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 Posted - February 14 2015 : 8:31:35 PM
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I bought a later Blue box Athearn Hustler today with the Ernst Gears. Seems the gears are very tight. Did make a few minor adjustments. How well does it perform? I've heard about them being trouble and it seems as if the arms for the gears have a little play and loose.
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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Posted - February 14 2015 : 11:41:26 PM
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I've heard that the fit inside is a "pressure" fit, the shell holds the gears in place somehow. It's a technical improvement,but it's also a touchy physical adjustment, from what I heard. I "think" I bought one already with the Earnst gears in it, but I have no idea where it is, and never tried it after I got it. Good luck with your unit.
Jerry in VA
working on Fleischmann engines tonight...
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - August 07 2015 : 10:43:34 PM
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I have a Hustler with the Ernst gearing and it runs well although it sounds like a coffee grinder with all the gear noise. I also have a Hustler with a North West Short line SPUD power truck which is quieter but is a more sensitive to dead spots and insulated frogs. Either of these upgrades is an improvement over the original Hustler mechanism.
Proudly keeping Tyco Pluggers out of landfills since 2016
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Posted - August 07 2015 : 11:57:51 PM
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I like mine...takes a bit of fiddling, but not much, and it works well in DCC.
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Posted - August 09 2015 : 11:54:33 PM
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| Mine works great and has been solid reliable for several years. After you get it set up and running you will be rewarded with a useful little switcher that has some pretty terrific pulling power for its size.
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Posted - August 27 2015 : 11:22:05 PM
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The only real problem with the Ernst kit is that it only fits the ones with Jet and gold motors. My Hustler is an old one with the silver motor, so I had to come up with my own system. It's now powered with NWSL Flea and transfer gearboxes and a coreless motor and runs great.
By the way, there is now a Bull Ant truck made specifically for the Hustler, and I think it fits all versions!
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
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Posted - August 28 2015 : 07:54:53 AM
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darth thanks for the mention of the bull ant hustler,noticed they also do a few others,will be trying at least one
http://www.hollywoodfoundry.com/Hustler.htm
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Posted - August 28 2015 : 11:15:05 AM
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quote:darth thanks for the mention of the bull ant hustler,noticed they also do a few others,will be trying at least one
http://www.hollywoodfoundry.com/Hustler.htm
Originally posted by catfordken - August 28 2015 : 07:54:53 AM
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That's an interesting site. Looks like great products. A bit pricey but I suppose you get what you pay for.
http://tycodepot.com/
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Posted - August 28 2015 : 2:46:28 PM
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I may get one and try it out.
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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Posted - August 29 2015 : 11:30:08 PM
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I just watched the video. The gear noise on that HF drive is awful! I thought the Hustler I repowered with an Ernst kit was bad due to vibration from the stock gold motor, but it's quiet compared to that. They should have used a belt.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - August 30 2015 : 04:05:35 AM
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They supply a piece of nylon or something to quiet it. Shell makes the sound echo.
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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Posted - September 01 2015 : 08:16:16 AM
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Sweet conversion. I'm going to look into it for a future acquisition. Thanks for posting the link.
Jerry
" When life throws you bananas...it's easy to slip up"
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Posted - September 07 2015 : 11:05:00 AM
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quote:I just watched the video. The gear noise on that HF drive is awful! I thought the Hustler I repowered with an Ernst kit was bad due to vibration from the stock gold motor, but it's quiet compared to that. They should have used a belt.
Originally posted by NickelPlate759Â -Â August 29 2015Â :Â 11:30:08 PM
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HF also offers belt drives on the standard drive units. I don't see the option on the Hustler drive page, but I'm sure it can be requested.
The gear noise in the video is also amplified by the plastic roadbed tacked down to the wood sheet. Back when I was using some Bachmann E-Z track as a temporary setup on the surface of my layout (foam board glued to OSB), everything was easily more than twice as loud as it is now with cork roadbed! That hollow plastic roadbed may be convenient, but it is terrible for noise.
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
Edited by - Darth Santa Fe on September 07 2015 11:08:10 AM
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Posted - September 07 2015 : 12:11:50 PM
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No kidding Darth! And to think people use that stuff to build a whole layout!
" Heck with counting 'em rivets, TRAINS ARE FOR FUN! Not called the Mad Scientist for nothing either!"
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Posted - September 20 2015 : 02:39:22 AM
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quote:
HF also offers belt drives on the standard drive units. I don't see the option on the Hustler drive page, but I'm sure it can be requested.
Originally posted by Darth Santa Fe - September 07 2015 : 11:05:00 AM
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That's good to know. It's a beautifully built drive, but a Hobbytown-style gear tower inside a small plastic shell on a rigid metal frame is going to be amplified. They've clearly tried to keep it to a minimum with a plastic idler and helical teeth.
The EZ Track test loop I have definitely makes my noisy units sound worse, but they are still noisy on a softer medium. Maybe this would quiet down with run time or gear lapping.
I'd definitely inquire about the belt option were I considering one.
The Tyco Depot
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Posted - September 21 2015 : 3:22:27 PM
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quote:I like mine...takes a bit of fiddling, but not much, and it works well in DCC.
Originally posted by shaygetz - August 07 2015 : 11:57:51 PM
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I really like this one.
Can you tell us a little bit about this conversion please. It looks fairly straightforward, but it would be good to know what kind of wheels/gears plus motor/worm unit it is from.
Thanks and regards, Vic B.
Vic Bitleris
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Posted - September 22 2015 : 12:53:28 AM
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I believe that one's the Accurate Lighting/Helix Humper conversion?
Darth Santa Fe, doing weird and challenging projects for the fun of it!
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Posted - October 01 2015 : 6:40:52 PM
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quote:darth thanks for the mention of the bull ant hustler,noticed they also do a few others,will be trying at least one
http://www.hollywoodfoundry.com/Hustler.htm
Originally posted by catfordken - August 28 2015 : 07:54:53 AM
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That is FASCINATING!!! $62.41 American. It's a lot to put into a Hustler, but I may do it, for the smoothness, extra power, and just the "fascination factor"!! 
Digging farther into his website, he's got most of the Mashima motor line, with ALL measurements (unlike other sellers!!!), for repowering projects.
Carmine - CEO, Engineer, and Chief Bottle Washer
Pacific Belt RR, in HO Scale, Since 1975! 
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