I am going to purchase metal wheel sets, to up-grade cars as I build / work on them. I have it pretty much in mind that I’m going with the bulk package (100) of Intermountain 36", but while strolling through various manufacturer’s offerings, I seen Athearn metal wheel sets as “long axle” and “short axle” Is this something more one has to consider is axle length ? I only seen this with Athearn wheels. Whats up with this?
Mike.
I can’t help with the long and short axle question, other than to say that there are some different axle lengths out there. If you try to put a wheel set with a long axle into a side frame that wants a short axle, the wheel set will bind.
I do question why you want to standardize on 36 inch wheel sets, unless all your cars are 100 tons cars. These would be modern tank cars, covered hoppers, and coal cars. If you have box cars, older gondolas, etc., they would use 33 inch wheels.
Thanks Maxman, I do model recent / modern era , my trains (using the industries I serve on my layout, and “run through” trains) tend to be different covered hopper, open hoppers, tankers, flats, some coil cars, and gondolas, box cars and reefers. I have acquired a few of the highly detailed RTR cars, like FRV , Intermountain, and Athearn, as far as box cars and reefers. Using my scale ruler, it seems like the reefers (Intermountain ARMN cars) are the only ones with 33" wheels, so I thought 36" would be a good compromise. as I am not a 100% pure prototypical modeler. And with passenger equipment, I replace the wheels with what ever size was on the car originally, which also seems like a lot of 36". I guess I never thought about axle length, thinking they were all the same, until I ran across an ad by Horizon Hobby, for Athearn wheel sets.
Another thing that threw me off a is the Reboxx truck tuner I bought. It seems so short. You really have to squeeze the truck frames together to make this little tool work.
Reboxx also sell replacement wheel sets. On their website they list many different model manufacturers and which length axles they recommend: http://www.reboxx.com/wheelsets.htm. I don’t vouch for the accuracy of the info, and I also know that I’ve read on this forum where some disagree with the necessity of being perfectly accurate in this regard.
Regarding the truck tuner, there was a thread where the subject of the Reboxx truck tuner was discussed. MicroMark, http://www.micromark.com/SearchResult.aspx?deptIdFilter=0&searchPhrase=truck+tuner, also makes one of these. As I understand the information from the thread, the Micromark truck tuner was longer than the Reboxx tool, and squeezing the side frames together was not required. I can’t speak with first hand experience on this, as I have the Micromark tool and don’t have the squeezing issue.
About wheel diameter, any car with less than 100 ton load limit should really have 33 inch wheel sets. Not really a big deal if you want to do different but I would try a few to see if you end up with a coupler height issue.
Thanks again Maxman, I’ll have to get a MicroMark tuner, when I checked a while ago they said they were out stock, and not known when they would be available , so I thought the Reboxx was the same thing, which, obviously is not the case. I have a few 36" left, and enough 33" for a couple cars. I’ll do some coupler height testing, with various cars, before I jump into a box of 100 36".
Mike.
You really should use the wheel sizes that are on the car originally. To put 36" wheels on a car that is supposed to have 33" will almost certainly result in coupler height issues. As far as axle length, if you put axles that are too short in a truck that is wider, you will have horizontal coupler alignment issues. If they are seriously short, they may fall out of the sideframe, with resulting unpleasantness.
Your two best tools for this project will be a 6" digital caliper and a Kadee coupler height gauge. Use the caliper to measure the axles you are removing, and the height gauge to check the coupler height after you’ve replaced the wheelsets.
Unfortunately, manufacturers have never standardized on the axle length for model railroad wheelsets, so their sideframes are all slightly different in width.
I have experienced all the issues above in upgrading all of my 140-odd freight cars with metal sprung trucks and Reboxx code 88 wheelsets, so I speak from experience… [:)]
That was always my intentions, as I mentioned before. Like when I mentioned I have a few of the more highly detailed cars, by Athearn, FRV and Intermountain, along with older BB, and Round House car kits, and the only car that came equipped with 33" wheels is the Intermountain ARMN reefer. The rest were all 36", so when I “make-over” the older kit cars, with Kadee couplers and wheel sets, I was sticking with the 36". To put it simply, what came on the car is what I wanted to refurbish it with, as far as the size of the wheels. I would never go from 33" to 36".
The axle length is what threw me off, as I just thought they were all the same, and after looking at wheel sets available, I discovered Athearn, and now learning about Reboxx, have different lengths. The only thing I regret so far, is buying the Reboxx truck tool verses the MicroMark, as they were, and still are, out of stock, so I went with the Reboxx, and it seems so short, as you can read in my previous post on this thread. So I have a Micro Mark tool on back order, and I will continue on with my up-dating program with older kit cars I have.
Thanks for you input, GMCRail.
Mike.
I am having a similar problem of long vrs short axel length. I am converting a Rivarossi 1930 vintage passenger car with 4 wheel trucks to metal wheels for lighting pickup. I have tried several different suppliers’ wheel sets and have the same problem. The axels are too short. The wheels just fall out.
This cannot be the first time this problem has come up-----there must already be a solution. Can any of you tell me what wheel set will work?
Thanks
Jeff
Jeff,
Not sure on answering your wheel axle length question, but I do know for lighting / power pick-up, you need an axle that has a non-insulated metal wheel on one side, and a insulated (wheel to axle connection) on the other. Set up one truck with the non-insulated wheels on one side, and set up the other truck with the opposite arrangement. This is for DC power. I’ve seen various wheel sets from sellers on eBay that are sold by dimensions, of the wheel diameter and the axle length, in “mm”. Maybe check those out. I know I have seen the whole truck assembly for sale.
Mike.
You need to measure the axle length of the stock wheels with a caliper. Then order the correct length and height through NWSL or Reboxx. Both of these companies have charts showing the length of their axles.
If the axles are too short they will drop down in the journals, especially going around a curve.
Thank you for responding.
The wheels that I purchased had one wheel insulated. Changing the trucks will be my last resort. I have already modified the original trucks for the pickup. I have measured the length of the axles of the original axles and each of the new wheels I bought and have the measurements.
Since many Rivarossi passenger cars have been modified for lighting, so I thought that someone would know the right wheels to buy. I believe that I need the long axles. I hate reinventing the wheel—pun intended.
This is the info I have so far:
I am told that Kadees fit in most Rivarossi trucks, however, the wheel sets have plastic axles that cannot be used for the common wiper style electrical pick up.
I have try Intermountain and Atlas—too short.
Reboxx make different length of axles to fit the various widths of trucks. I have seen Reboxx with long axles but no actual dimensions to compare to. I believe that Athearn also has long axles, but I have not seen the length. Northwest Short Line no length data.
Thanks again for responding.
Be careful with the Rivarossi passenger trucks(both 4 axle and 6 axle). The original ‘pizza cutter’ wheels were 31" diameter due to the extra large flanges. Putting a correct 36" wheel in the side frames usually results in:
I have replaced the Rivarossi wheels with Kadee wheels in the past, but you lose the electrical pick if the car is so equipped. I have several Rivarossi streamline baggage cars and I have used Walthers trucks on them. I did a complete overhaul of the bolsters and coupler pads as well - But since they are baggage cars, I have not done any lighting. I do not have any Rivarossi wheel sets left, so I cannot ‘Mike’ them for you.
ReBoxx does have an application chart here:
http://www.reboxx.com/Documents/Wheelsets/36%20Application%20Chart.pdf
Per that information, it appears that the ReBoxx ‘36-1-1.015’ wheel set is the match for the AHM/Rivarossi trucks(both HW & LW passenger cars).
Jim
Jim has linked to the Reboxx chart showing lengths. Here is the NWSL link:
http://nwsl.com/uploads/CHAPTER_3_2013.pdf Scroll down to page 3.4