I’ve initiated a couple of postings regarding replacing plastic wheelsets with metal. You all highly recommended it and the majority wrote about using the Intermountain sets. So, using my Ebay sourced Paypal monies, I picked up 100 of the 36" and 200 of the 33" HO Intermountain wheel sets.
Although I have a number of the newer Walthers passenger cars, my favorite passenger train is an 11 car consist of modified Athearn heavyweights - all with diaghphrams, KDs, decals, etc. for the ATSF. The wheels, however were stock Athearn. Yesterday I replaced them with the Intermountain 36" sets.
I do not use lighting in the cars and the stock wheelsets have one metal and one plastic wheel on each axle. It was interesting to note that every plastic wheel had evidence of “gunk” on it, while the metal wheels were relatively clean!!!
Anyway, I used the Micromart reamer and did each truck and soon all 66 wheelsets were installed. I had set up a mild incline test track which easily demonstrated the improved rolling properties of the cars.
When finished, I got them all back on the layout, and hooked up the Stewart F3 ABBA (all powered) consist to them. Well, to be honest the Stewarts could probably pull anything. But it appeared to be easier for them to pull the cars up the 2 percent grade. And, I confess the “clickety clack” noise of the metal wheels over the track joints is really nice.
Now, I have to pick out 50 of my most used freight cars and convert them! And yes, I suspect the rest will soon follow suite! Anyway, in closing, you all gave out some good advice (again!) and I thank you for it!!!
I also enjoy the sound of metal wheeled cars – where it actually makes a different sound when going over a bridge, etc. Or is that just nostalgia for the sound of Lionel?
My sense is also that a locomotive can pull more cars if they have metal wheels but I wonder if anyone has actually tested this. It might be that using the reaming tool is what really makes the difference. Or perhaps the metal wheels are more perfectly round?
You know you’re an old timer when you remember when Athearn cars came with metal wheels and metal trucks (the insulation on the axle was brownish-red varnish or shellac, and with only one wheel insulated and an all metal truck you had to remember that when equipping a car with a metal frame – metal frames, metal couplers, metal trucks/wheels created some very hard to track down shorts back in those days – the two ends of the short circuit could be a dozen cars apart!). And the Athearn trucks had real springs – and before the real springs – odd little rubber nubby thingies that supposedly “looked” like springs! Those old metal trucks did not roll particularly well, which is why the Lindberg trucks, and later Athearn’s own Delrin trucks, came as such a revelation.
I used to view metal wheels as a luxury, especially when I was a poor college student. Certainly I have my fair share of rolling stock that will need converted eventually. I keep finding there is more rolling stock that I’ve committed to buying that takes the available hobby money first, thats a big part of the problem for me. However, I find too that I am selling off a substantial portion of my old roster as I either replace with better models or find they were impulse purchases which I’ve discovered are out side of my modeling era.
For the 33 and 36 inch wheels, do some checking to see if you can find out which belong to which freight cars. Probably most use 33 inch but some like tank cars or high tonnage freight cars may use 36 inchers.
I remember buying Athearn Blue Box Kits at 2.50 each with Couplers Kadee another .75 and Metal Wheels were 1.50 or so. WHEW!!!
Now… I dont think twice replacing the plastic crapler with kadee and proto metal wheels; especially with these cars approaching 35-40 dollars in some cases for RTR.
I was videotaping the local Modular club railroad yesterday and heard the clickety clack here and there and was happy.
Metal wheels are king. Plastic is kaput; straight to the landfill by way of the trash truck. So much for environmental considerations. Just wish to be around 5000 years later when the children see a mchenry coupler and wonder "^%$# is this?
At the rate they are sending infants to preschool and lavishing educational toys on babes 3 years of age and younger with each year… they probably see school as obselete and simply implant a chip into the infant 5000 years later. 18 hard years of public schooling installed in a few moments at birth.
Im glad I wont be around to see the results. =) But this post and everything else will be.
33" go mostly on boxcars, open top hoppers, tank cars and gondolas, 28" on intermodal spine cars and the 36" on covered hoppers. If you have Athearn blue box acf covered hoppers and put the 36" wheels on, the coupler height is perfect, no washers or shim needed.
That jives with what I know, but there are some exceptions. As for coupler height, that is one way to help boost those Athearn bb cars up as they are usually a tad low. I use the KD fiber washers to boost height but that isn’t always enough. I’ve even resorted to bending the draft gear up a tad too.
Another piece of “Forum Advice” I took some time back has really paid off during “the changing of the wheels”. You all convinced me (can’t recall the exact posting - but it was a year of so ago), that a “serious” model railroader needed a digital caliper. Online I found a Carrera precision 6 inch metal caliper and the cost was about $35 or so. Cheaper ones are available but this seemed like a much higher quality (and it truly is).
Well, I am absolutely amazed at how much I have used this new tool, and it sure came in handy to assure that I don’t use the wrong sized wheels when going thru the replacement process. As all my cars and locos represent the transition era, all the passenger cars are 36 inch and all the freight cars - so far - are 33 inch.