Large Scale Central

Wheel sets

Modeling Rolling stock
#41

Devon, I made a gauge like this;

and I use it on all my wheels. I hold the gauge and rotate the axle so the gauge measures all the way around the wheels. That way I can also spot wonky wheels, where at 0 degrees they are in gauge, but at 180 degrees, WOW! Its simpler for me then setting up my caliper each time I work on a car. Its sitting on my workbench with my Kadee height gauge and ready to go at a moment’s notice.

Its from this website;

http://members.shaw.ca/sask.rail/construction/lsbuild/lstrack.html

#42

I could see where a gauge like that would be handy. In reading the Saskatoon site I get the track measurement part on the bottom. Min and Max track gauge and flange clearance. On the wheel side I am assuming 39.5 is wheel back to back but what is 43.0 mm. I am assuming that the front of the flange can be no wider than this? In other words min guage of track is 45.0mm and max width of wheel set at the flanges is 43.0mm giving a min clearance of 2mm between the face of the flange and the inside of the rail?

I am totally lost at what the 43.5 and 45.0 mark is on the upper left. Is that a wheel profile or something?

#43

With the B2B set, the guard rails guide the wheels, pulling the flange away from the frog point… the easiest place to derail.

If a flange picked the frog point, it could walk up and out of the track/switch…imagine: a curve and a thin flange w/a square face… oops.

John

#44

Devon, wheels are supposed to have a fillet between the flange and tread. Not that many do. And that is what the curved part of the slot, out to 45mm, is supposed to accommodate. I just cut square notches to the 39.5mm and 43mm dimensions and run with that. Its the back to back spacing that is critical for the wheels to pass smoothly through a turnout (switch, points etc.).

#45

Hi guys I am in the process of getting wheelsets made same size as the large Bachmann G scale metal wheels from a mob in china but 6mm center axle and 3mm outer axles 45mm gauge solid brass wheels and steel axles insulated also.

#46

Tod, and you can have that done for less then the Bachmann wheels?

#47

About half the price of Bachmann wheels mate and better also spoked wheels

#48

Really? Well then, please keep us posted. Thanks.

#49

Tod Hetherington said:
Hi guys I am in the process of getting wheelsets made same size as the large Bachmann G scale metal wheels from a mob in china but 6mm center axle and 3mm outer axles 45mm gauge solid brass wheels and steel axles insulated also.

Brass wheels with steel axles and they’re insulated ! For less than Bachmann metal wheels. Would you care to divulge the source?

#50

He is “getting them made”. I hope he can pull it off.

#51

Tod,

Would you consider selling some of the spoked wheel sets ??

Chuck

#52

Hi chuck i have to confirm with the supplier on quantity they also make gauge one live steam locomotive wheels . Wheels will be the same profile as the Bachmann G scale metal wheels 31mm size ut solid brass instead of beind diecast plated steel.

#53

Keeping in mind that I have no landscape of my own on which to build a garden railway and that I occasionally run on a friend’s garden railway, because most of my purchased trains are Bachmann, I am using their metal wheels on the scratchbuilt cars I’m cobbling together out of balsa, basswood, cardboard, styrene. Because they are the same. And they could be had from places I knew about from doing smaller scales.
Yes, as light as my car bodies are, the heavy metal wheels matter.

So far, the Bachmann metal wheel’s axles have successfully fit the trucks acquired from USA Trains and HLW.

Spoked wheels, eh? Hmmm …

(but if a bunch of Bachmann plastic wheelsets could be acquired cheaply, there is acceptable use for them on a couple projects.)

Oh, raining, maybe the shoes and clothes put out to dry in the sun need to come in from the balcony! See y’all later!

#54

When you say half the price of Bachmann what are we talking about per axle. What Bachmann price are we talking about because from bachmann or even Ebay they are way over priced. Star Hobbies sells them for about half what they go for on Ebay. 65 bucks a case of six sets when I checked. So I would be curious as to the price of a set of four. A I have bought none to date and will need at least ten sets or so if the price is right I would be in for some.

#55

Tod,

As a mechanical designer, I would also ask “Who did the manufacturing drawings, and who is going to do the product inspection?” From personal experience, 'You get what you pay for!" Getting better materials than Bachmann is not very valuable if the wheels fall off the axles or wobble too bad to fix. The Chinese are not particularly known for high lever quality. Part of the reason I purchase the Bachmann wheels is that if I get a bad set, they are cheap enough to discard.

I agree with others though, keep us posted. A new source for wheel sets with other distributors leaving the market will be a good thing.

#56

I must agree. I run LGB ball bearing wheels on most of my rolling stock. On the rest I use Bachmann standard 31 mm metal wheels. I have had excellent results using them.