Minor wheel mystery

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

A variation of never throw anything away, is where did this come from? I put a bunch of Kadee wheels in a big medicine bottle. Funny how the older you get, the more of these bottle you collect.

I took some out to weather them and I notice I had 36" wheels mixed in. Even more curious, one wheel was gray (magnetic) and one was blackened (non magnetic)

Two of the blackened wheels had number, 2 on one and 8 on the other. I only ever had one big covered hopper that might have had 36" wheels. I did have old Penn Line passenger cars, but they had brass wheels.

I don’t remember taking apart any locos, but the fact that one is metal makes me think it was for power pick up. The mystery wheels sets (left and right) are the left and center, the one on the right is a Kadee 33" wheel. Do these look familiar to anyone?

2

It looks like an Athearn BB Passenger wheel. Measure the axle length, Athearn axles are 1.024”

Mel

Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951

My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/

Bakersfield, California

I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.

3

I can’t tell from your picture Henry, what do the ends look like?

Mike.

4

Never had Athearn passenger 1.025

5

I have some cars from the 60’s? that have metal wheels, before metal wheels were cool. I think they are Revell, I’ll have to dig’em out and see. I also have a couple cabeese? (cabooses) that had lights in them, and they have metal wheels. Not sure of the manufacturer.

I also have some of the Tempo tank cars, from Yugoslavia, that have metal wheels, but they have black axles.

Not that any of this helps, just trying to think of what older, out of service cars I have around that may have been a source for metal wheels.

Mike.

6

The flange look likes it hits the thread at a right angle with no transition. I’ll bet that wheel is over 50 years old!

.

-Kevin

.

7

Sure looks like an Athearn passenger car wheel to me, how many would you like.

Not 50 years old by any shot. They stayed like that until kits stopped being made and RTR production went to China.

Metal axle, one metal wheel for electrical pickup for lights, one plastic wheel for insulation.

I have over 100 Athearn heavy weights, wheels now all replaced with newer Athearn metal wheelsets. 100 cars x 6 wheelsets - how many would you like?

And yes the axle length is long, and unique…

And they were used on some other Athearn items if I recall, rotary snow plow has a passenger truck…

Sheldon

8

OK, I never noticed that one wheel was plastic, [(-D].

Mike.

9

Mike, it was probably before your time, but metal wheels (in metal trucks) were all that was available when I got into this hobby in the mid-'50s. The Delrin ones from Athearn were a big improvement, in my opinion, and I’m still not all that fond of metal ones, although I do have some.

Wayne

10

I still have lots of them floating around, old Athearn, Varney, Central Valley, etc.

Metal srung trucks with metal wheels, much like my Kadee trucks with Intermountain wheels I prefer now…

Sheldon

11

Yes it is not RP25 or even similar to the better pre-RP25 wheels. It reminds me of the wheel profile on my old Penn Line train set cars: the wheel tread is essentially flat.

Dave Nelson

12

OK, my first HO set was a Penn Line. In the early 60’s. I have nothing left of it, and I don’t remember what the wheels were.

It all makes sense, though. The hi-tech plastic didn’t come until later, so metal would have been the go-to.

And I do have some cars with the metal trucks and springs.

Thanks guys.

Mike.