Well, I have learned my lesson about venturing out of my comfort zone. I have been doing the whole N scale thing using Kato Unitrack. With the impending visit of the grandkids I ventured into the world of HO and bought a Bachman Thomas set that came with a tight radius circle of EZ Track. So far, so good. Here come the wrinkle. I also have a old HO Riverosi American Orient Express set I inherited from my uncle. Just for grins, I tried it on the Bachman loop and it ran but it was too tight for the couplers. “I know,” I said to myself, “I will order me up some HO Unitrack and all will be well.” Or so I thought. The Bachman rails are taller (code 100?) than Kato (code 83). The new Thomas set works just fine, but the Riverosi locomotive’s flanges hit the ties. (Note: I am still relatively new to all of this. Hopefully I am using the correct terms.). So, here’s the question, can I replace just the wheels, or do I need to replace the trucks? (Or am I completely out of luck?)
Richard,
There are no replacement wheels with smaller flanges that will just drop into that loco. it really needs code 100 track.
Changing the wheels on that loco would be a machine shop grade project. Rivarossi locos do not use an axle system of the same design as many older diecast or brass locos, some of which can be easily interchanged.
A skilled machinest with the right lathe could disassemble the loco and turn down the flanges of the existing wheels.
In fact, the large flanges on older equipment like Rivarossi are a major reason why so much of it is available at bargin prices on Ebay - nobody really wants it much any more.
Respectfully, I would submit that while Kato makes very nice products, there are much more popular HO track products out there that are much more affordable than Kato unitrack. I don’t know what radius curves you are using, but most people use flex track for larger sizes.
Sheldon
I agree with most of what Sheldon said, but I may be a bit more adventurous than he is.
If you can get the wheels on your Rivarossi loco to turn while the loco is on its side you can SLOWLY AND CAREFULLY reduce the flanges to something approximating RP-25 contour. All it takes is a gentle hand with a big file and having the Shop-vac nozzle as close to the work site as you can arrange.
Or you can set the Kato track aside in favor of something less expensive with Code 100 rails. Thomas won’t know the difference, but the Riv products will.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - using some old mechanisms with turned-down flanges on Code 83 and Code 70 rail)
Bachmann does make larger radius turns of the EZ Track.
That might be a better course for you to take, to get the Rivarossi stuff around.
The Unitrack is nice stuff, but it may not work for your application.
Unfortunately, my mechanical skills are severely lacking, so modifying the wheels myself is not an option. I doubt the train is worth the investment is having someone else do it. As for using flex track, it doesn’t really fit the bill for right now. The HO equipment is sort-term use only. I set it up when the grandkids are here and take it down when they leave. I was also considering using it around the Christmas tree. Looks like my best option is to get me some more EZ Track. My hesitation is all of the negative comments/review I have have seen here about EZ Track and I have had no problems with my N scale Unitrack.
As always, thanks for coaching the newbie.