Question About Micro Trains Wheels

Pete Steinmetz May 17, 2019

  1. Pete Steinmetz

    Pete Steinmetz TrainBoard Member

    735
    6
    22
    I am liquidating N Scale and have a bunch of unused Micro Trains wheels. I have both Pizza Cutters and what was called Low Profile Wheels. When I went to look at packaging and price there were High-Profile and Standard.

    I take it High-profile are the Pizza Cutters and Standard are the Low Profile.

    Would somebody confirm this or correct me?

    Thanks,

    Pete Steinmetz
     
  2. Kiha66

    Kiha66 TrainBoard Member

    73
    299
    11
    You are correct, Pizza Cutters now known as High-profile while the Standard wheels are the original Low Profile.
     
  3. Pete Steinmetz

    Pete Steinmetz TrainBoard Member

    735
    6
    22
    Thank you.

    Pete
     
  4. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

    1,367
    128
    30
    Not quite, the standard profile are somewhere between the pizza cutters and the original low profiles.
     
  5. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

    4,325
    1,424
    77

    Correct, going from my memory (which is always problematic), the pizza cutter flanges were .026" deep and the "lo Pro" were .018" deep. The new "standard flange is .022 and matches the flange depth on Atlas and other wheelsets. The standard flange wheelsets will operate on Atlas C55 track. A prototype flange in N scale would measure out to .006".
     
    BarstowRick likes this.
  6. Carl Lawson

    Carl Lawson TrainBoard Member

    44
    33
    5
    Some Micro-Trains railcars I’ve purchased have a spare set of wheels included in the jewel box with the railcar. Are these the “low-profile” wheel-sets or are they the newer “standard” wheel-sets?
     
  7. Ike the BN Freak

    Ike the BN Freak TrainBoard Member

    1,367
    128
    30
    When MT did the spare set of wheels, depending on when they did it, some cars came with the low pros installed, others pizza cutters. But for the question, they are low pros
     
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  8. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,892
    29,169
    148
    You are right Ike, when MT was putting the extra wheel sets in with cars, you were getting low pro and pizza cutter. It was after that when the 3rd flange size appeared.

    With all the craze over metal wheels the past few years and what seems to be short supplies sometimes, makes me wonder if MT has considered producing metal wheel sets. That would probably push me over the edge to go all metal wheels if they did.
     
  9. Allen H

    Allen H TrainBoard Supporter

    1,509
    2,452
    55
    You mean like these?
    [​IMG]
     
    BNSF FAN likes this.
  10. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,892
    29,169
    148
    Oh, I had not seen that. My wallet is going to be hurting now! :cool:
     
  11. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

    9,511
    5,673
    147
    I know the metal craze appears to be the thing. A fad of sorts. Just not for me. I prefer the MTL Delrin Plastic wheels over the other offerings out there. On my layout and because I have three reversing loops and one wye, the circuitry is such that if I use metal wheels I can short things out. So, I keep to and with the MTL Delrin Plastic. :cool:

    Another plus is the free wheeling capabilities. Delrin wheel sets in Delrin trucks, in my opinion are the best performers. Reduce the friction and you can increase the length of your trains. :D

    Just my two cents and I take change.:sneaky:
     
    locomcf, BNSF FAN and Allen H like this.
  12. BNSF FAN

    BNSF FAN TrainBoard Supporter

    9,892
    29,169
    148
    Since the axles on these are plastic, I'm not anticipating any issues with shorts. See they have a 12 axle pack. Ordering it so I can test them before going off the deep end. Better to be safe than sorry. :)
     
  13. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

    9,511
    5,673
    147
    That sounds right to me. l like to test or prove something before I buy into any idea or trends.
    Right on!

    Doing a 180: There is a positive to having metal wheels. This adds weight at the bottom of the train car, right where it belongs.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
  14. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

    9,982
    10,819
    143
    Has anyone actually seperately weighed 4 plastic wheelsets AND 4 metal wheelsets ? I would be interested in how much more 'weight' the metal wheelsets have over the plastic ones.

    Enquiring minds want to know...:cautious::whistle:
     
    Onizukachan likes this.
  15. bill pearce

    bill pearce TrainBoard Member

    619
    264
    18
    Not enough to matter.

    But, metal wheels don't get as dirty and gunked up.
     
  16. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

    9,511
    5,673
    147
    Contrar, I've cleaned as much gunk off of metal wheels as I have plastic. So that's kind of a toss up.

    As to the weight yes, a group of us in Big Bear Country, did weigh them. N Scale, the plastic wheels sets are lighter but only in decimals. In HO the difference was significant. If that helps. Exact measurements? Sorry, I have to get my vegetable scales back out to determine such.

    I would expect George to challenge anything I say, so we are good.
     
    mtntrainman likes this.
  17. locomcf

    locomcf TrainBoard Member

    113
    52
    20
    The MTL low profile wheels have a sharp flange, somewhat similar to that on the pizza-cutter/high profile wheels. The "standard"/medium profile wheels have a rounded flange similar to what is found on recent metal wheels. The rounded flange (not the metal the wheel is made from) is what makes these wheels track better than pizza-cutters (both high- and low-profile), particularly when pushing cars through turnouts or poorly laid track.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
    BarstowRick and BNSF FAN like this.
  18. locomcf

    locomcf TrainBoard Member

    113
    52
    20
    Of the ~300 cars on my layout, about 25% have metal wheels and rest have plastic wheels, and I don't notice any difference between them as far as picking up dirt/gunk.
     
    Last edited: May 19, 2019
    BarstowRick likes this.
  19. locomcf

    locomcf TrainBoard Member

    113
    52
    20
    Just a guess, but I think that Rick may have been referring to the possibility that metal wheels might cause a short between the stock and point rails on turnouts that are not "DCC friendly".
     
    MK and BarstowRick like this.
  20. Maletrain

    Maletrain TrainBoard Member

    734
    340
    18
    When you are running both plastic and metal wheels, how can you tell where the "gunk" is coming from? My understanding is that thin black deposits are metallic residue from arcing, while the gunk is plastic residue that comes off the plastic wheels. Trains mix them on the rails to get "black gunk." So, my question really is: Do folks who run only metal wheels still get thick gunk buildups?
     

Share This Page