Wheel sets

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

New guy again. Looking at wheel sets. I find 33" and 36". Also flat-backed and rib-backed. How do I know what type I need and does brand make a difference? I already know that I want to have metal wheels, not plastic.

wdcrvr

2

Its about preference. I use Intermountain wheel sets on my rolling stock. I also have a few Proto 2K also. Earl…

3

wdcrvr:

Size: 33" wheels are the most common freight wheels. 36" wheels go on mainly passenger and some very modern freight cars.

Flat backed: represent cold-rolled steel - from the mid 1930’s to present

Rib-backed: Cast wheels - The ribs were to aid cooling. Pre-war.

As to brand: As posted, there are several brands. It also depends on whether you want metal or plastic axles. All are a preference. You can also go to the “semi-scale” wheels, which have a narrower tread (0.088") than the NMRA standard (0.110"). These have a few issues which you will need to be aware of.

This subject is periodically beaten to death in the forum: Search for the threads. (“wheel sets”, “semi-scale wheels”, etc.)

My personal preference is Reboxx semi-scale wheelsets in sprung metal trucks. However, the Proto 2000 (P2K) wheels are good, as are Intermountain. Kadee also make very nice wheelsets, but their wheels are sintered, not machined, and are thus somewhat porous, which leads to picking up more “gunk” from the rails. Their truck frames are excellent, however.

4

I mainly used PK 2000 wheels, then the inter mountains wheels became cheaper at K 10, so I buy them now. Both seem to be equal to me.

Ken

5

I use the 33" intermountain wheel sets and for the 36" I like to use the wheel sets from a pair of Atlas trucks. The intermountain 100 piece wheel sets are not blackened but with a bit of floquil or Poly S rust and grimy black paint you can weather them. I really like metal wheel sets. the trains run more smoothly and don’t get dirty flanges in a short period of time like plastic wheel sets can. …Chuck

6

I prefer Intermountain wheelsets. They are extremely free rolling. I buy them in 100 axles in a box. You’ll be glad you went to metal wheelsets too. PW

7

Here is the ‘wheel’ info:

  • 28" - used on some inter modal and auto carriers due to overall height restrictions.
  • 33" - used on freight cars with a capacity of 77 tons or under.
  • 36" - used on freight cars with a capacity greater than 77 tons, and up to 125 tons. Also the most common wheel size for passenger cars.
  • 38" - used on freight cars with a capacity greater than 125 tons.
  • Rib-Backed - usually found on older wrought iron wheels(outlawed now)
  • Flat-Back - the current standard wheel on the prototype

I use Intermountain wheel sets(cheaper by the built box). I have used P2K, but the cost has gotten quite high. There are different axle length requirements for each manufacturers trucks, so you may need to try different ones(ReBoxx sells different length wheel sets). I have found that the Intermountain sets are consistent and fit in most of my plastic truck side frames.

Jim