Running old locomotives on code 83 track

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I just acquired a Rivarossi 0-4-0T in pretty good condition. However most of my layout is code 83 track and the flanges on the 0-4-0T hit the ties. Did anyone make a 0-4-0T that would run smoothly on code 83 track? I was thinking I might be able to swap out the drivers.

2

A bit crude maybe, but you could apply power to the motor and then gently press the drivers down against a mill file until the flanges are reduced enough not to hit the Code 83 ties.

3

Yes, I did this with a dremel on a 0-8-0 Rivarossi.

Simon

4

I’m curious, could you go into a little more detail?

5

I used a similar procedure for this el-cheapo ($15.00) Mogul…

…clipping wires to the motor from the old Scintilla powerpack in my workshop. With the power at roughly half-speed (and the locomotive held upright in one hand) I used the face of a cut-off disc in my JobMate rotary tool to apply light pressure to the bottom of the overly deep flanges on the drivers, touching each wheel in-turn for only a few seconds, as the driver wheel centres were plastic (too much pressure or too long contact could melt the plastic).
It didn’t take long to get the wheel flanges down to a more reasonable size, and with some added weight, the loco made a good match-up with my first acquired brass locomotive…

Wayne

6

$15 bucks Mogul - mae by whooooo ?

7

Life Like alsomde that same 0-4-0T there otheres that were kit makers too quite common engine

shane

8

Are you sure the flanges are hitting the ties? I thought the same thing when I ran some of my old Rivarossi UP steamers on my current code 83 layout. It sounded like they were running over a washboard. Then someone suggested that the flanges might be bouncing off the ballast and not the ties. I tried them on an unballasted section of track I had just laid and they ran much smoother.

9

I have a Rivarossi dockside that I got new in 1959. It still runs great right up to about a scale 120 mph.

Are you using Atlas code 83? It will bump on the spike heads. All of my mainline is Kato code 83 and the spikes are a lot smaller than Atlas so the loco runs smoothly. Likely easier to file the flanges than replace track.

CN Charlie

10

Yes I use Atlas 83. You are right, spike heads, same result. Thanks for the heads up.

11

And now I do believe that little 0-4-0T is sidelined waiting for a remotor job.