hello all i want to add metal wheels to my cars my question is what size wheels do i need for boxcars,passenger cars ect …
thanks
It all depends on the size and weight of the trucks and cars. Generally most freight cars had 33 inch wheels until they got into carrying 100 tons or more than it was 36 inch. Most passenger trucks had 36 inch wheels. Some spine cars and others had 28 inch wheels. The best thing to do is measure what came on the model and fit the same size and axle length is also a consideration. Most or the members that peruse this forum swear by the cone shaping tool or reamer to tune up the trucks.
Pete
Wish this came in N scale. I tend to mess mine up a bit when weathering.
A caveat for using the manufacturers’ wheel size as a guide. Too many cars come with generic sized wheels in both freight and passenger. While a lot of 1:1 spine cars use 28s, the older Athearn BB versions did not come with that size. AHM/Rivarossi/IHC passenger cars are somewhere in the 31-inch range requiring brake hanger mods to allow 36-inch wheel sets to fit.
I think your choice to convert to correct size wheels is a good one. The cars just look better.
You need to make two measurements of the wheelsets you remove from the trucks - wheel diameter, and axle length. A starting point is to match these; if you do not, some modifications may be required; such as the reamer and the brake shoes mentioned above.
I put some 36" wheels on a Walthers’ 100t coil cars a few years back - work fine in a straight line, but the minimum operating radius was about 30" after the wheel swap because they hit the under frame. This was okay because the club had larger minimum radius than that.
in other word just swap the wheels that are in the trucks with metal ones rite
No - you also need to measure the axle length - check out:
http://www.reboxx.com/wheelsets.htm
But there have been errors found in the axle length chart…