[#offtopic]
Over time the Galvanic action is going to happen between dissimilar metals. At one time I lived a few miles from the Great Salt Lake and the salt in the humidity accelerated the corrosion. It would be as bad as you described in two years.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Rob’s right about the variations in sideframe appearance, and those variations will also vary according to the timeframe in which your layout is set.
I’m modelling the late '30s, and have, in varying amounts, at least 10 or 12 different styles of sideframes in use, and in some instances, the two trucks on a car may not match even one another, as evidenced in many photos of prototype freight cars.
I very seldom replace stock wheelsets, so much of my rolling stock is still on its original Delrin wheels - much quieter than metal, and less obtrusive in appearance, too.
I haven’t had any problems with wheels, other than some out-of-round ones which came with one release from Train Miniature (or Train Miniature of Illinois, or perhaps Walthers, after they took-over that product line).
Wayne
I’d be curious to know why the OP is swapping wheels and trucks. Is it upgrades for the sake of up grades or is there a genuine issue with the stock wheels and trucks which I’m assuming might currently be metal axles and plastic/delrin wheels?
I don’t doubt the smooth rolling nature and sometimes improved realism of new trucks, I just question the necessity in all situations.
Are you running on a large layout where you’ll have very long trains and grades and every bit of friction done away with offers a tangible real beneift? In that situation, upgrades are probably a great idea.
Alternatively -like me- are you sitting in an attic on a flat 9x5 with trains that rarely exceed 15 cars? In that case there’s little to be gained by upgrading except possibly in terms of realism, though when you’re mostly running un-upgraded BB’ish stuff, striving for realism in trucks isn’t a big deal either.
Wayne’s points that plastic wheels run quieter and are very unobtrusive is a very good one also.
Yes. Friction and drag can be a real concern with long trains and grades. I’ve seen it.
I don’t have Wayne’s PhD in model railroading nor had a stable situation where I had a nice finished layout in controlled conditions, but I did note my rolling stock with those nice quiet plastic wheels also build up healthy layers of crud.
I’m guessing Wayne has been able to mitigate that build up but he may have conditions which work in that favor vs. others who do not. In those cases, the machined wheels may be a help in that regard.
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I cannot speak for the OP, but I can tell you why I replace every single one of the trucks on my freight cars (except the Kadee kits) with Kadee trucks.
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I do it for rock-solid reliability. I simply will not tolerate derailments.
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For me, Kadee wheels and trucks are part of the solution.
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I am not pulling trains longer than 12 cars, and I only have one (steep) grade.
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-Kevin
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Pretty much just want to upgrade the running quality of my rolling stock, some of which is fairly old (55 years plus). Derailments are enough of an issue that replacing the existing wheels and, as necessary, trucks, should results in considerable improvements. Upgrading for realism is not high on my list, at least not compared to better functioning.
My main reason for wanting to replace the wheels/trucks is for improved performance.
Some of my rolling stock is over 55 years old and derailments are enough of an issue that I want to do what I can to improve things. Realistic appearance, although somewhat important, is not my main concern.
Hopefully, just installing new wheels will be enough with many of my cars but I imagine new trucks will be needed in others.
Sorry about what appear to be almost duplicate posts. Posted the first reply then after a full day when it didn’t appear thought perhaps I’d done something wrong so I posted a similar message. Obviously I’d forgotten the time needed for approval. But both of those were written last Friday and are just now appearing. Guess the moderating crew was off for the weekend. Regardless, thank you everyone for the feedback and discussion.