Just a quick pic of my new LGB 4107 caboose with its coat of paint. I’ve never been a fan of LGB, but these Lehmann toys and the feldbahns have got me hooked.

The ‘goods van’, as they describe it, has an end door the same size as this guy, who is a 1:19th driver (Bachmann UK.) As long as he ducks under the wroght iron, he’ll work fine. (In fact, the young lady next to him is the ‘conductor’. He’s too important to work the caboose.)

I found these wheels in my box - they seem to be LGB or Bachmann plastic with metal rims. Certainly better than the original plastic ones. The van came with the usual swiveling axle mounts, so I glued a pair of 1/4"x1/4"x1/4" stops on the swivel bit so it bumps on the frame of the wagon. I also held the top surface of the axle frame to the belt sander and cleaned off the sides so it can tilt from side to side a little.

I can’t find any metal wheels with spokes like the original LGB ones. Yes, LGB makes them, but $25/axle? Really? Anyone know of a source?

Pete, I get mine from TrainLi. Yes the LGB ones are expensive. But I figured that I was only doing a few cars, so I ponyed up the bucks.

David Maynard said:

Pete, I get mine from TrainLi. Yes the LGB ones are expensive. But I figured that I was only doing a few cars, so I ponyed up the bucks.

Well, I have 9 gondolas on my FL industrial consist, plus 10 cars herte in MD (11 with the van!) I came in to a little money in the UK, so I’ve been digging around. Slaters make some nice 7/8 wheels for $12/axle. But someone on a UK site put me on to these - Liliput spoked 31.4mm wheels. They are less than $25 for 4 axles from a UK store. I’m ordering a set to see how they work out. (Made by Bachmann - see my post in the General Forum.)

Cool. It would be nice to have an alternative. But I think I have outfitted all of my LGB cars with spoked wheels that needs them. And I suspect that I have a spare set or two, somewhere in the messy pile of stuff that I call my storage area.

The double spoked (v spoke) wheel set (one pair) is 19.95 from Trainli. These are the Stainless Trainli metal rimed axle set.

The LGB set is a little higher, but not $25 per axle!!!

Dan Pierce said:

The double spoked (v spoke) wheel set (one pair) is 19.95 from Trainli. These are the Stainless Trainli metal rimed axle set.

The LGB set is a little higher, but not $25 per axle!!!

Sorry. It does take research to figure out what you are getting for your $24.99. I also found that Slaters curly spoke 45mm wheels are $13 a pair. Might try them - curly spokes would be fun.

Pete make sure the Slaters curly spoke wheels are available in 45mm and not just 32mm.

Mick

Mick Benton said:

Pete make sure the Slaters curly spoke wheels are available in 45mm and not just 32mm.

Mick

The Slaters 7/8ths scale page specifically says they are 45mm gauge. No idea what the axle ends are - hopefully 3mm to match LGB cars.

Well, I ordered some wheels from Slaters, but they haven’t even confirmed yet.

But the Liliput wheels turned up from the UK, so here’s a few pics.

This is the LGB 4107 van and the barrel car, both with the new wheels. On the left is an LGB spoked wheel with a Bachmann solid wheel next to it.

20170624_153154-wheels-barrel-van800×405 114 KB

The LGB wheels have a finer rim, but I’m not sure that makes them look better than these replacements. Here’s a pair of the wheels out of the barrel car next to the new ones.

Looks like the Lilliput wheels are more robust the the LGB wheels. The LGB wheels have plastic spokes with a metal rim.

Do you know if anyone in the states carries the Lilliput wheels?

David Maynard said:

Looks like the Lilliput wheels are more robust the the LGB wheels. The LGB wheels have plastic spokes with a metal rim.

Certainly. And if part of the rationale is adding weight, then these wheels are better than plastic with a metal rim.

Do you know if anyone in the states carries the Lilliput wheels?

No, not at present. But Kernow shipped them 1st class, pre VAT and it only took a week. “The cost of sending 1 pack is £19.16 (excl VAT) for the wheels and £9.00 postage.” That postage can cover 1 to 5 packs of wheels. At $1.28 per £ it’s a reasonable price.

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http://www.kernowmodelrailcentre.com/p/37108/L999304-Liliput-Metal-Wheel-Set-with-spoked-wheels