I would like to replace the wheels on all my cars with metal wheels, but am unsure of what size to get. I have an assortment of Walthers, Athearn, MDR, etc.
I have heard metal wheels are better with dirt on the track and overall just sound better.
Any advice would be much appreciated.
They are also good because there’s less drag, thus you can pull a longer train. If your looking to replace frieght car wheels, I recommend 33" RP25’s. They can be found at Walther’s website, Walthers.com. The ones I use are made by Bachmann and work very well. I too, run a great assortment of cars. Athearn, Accurail, Roundhouse, Bachmann, Life-Like and Walther’s
Hello,
I highly recommend these.
The size of the wheels depends on the type of car. Modern 100 ton cars with roller bearing trucks usually have 36" wheels. Older freight cars generally had 33" wheels.
I like the Proto 2000 wheels a lot. I’ve also had good luck with Kadee and NWSL.
Passenger equipment is also 36". I use Proto exclusively now, used to use JBs, proto is more economical. Will still use the JB when electrical PU is needed or additional weight say for a flat etc(JB is about the heaviest wheelset but has a wide tread compared to Kadee, IM, Proto) they are great for caboose lighting though.
Bob K.
You also need to check the axle length over the points. This does not seem to be a standard dimension.
Another benefit of metal wheels is that they add weight to the car and therefore slightly lower the center of gravity.
I prefer the InterMountain wheelsets because they are metal wheels, a metal axle, with one wheel insulated. Other brands, P2K included, I think, have a plastic axle.