I have always replaced my wheelsets with good metal products from Kadee or similar. This week I received a bunch of new Kaddee wheel sets and set about changing them on a variety of Walthers products purchased over the mast few months. To my horror not one axel turns freely on 22 cars! I then removed old axels from other stock and they are also tight.
What do I do, is there an axel guage that will ream out the tru[:(]cks to the correct size?
JOHN, Auckland New Zealand.
See the exxact socket tool,a side frame journal.
http://reboxx.u2.spwh.com/Tools.htm
Other firms also advertise this in MR for $10.00 PLUS SHIPPING
I have had this same problem – there is of course no uniformity to axle sizes.
I own that sideframe reaming took – it is in the Micro Mart catalog - but frankly I have also used the phillips screwdrive piece that came with my cordless screwdriver, with good results. Do a little at a time and retest.
Dave Nelson
John, There at least two “Standards” for axle length, NMRA and a european name I can’t remember right now, there may well be more. The two mentioned are NOT interchangable, as you have found out. This is a real minefield. If I remember right there is an explanation on Northwest Shortlines’ web site.
If you have plastic sideframes and pointed metal axles, you can often seat the axles by squeezing in on the journal boxes.
The man that does reboxx gave a clinic on axles and said that many axles are not long enough (!) and some have rounded ends instaed of pointed.
According to one reboxx publication, axle length range varies from 0.984 to 1.028 depending upon manufacturer
Check out MR’s April 02 review"Use the right wheel set".
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/002/197xvpbs.asp
Thank you for all your replies. I have emailed Reboxx and they are posting their tool to me. JOHN
I have always replaced my wheelsets with good metal products from Kadee or similar. This week I received a bunch of new Kaddee wheel sets and set about changing them on a variety of Walthers products purchased over the mast few months. To my horror not one axel turns freely on 22 cars! I then removed old axels from other stock and they are also tight.
What do I do, is there an axel guage that will ream out the tru[:(]cks to the correct size?
JOHN, Auckland New Zealand.
See the exxact socket tool,a side frame journal.
http://reboxx.u2.spwh.com/Tools.htm
Other firms also advertise this in MR for $10.00 PLUS SHIPPING
I have had this same problem – there is of course no uniformity to axle sizes.
I own that sideframe reaming took – it is in the Micro Mart catalog - but frankly I have also used the phillips screwdrive piece that came with my cordless screwdriver, with good results. Do a little at a time and retest.
Dave Nelson
John, There at least two “Standards” for axle length, NMRA and a european name I can’t remember right now, there may well be more. The two mentioned are NOT interchangable, as you have found out. This is a real minefield. If I remember right there is an explanation on Northwest Shortlines’ web site.
If you have plastic sideframes and pointed metal axles, you can often seat the axles by squeezing in on the journal boxes.
The man that does reboxx gave a clinic on axles and said that many axles are not long enough (!) and some have rounded ends instaed of pointed.
According to one reboxx publication, axle length range varies from 0.984 to 1.028 depending upon manufacturer
Check out MR’s April 02 review"Use the right wheel set".
http://www.trains.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/002/197xvpbs.asp
Thank you for all your replies. I have emailed Reboxx and they are posting their tool to me. JOHN