As I was running my 55 car train today it hit me - there is no flatwheels on it, ever! Seeing real trains I always notice at least one car with a flatwheel.
I guess I’ll just need to use my Dremel on one of the wheels 
Just heat up the axle a bit.
David B
I was wondering if any sound decoders made squealing, scraping, thumping wheel sounds like the real thing.
From my perspective flatwheels in the real world are a problem and cause lots of problems . I like my miiature world flat wheel free !
Loather… I think your on target as I have been wondering when they will come out myself. Of course some will want three or four train/sound makers in each train. Dang I cant afford to decode all my engines now LOL…If I ever did somthing like that, I think it would make me mentaly bankruped in ten or fifteen minuts.
Wase’nt that long ago a layout had to be stealthy with no sound, and some went out of their way to do…
i have two cars with flats on one of the axles… the cars are quite heavy and make a good pounding sound when the travel past … you could use the cars as part of the bad order system… peter
I have a MOW box car with flat wheels. Have never had a problem with it running on the layout as it pounds along. When I run it at our train club, the pounding sound drives one of members nuts. If that isn’t enough, I have one gondola with sprung trucks with journals that squeak and sound like sticking breaks. I have very realistic sounds on my layout without electronics.
I’ve often thought about putting sound decoders in every fifth or sixth car on my trains that would include a variety of prototypical sounds heard as trains pass by.
Now where’s that number to the patent office? [:P]
I think I’m going to model one, but what would be the best way without a dremel tool? (I don’t have one and don’t have enough money to buy one.)
OK, I have to ask the dumb question…
Can somebody please explain what is meant by a “flat wheel” on a train?
Not a dumb question Dan. A flat wheel is caused by any number of reasons. The most common is a break shoe is sticking and doesn’t release or a journal bearing can freeze up causing the wheel to slide on the rail. This will cause a flat spots on a wheel set. This hammering is very hard on the rail and may cause the rail to fracture in a weak spot especaly in cold weather. I’ve heard a 150 ton crane pass by with flat wheels and it really pounded the rail.
Bruce
TY, you could tru an Xacto.
A flat spot is what makes that bam, bam, bam, bam, bam, sound when some cars pass by.
Thanks, Bruce. My first thought was something as simple like a flat spot, but I couldn’t figure out how you could get a flat spot on a metal wheel (stuck brakes, etc.), so I thought it must have meant something else. It all makes sense now! [:o]
That’s what I was thinking, but I’m not sure if that would work well on a metal wheelset. (too hard to hear on plastic ones) I’ll try that.
Hello this is funny you guys are looking for flat spots. And I have a loco that I am tyring to get rid of the flat spots. I found some wheels last night and to night I will see if they fit.
Trainman Ty you can use a file or a sharpening stone .
Have a nice day Frank
In my openion…The only dumb question…“is the one not asked” Dont know much about the rest of the train but from my experiance working around locomotives and turning wheels, Flat spots on locomotives are caused 95% by the engeneer not making proper applications to the brakes, or going into emergency (also called "big hole) as the sanders automaticaly come on (sand sprayed at wheel to rail area) to help with the friction to stop, grinding flat spots, account of steel on sleel has low resistence kinda like a ball bearing. If memorey serves i believe 3 inch was max or a accumaulation of flat spots in three inches.
Longest flat I ever seen was six or seven, longest one I ever heard about, was over 12 inch’s and there were a lot of employee’e fired over that one, as the pilot actuly rubbed the rail before the derail.
John
Hi,
I suggest just taking a file and running it over the tread (part that sets on the track) a few times until you get the desired result. Do not mess with the rim of the wheel, however, as that could cause hangups at turnouts, etc.
Just last afternoon we were by the tracks in Spring Texas watching a mixed train roll by. One of the good looking newer covered hopper cars had the most awful squeal (assume it was wheel related). And in the 50 or so car train there were also a couple of clunkety, clunk, clunk flat wheels - kind of like the grocery cart you end up with more often than not.
Mobilman44
I have an N scale tank car that gives me the sound effect, and for the longest time, I couldn’t figure out why. I had used the factory truck with a Micro Trains conversion coupler. What happens is a tiny spur in the middle of the axle bumps a tiny spur on the back of the coupler. It’s not enough to stop the axle, nor enough to kick the coupler, and since the coupler is truck mounted, it stays in constant contact with the axle… Think baseball card in the spokes of your bicycle…
So without fouling the wheel or risking derailment, I get a nice “tap tap tap tap” as this car rolls by.
Lee
I would use a small file on the tread, but be careful of the flange.
If enough gunk cakes up on your wheels, you can get the same effect. [xx(]