two switches: one to extinguish the lights the other disconnects the track power which immobilizes the loco. I thinks this latter description applies to the switch on you Critter. As has been mentioned set it on the powered track and see what happens.

Of curiosity how do you intend to operate the loco? Which control system do you have?

7

The Aristo critter is a track powered unit and the switch is for turning it off.

Aristo products do not use shoes for power pickup, LGB and USA do this.