In my LHS these are easily the most expensive wheels, by 25%. What makes them worth that extra money? All these wheels are made in China but range from a CAD$1.00 (Rapido) to CAD$2.00 (Intermountain) per axle. That’s a big difference for the same product.
I admire you for wanting to support your local hobby shop, but I think that their InterMountain wheelsets are a bit on the expensive side. If you go to eBay you can find InterMountain wheel sets in bulk for a little over $1.00 per axle, and those are Canadian prices. Rapido’s wheelsets are available for about the same price.
I buy almost all of my hobby stuff from Cedar Creek Hobbies in Kingsville, Ontario. In the past 12 months I have given them a ton of business for my own railroad, and before that, when I was doing the purchasing for the Barrie Allendale Model Railroaders, almost everything was bought through them. However, that didn’t (doesn’t) mean that I don’t shop around, and if I find something that is significantly cheaper elsewhere, I will buy it. Wheel sets are a prime example.
However, I don’t believe that I am entirely failing to support my favourite hobby shop by buying elsewhere occasionally for the simple reason that any money that I have saved is most certainly going to be used for the next order from the store.
As far as whether or not the InterMountain wheel sets are vastly superior, I can’t say, but I doubt that there is much difference. What I do know is that they work great, and I believe that many other modelers would agree.
Here are the current eBay listings for wheelsets:
Regards,
Dave
I do not use Intermountain wheels because I do not run long trains, so the advantages they offer do not appeal to me.
However, I know many very picky model railroaders that swear they are the best. These guys would know.
I am sure someone in our group knows what makes them better.
-Kevin
I agree with Dave. I used to buy Proto 2000 wheel sets at my LHS, but they became scarce, so I now buy IM wheel sets, from an Ebay seller, $89 for 100, plus $5 shipping.
Mike.
IM wheelsets are all brass (nickel silver plated). One wheel is insulated from the metal axle, and the wheelsets are fully non-magnetic. The axle length is precise, so the wheelsets will never be out of gauge. The wheelsets are perfectly balanced for true roll.
Rich
Thanks for the replies.
Yes, I deliberately shop at my LHS, we still have 2 train shops and 2 more half hobby shops that have useful stuff for this hobby. They can’t possibly justify stocking all the tiny parts they actually do. If you know anything about retail you’ll understand that profitability is directly related to sales revenue per till labour minute. That’s why we end up standing around in lines at cashiers. Stupidly inefficient from an economics standpoint but until the majority of us realize it’s costing us way more than the business is saving in cost the problem will just get worse and worse. My late father in law refused to pump his own gas. He correctly pointed out that self serve gas stations just push cost of operating onto the consumer. That’s not good economics. That’s just delivering less for less. Any idiot can improve profitability that way assuming the customers are dumb enough. Apparently we are, although I’m not. If the customer line is too long I put my stuff down and leave the store. Big box retail (and online for that matter) are not improvements in cost to the consumer. They just deliver less value for a lower price.
Joni Mitchell wasn’t singing about your LHS but as in so many other ways she was absolutely right.
So, precision made axles floating around in plastic truck frames with moulded in conical bearing faces, if you’re lucky.
I will see if they make a difference.
You mean about the parking lot?
George
Just looked my LHS. Box of 100 for $74.99. [:O]
I still have about half a box to use yet, but I know where I’m getting my next box.
Mike.
First, for all the reasons Rich listed they are better.
Second, they have the recommended NMRA shoulder so the axle cone is smaller, causing less possible binding in the trucks, espeically sprung ones like I use.
Third, model train axles do not ride on the points, they ride on the top of the cone.
I install Intermountain wheelsets into Kadee sprung metal trucks, creating the best tracking most free rolling
At one time IM wheel sets were the best. Don’t know about now.
Are you saying that they may no longer be the best or that you just don’t know if they are still the best?
Rich
Hence the truck tuner, the other essential part of the operation. Here also great precision and good material make a significant difference.
“Precise axle length”, though, has little to do with good gauge keeping of the wheels; it has more to do with proper lateral of the wheelsets in the trucks. The part of the axle containing the wheelseats is more important to make to proper diameter, concentricity, and surface finish than length. (And process quality control in pressing the wheelsets to accurate gauge with precise distance from axle centerline the major determinant both of gauge and gauge keeping over time…)
When I was younger… and not very much younger… I thought the bearing was indeed done with the tips of the cones rotating in tiny pits, as with conical bearings in older watchmaking. It was enlightening to learn about the differential cone angles in axle and bearing, and how the weight bearing and self-centering arrangement (and the possible use of the point as a low-friction lateral stop) are arranged. While having a perfect 360 degrees of bearing cone is not as important as having perfect 360 degrees of axle cone, note that in both cases it is easier to set up and use rotating tools to produce and superfinish the areas that way.
The issue with wheels is similar. To get them to run true, they have to be concentric with the axle and perfectly round: that also presupposes the axle is round and straight and the cones are concentric. That’s a lot of precision for a commodity item sold in relatively small volume.
The idea of sintered scale wheels is interesting. That they get these to work well at all is a tribute to careful setup and process. I wonder if someone has made a proper tool, perhaps using 3M lapping film on a suitable mandre
A number of years back, I decided to replace all my plastic wheelsets, which meant a lot of metal wheelsets. At the time, I priced a lot of wheelsets and found that Intermountain was the most cost-effective.
I like the performance improvement. I still have a few more for kits I might buy down the road.
Don’t know anymore. Bought all I needed in a deal years ago, not as good as my Kadee #5 at 25 cents a pair brand new (guy didn’t like them, came factory installed and he changed them out right away).
They are still just as good, and nothing better has come along.
Sheldon
That question has been well answered by several chaps whose responses I tend to respect as they are formed from their experiences, but to be “The Contrarian”, the question I think is more appropriate is, “Are Intermountain wheels necessary?”
(Now I should point out that I have no particular beef with “Intermountain”. Personally, as an aside, “Hats off” to any outfit that caters to the often fickle model railroader fraternity.)
So, to answer my own question, “No!”
My reasoning, for what it’s worth, is this.
- If the Forums search facility worked, you would find that this subject is not new, and the general consensus would be that Intermountain wheels are “a Good Thing”, but the trouble is, to the Bears tiny mind, that like a lot of Model Railroad “Good Things” they tend to become akin to the 10 Commandments, in that ALL Model Railroaders will adhere to the aforesaid “Commandments”, and if you don’t, you’re somehow a lesser fellow
I agree. So, can anyone identify a wheelset that he believes is better than the Intermountain wheelset?
Rich
[quote user=“”]
Lastspikemike
“Intermountain wheels, why?”.
That question has been well answered by several chaps whose responses I tend to respect as they are formed from their experiences, but to be “The Contrarian”, the question I think is more appropriate is, “Are Intermountain wheels necessary?”
(Now I should point out that I have no particular beef with “Intermountain”. Personally, as an aside, “Hats off” to any outfit that caters to the often fickle model railroader fraternity.)
So, to answer my own question, “No!”
My reasoning, for what it’s worth, is this.
- If the Forums search facility worked, you would find that this subject is not new, and the general consensus would be that Intermountain wheels are “a Good Thing”, but the trouble is, to the Bears tiny mind, that like a lot of Model Railroad “Good
Tangent, Arrowhead and Exactrail may qualify.
Yes all three of those also have the reduced axle diameter at the ends that are a key factor in good performance.
Although the Exactrail axle length seems a little short at 1.002" and Arrowhead is only making code 88 wheels.
Both factors that would not meet my needs.
Sheldon