I picked up a pre-war 248 electric loco this week. I ordered new wheels. Anyone have any advice or suggested for removing old wheels eaten up with zinc rot and replacing them with new wheels?
I’ll try to post some photos as I go thru the process.
Thanks in advance.
Mitch[swg]
You can get wheel pullers. Alternative is to use a pair of screw driver shanks to gently proy the wheels off the axles. If you aren’t carefull, you will damage the axles as well. I’d order a wheel puller from one of the parts dealers.
I agree, do not attempt to pull the wheels without the puller as you will place side forces on the axles. If the wheel rot is severe enough the old wheels may even crumble as you remove them.
Hello Bob! Olsen’s has Wheel Pullers & Mounting Cups to mount the New Wheels on the Axles. Pulling off the wheels isn’t the problem. It’s how to mount the new ones on without any wheel wobble & properly gauged also. It’s a skill few have as most just mount the wheels on improperly without checking the gauge( distance between the wheel’s on the axle) or quartering them for side rods on steam engines. Again, You may want to have this professionaly done as you do not want to risk damage to the new wheels. Take Care.
Here’s are photos of the 248 note the wheel rot.
Right side
Left side
Under the 249. It is interesting that only three wheels appear to be rotted.
Thanks for the advice guys. I am still waiting for parts. There’s a pretty big show in Timonium, MD on June 24 & 25 that I am planning to attend. I may try to pick up the Wheel Pullers & Mounting Cups while I am there and save shipping costs.
Mitch[swg]
Bob- That’s a very clean 248 you’ve got there. Not much running time on the pickup rollers either. Too bad the wheels are decayed though. It should be a very good runner for you after new wheels are put on. Take Care.
Keith - Why would 3 wheels rot and one be seemingly perfect? Is that normal? BTW - I removed the shell to start cleaning it up and three of the four wheels fell off - so much for needing a wheel puller. My brother is an engineer and a machinist by training, he has access to a press and other machine tools so I may have him put the wheels on for me. How far apart should the wheels be?
Mitch [swg]
Hello Bob! The one Wheel that is Good could have been cast on a different day than the others & with a formula that had no impurities in it that caused decay. This is usually what happened with other parts that were good/bad. They were made on different days of the week or even on different weeks depending on the manufacturing schedule of the year they were made in. Same thing happened with the paint Lionel used on their Engines/ Tenders. If you look at Gunmetal Engines & Tenders for example you will notice that one or the other will be a shade or two different in respect to the color of the paint & the reason is the way the paint was mixed. Plus, The fact that the Engines & Tenders were usually painted at different times of the week during the manufacturing process & as a result. The colors could vary by shade. The Wheel Gauge should be around 1.265" for your 248 as this is what lionel used for smaller engines. The Gauge of the 773 Hudson was 1.235" so it varied & it could even be different with new wheels depending on how their tolerances were set at the factory also. The Gent who works on my 1688s uses shims behind each wheel for better tracking & gauging. You may want your Brother to make a set of shims to use for your new wheels as well for the reasons above. Take Care.
Thanks Keith. I can’t wait to get it running.
Mitch[swg]
Mitch,
Kieth can be so technical some times. i think the one wheel that did not rot, was a good wheel, while the other three just got a little too close to each other and spread a communicable disease.[(-D] Actually, Kieth and several others on this forum are full of great knowledge.
Dennis
Dennis - LOL - it would take a medicine man like you to recognize a communicable disease[}:)][;)]
Wheels came from Olsen’s today. I was able to press on new wheels and install gears. Put it back together and by golly it runs. [:D] Greased it and set it on the track and off it went. Amazing how rugged those things are.
Although the shell looked pretty clean in the picture, a previous owner had taken a paint brush and some orange paint and very sloppily touched up the paint. They had even taken liberties of painting roof tops black and had slopped paint on the trim etc. There are paint drips and runs all over. I have removed the trim and am going to attempt to strip and repaint the shell and frame. Might even order replacement brass trim, doors, and journals, etc.
Any ideas or suggestions for stripping and repainting???
Mitch[swg]
The brass trim will polish up beautifuly with a rag polishing wheel in a dremel and some tripolli polishing compound. All available at home depot.
jpelosi2002 - Thanks. I will have to pick some of the polish up tomorrow.
Mitch[8D]
Bob- The one fellow I know uses a solution called" Simple Green" That will dissolve paint. Also, If you can find someone with a Glass Bead machine to clean off any leftover paint.Then, You’ll be all set. A Shop that Chrome Plates parts for Auto’s may be your best bet for this process for Glass Beading. Just call around. Take Care.
Thanks Keith - I have Simple Green here all the time. Never thought about using it to strip paint. I’ll have to try it.
Mitch[:D]