About 10% of what I buy on ebay needs to be repaired (usually unknown to me). Another 10% arrives giving me more than expected…Today I got on the “lucky” 10% side.
I purchased a Bachmann Spectrum box car for what I thought was a good price with intention to re-paint…No idea it was equipped with these…
I searched but cannot locate this type of ball-bearing wheel-set. These roll better than anything I have had to date…Must have more!
Anyone recognize 'em?
On 2nd though…I may be back to the 10% screwed side. These do not appear to be insulated and I run both battery and track power.
My Fluke meter is dead so I cannot verify immediately.
Easy way… power track, roll car from insulated section to live section. If you blow the breaker in your powerpack, you have your answer :-p
J.D. Gallaway said:
Easy way… power track, roll car from insulated section to live section. If you blow the breaker in your powerpack, you have your answer :-p
Funny?..Yes…But don’t think for a moment I hadn’t considered it!
Put a meter between the flanges. Use the “ohms” setting. If the needle jumps, they ain’t insulated.
Or if you have a digital meter, use the “beep” setting.
Gary Raymond used to drill holes in his axles for attaching power leads. Does it have those?
Looks to me like I see a hole in the one axle. Could be a camera thing.
I also would second the testing with a multimeter on the buzzer setting. If it buzzes when touching the two flanges then you have a problem.
Mark V said:
About 10% of what I buy on ebay needs to be repaired (usually unknown to me). Another 10% arrives giving me more than expected…Today I got on the “lucky” 10% side.
I purchased a Bachmann Spectrum box car for what I thought was a good price with intention to re-paint…No idea it was equipped with these…
(http://i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj222/Noble_Dreg/LSC/DSCF6769_zps24ee537c.jpg)
I searched but cannot locate this type of ball-bearing wheel-set. These roll better than anything I have had to date…Must have more!
Anyone recognize 'em?
Mark,
In this photo, I noticed what looks to be a brass collar on the axle of the upper wheel. Looks to me like an Accucraft ball bearing wheelset. The brass collar is for the electrical pick-up for lights. I would have to pull one of my AMS cars out to look at the backside of the wheel. Just a guess.
John Bouck said:
Put a meter between the flanges. Use the “ohms” setting. If the needle jumps, they ain’t insulated.
Or if you have a digital meter, use the “beep” setting.
Gary Raymond used to drill holes in his axles for attaching power leads. Does it have those?
Each axle has one hole drilled through it…
I need to replace my meter, maybe hit the hardware store tonight.
Gary Armitstead said:
Mark,
In this photo, I noticed what looks to be a brass collar on the axle of the upper wheel. Looks to me like an Accucraft ball bearing wheelset. The brass collar is for the electrical pick-up for lights. I would have to pull one of my AMS cars out to look at the backside of the wheel. Just a guess.
Yep, all axles have a brass collar on the outside of the wheel…And a big honk’n ball-bearing on the inside. Looked at the Accucraft site, not so sure. These wheels have a “scale profile” to the inside of the wheel (convex).
Mark, I have a digital multimeter from Radioshack that I like. Nice and small and has held up well traveling in my antique motorcycle bags. Yellow clam-shell case. closed size is approx 2" x 4" x 7/8".
Well, they are insulated!!! I set the car on an area of track that has a nearly immeasurable slope…And it rolled away like butter on a hot fry-pan! I want these!!!
Found the Gary Raymond site…This may be them but no pictures.
They measure exactly 1.280"…I think they may be the “Black Beauties”. I have a call into him.
I have some Gary Raymond ball bearing pickups on my Pioneer Zephyer, they have one hole and bolt in each axle.
Jerry Barnes said:
I have some Gary Raymond ball bearing pickups on my Pioneer Zephyer, they have one hole and bolt in each axle.
Thanks Jerry, I am now all but certain that’s what these are…Worth more than I paid for the car!
So how does the power pick-up work with only one hole per axle? Do you “rotate” the axles so each truck has one on the left and one on the right? (still no multi-meter)
Yep: That’s how you do it. One on each side.
Straight from Gary Raymond…The wheels are his. I have seen/used several BB wheels over the years, some even performed worse than their non-BB counterparts! These are simply the most amazing free-rolling sets I have ever experienced.
I will be converting all of my AMS coaches soon! As they are the poorest rolling stock I own it seems like a logical place to start.