I am wanting to convert my rolling stock with plastic wheels to metal ones and am curious what you guys recommend. When San Val was around they had a metal wheel that got good reviews and I see they are still available.
Thoughts?
Go for it !
Recommend shiny version so ya can weather them (BadgerModelFlex Rust+) and still have nice shiny flanges.
Price has gone up since last batch I acquired from AnaK’ via ebay … just keep lookin’, and bid correctly 
Have also acquired to use for upgrade to metal on basic (no roller bearing config’) rolling stock, with a couple large orders of USAT’ wheels (via westbend in '99 and '00) and about 8 sets of B’mann (vendor at a eclsts) over the yrs.
Like any consumer product, shopped 'round for best pricepoint, availability, and acquisition.
doug c
Have you looked at The Train Department’s wheels? See: http://www.thetraindepartment.com/wheels-truescale/
I am cheap, so I use the Bachmann metal wheels almost exclusively now. I can usually snag them at shows for around $10 a car (4 axles).
With any metal wheels, I would recommend checking the wheel’s gauge. The Bachmann and USA wheels (yes I sometimes use USA wheels) are better at being in gauge right out of the package, but I still find a set, from time to time, that is over gauge.
If your rolling stock is left out in the weather like mine is, you do not want steel wheels. They will rust to an unusable state. I learned this the hard way. You also have to be aware of flange height. True scale wheels tend to derail over 30º switches because the flanges are not high enough to run through the frog well. I standardized on Bachmann large wheels (31 mm) for most of my rolling stock and have no problems. They are metal but not a Ferrous metal. YMMV (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
I have one AML boxcar, and it came with metal wheels. Even though I do not leave it out in the weather, its ferrous metal wheels are starting to rust a bit. Right now it just add character to the rust coloured paint I painted the wheels with, but eventually, I may have to replace those wheels for operational reliability.
Bob,
The SanVal wheels are branded as Roll-EZ and they are still being made. There are two ways to get them: The roll-EZ website and eBay under the name Ana Kramer.
Their standard wheels are quite similar to USA Trains but they also have dual ball bearing wheelsets which are nice too. The LGB and Piko ball bearings have less resistance but the Roll-Ezs are a nice value regardless.
I use Bachmann metal wheels for my rolling stock. As has been pointed out in Joe Zullo’s post, they can be left outdoors with no ill affects. Some of my stock has LGB ball bearing wheels. By far the finest wheels on the market, in my opinion. But, don’t leave rolling stock outfitted with these wheels out in the weather. And, contrary to what some say, they can be lubricated very infrequently with a quick shot of WD40.
Bob,
What kind of cars are you running? 1/20, 1/29,/1/32?
I looked at Gary Raymond, LGB, USA Trains, San Val, and Sierra Valley wheels. I already have Gary’s wheels on my LGB passenger cars from the 90’s and love 'em.
After subsequently accumulating quite a few LGB and USAT reefers, I had to make a decision on metal wheels for them. After reading this forum and exchanging a few PM’s (thanks Kevin and David) I settled on the Bachmann 92421 Large 31.0mm diameter (1:22.5) metal wheels. Bachmann also offers 32.5mm Finescale wheel sets (nice) and smaller 24.5 mm diameter wheelsets. I went with the Bachmann 92421 wheels because of the cost and because they have thick flanges and a blackened realistic look to them. I get them in bulk quantities at $11.00 ea. for a package of 4. You can’t beat that price with a stick. They look very nice on my cars.
There is a little caveat I’d like to share about the Bachmann wheels when I have more time.
After reading about and exchanging a few PM’s with a couple of members here who have installed Bachmann 92421 Large Scale wheels on their train cars, I learned that there was a history with these particular wheels a few years ago that related to “wobbling”. Supposedly, Bachmann fixed the problem and is now shipping Quality product.
Over three month’s time this year, I bought 5 boxes (6 wheel sets ea.) of Bachmann 92421 metal wheels from a dealer in Maryland. After turning the cars (USAT and LGB reefers) upside down, I installed the wheels on the trucks and spun them with my finger. I found a few “wobblers”, meaning the wheels were not true and didn’t rotate properly. I “cherry picked” the wobblers from the batch and set aside a total of 6 wheel sets (1 box) of wheels that don’t rotate the way they should. There’s a varying degree of wobbling; some wobble worse than others.
One dealer confirmed to me that there were issues with these wheels years ago, but told me it has subsequently been resolved. The dealer I bought these wheels from denied there was ever a problem. According to both dealers, there have been no returns of Bachmann wheel sets recently.
I returned my rejected wheel sets to Bachmann in Philadelphia for replacement. They verified my findings on most of the wheels I sent them, but did not acknowledge a problem with a few of them. I asked the customer service rep if Bachmann has a gauge or even calipers that they use for measuring between the flanges, but she didn’t respond to my questions. Instead, they just replaced all of the wheels without further ado (subscribing to the “customer is always right” philosophy). I couldn’t get them to confirm there is/was a manufacturing problem, even with the feedback and physical evidence that I provided.
Since there doesn’t seem to be any traceability with manufacturing date codes, batch numbers, or serial numbers, I cannot verify if the wheel sets I bought are from older lots or recent ones.
I just wanted to give you my experience with these wheels. They are inexpensive compared to the others. I remember reading a post here from a member who said that after buying these wheels in bulk, it’s worth the price even if you have to “cherry pick” the good ones out of the batch. Ideally, one would expect 100% of these wheels to rotate smoothly without any wobble whatsoever. Another member said these particular wheels “rolled down the track with a roar”, assuming the metal composite of these wheels against the rails has something to do with the noise(?) I’m reminded of the old adage, “You pay for what you get”. On the other hand, I really like the way these wheels look on my cars and they roll just fine, which is what they’re designed to do. I just bought another box from the same source yesterday, and hope to see a higher yield of good wheels this time. Hope……
I like the face profile of the Bachmann wheels. The face is dished in just like the real thing, while other wheels have odd steps in the face or other non prototypical contours.
As for the wobble, yes, I have had a few recently. In the past it was quite a few. I have fixed all of them so they roll true. I have a rod, a large nail with the point ground off, that I use to drive the plastic insert out of the wheel. Usually I can just press it back in straight and have a true running wheel. Sometimes I have to trim the insert a bit and then press it back into the wheel. Its usually just one wheel on the axle that isn’t running true, so you can swap wheels on the axles to get a good set out of 2 bad sets and then deal with the bad sets later.
But no matter who’s wheels you do buy, check the wheel gauge.
I have many pieces of rolling stock and most have the Bachmann wheels due to their lower cost.
I have bought cars used that came with a better quality metal wheel and there is a big difference between those and the Bachmann ones so they get swapped to special cars.
I have 13 cars that stay out year round and those have Bachmann wheels on them that make them track better over the switches and keeps the rails cleaner.
I think the Bachmann wheels are the best bang for the buck.
The Bachmann wheels are usually the cheapest out there, so you expect some quality issues. They are also cast wheels, not CNC machined.
When I go to the Mercedes dealership, I expect a quality experience. When shopping at Walmart, I try to avoid the men in fishnet stockings.
Greg
Greg Elmassian said:
The Bachmann wheels are usually the cheapest out there, so you expect some quality issues. They are also cast wheels, not CNC machined.
When I go to the Mercedes dealership, I expect a quality experience. When shopping at Walmart, I try to avoid the men in fishnet stockings.
Greg
Kinda an oxymoron isn’t it?
The men in fishnet stockings are usually at the Mercedes dealership these days and Walmart sells Michelin’s
Greg shops at Walmart
" Rooster " said:
Greg shops at Walmart
And I shop at Amazon so I don’t have to go out in the traffic…(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-foot-in-mouth.gif)
Yes, Bachmann wheels are the least expensive, but they have really improved in quality over the years. And the wonky ones can be fixed with a little effort.
As for Walmart, I used to buy my lingerie there, but now I shop at Amazon too.
David, I have a new box of Bachmann wheelsets coming my way in a few days. When I find a wobbler or two, can I send them to you for repair? Maybe you should patent that special rod and nail tool you got there. Actually, before sending my ‘rejects’ into Bachmann, I did try taking the wheels off the axles of a couple of them, took the black plastic hub out and looked for flash, but there wasn’t any. Cleaned them out and put 'em back together, but no dice. Maybe I’m doing something wrong.
Even though these 92421 wheels are cheap, I expect 100% quality with them - cast wheels or not. If a company has the attitude that they can get away with less than that, they might as well not even be in business. Companies with that attitude are now OUT of business. I know, Chinese product, etc. etc.
Michael,
I have found that almost NOTHING in large scale is perfect “out of the box”. Almost everything I have ever purchased for my railroad needs my attention, from the most expensive loco to the least expensive wheel set. Once you get over your present attitude, you will have more fun in this hobby. JMHO (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)