Big disappointment about new MTL 33' Metal Wheels

Dogwood Jul 8, 2019

  1. bremner

    bremner Staff Member

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    I know MTL's and Joe D'Amato's standards, if there was a bad batch, they need to know. MTL stands behind their products, after all, they recalled a passenger car last year that had a wrong color on it. Name one other company that would do that.
     
  2. Metro Red Line

    Metro Red Line TrainBoard Member

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    The FVM wheelset famine will apparently be over by this Fall, fingers crossed.
     
  3. Dogwood

    Dogwood TrainBoard Member

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    Metal wheels have only been available for a short time for years. Are all made in Asia or even in the states?
     
  4. Rich_S

    Rich_S TrainBoard Member

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    Micro-Trains metal wheels are manufactured in the USA.
     
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  5. Metro Red Line

    Metro Red Line TrainBoard Member

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    I'm not into the MTL metal wheels, and I personally think they're kinda nasty, but that's my opinion and my choice.

    In the big picture, more manufacturers doing metal wheels is great for N scale and the hobby as a whole, and while I might not want to buy MTL metal wheels myself, I suspect they will be a great "gateway drug" for N those scalers who prefer MTL plastic wheels, but are somewhat curious about metal wheels and their benefits. So their entry into the metal wheel game is welcome. Ultimately, it gives us N scale consumers more choices, and that's a GREAT thing for a hobby that's supposedly "dying."

    I will give MTL props for upgrading the quality of their cars in recent years, with added detail, etched metal parts, body-mounted couplers and lower, more prototypical-looking ride heights. Those TBOX cars coming out next year have me really excited.
     
  6. Hansel

    Hansel TrainBoard Member

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    As to the 3 other manufacturers you listed, I would stay away from the first one. I have about 10 axles where the wheels fall right off when I installed them into my MTL trucks. I highly recommend the second manufacturer you listed.
     
  7. Dogwood

    Dogwood TrainBoard Member

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    Yes you are right. FVM are not 100% reliable.
     
  8. jpwisc

    jpwisc TrainBoard Member

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    I love FVM wheels. I have bought and installed around 800 FVM axles. I had one bad one out of all those. With plenty of run time, no issues. They are a pretty safe bet.

    That being said I really like the rear profile of the Tangent and BLMA metal wheels.
     
  9. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Count me in on Dogwood's post. "Only MTL...what else?" quoting Dogwood.
     
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  10. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    I am almost 100% metal wheels and I would never think of using plastic wheels again!
     
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  11. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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    I like any wheels that are round and not square. Doesnt matter who makes em or what material they use !
     
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  12. John Moore

    John Moore TrainBoard Supporter

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    Lest we forget Bachmann has been using metal wheels since before time. Some of the inexpensive Bmann cars I bought back in the early 80s had metal wheels and those cars are still running on my layout today. I have a good mix of metal wheels and plastic wheels today and I notice no .difference between the two. My only gripe with metal wheels is the shiny metal forcing one to either chemically blacken them or paint them and that can effect running quality. Back a number of years somebody introduced brown plastic wheels, I believe InterMountain and they are about the closest match I have seen to real wheel colors.
     
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  13. BarstowRick

    BarstowRick TrainBoard Supporter

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    Haw, haw, haw and still COL. George and your comment just struck me funny. My bad!

    I must be extra fussy. Emphasis on the Extra. I haven't been happy with anything Bmann has put out from their inception. The wheels are okay but oversized and gawdy silver... not very realistic. Most of their stuff has been slightly oversized and seldom durable. I've had my sucker light on all to often.

    I do us a mix of plastic and metal wheels. The older cars with metal wheels and the deep flanges, aren't acceptable on my layout. I've gone to the trouble to darken/blacken them in hopes they will look better. They don't. Are due to be replaced with MTL's Delrin wheels and complete truck assembly.

    I don't need metal wheels shorting out my circuits especially when running through reverse loops, balloon loops and my wyes. That would include when running from Cab A power over to Cab B power AND going from DCC power to Analog Power. Yep, I can do that but don't recommend it.

    On new equipment that arrives on my railroad property. I will run whatever wheels sets a new car shows up in. Most do not pass the stress test. However, at some point they will be changed out to MTL's, again Delrin wheel sets. Less friction in the truck. Or better said more train cars tied on behind the front end power. On my 2% grades that means something.

    Over my hobby years MTL and Kadee has been a rock solid, proven product. The answer to Rapido Couplers, shiny silver wheels, over sized flanges and in HO the X2F or horn hook coupler. How we got stuck with them in the first place is beyond my wildest imagination but we did. Oh and the F in X2F stand for exactly what you think it stands for.

    It's a hobby, you enjoy it anyway you want.
    It's your layout, you set the standard...
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2019
  14. DCESharkman

    DCESharkman TrainBoard Member

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    I have never had any shorts on turnouts on any track I have laid. If there are shorts it is likely that the track is out of gauge or the wheels are out of gauge. I gauge all my wheels before replacing the plastic wheels. And I triple check the turnouts as well. Many turnouts are out of gauge, as in too wide or they are sometimes too narrow. I fixed this by moving to Fast Tracks turnouts even on my home track.

    The one advantage to metal wheels is that they do a wonderful job polishing the rails!
     
  15. mtntrainman

    mtntrainman TrainBoard Supporter

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  16. bkloss

    bkloss TrainBoard Supporter

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    Ditto on 100% metal wheels. The first thing I do is swap out the plastic wheels. I've had great luck with FVM metal wheels and I bought in large volume when they were available in anticipation of them not being readily available for extended periods of time. I've had a few rejects but nothing compared to some others.

    Brian
     
  17. Metro Red Line

    Metro Red Line TrainBoard Member

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    Atlas promises to re-run them. They have been very good about re-running BLMA stock eventually, albeit with delays (See: China factory debacle) and former BLMA owner Craig Martyn actually works for Atlas as a consultant to ensure the BLMA stock gets re-released.
     
  18. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    I am understanding your comment regarding 'polishing the rails' as having to do with conductivity issues. The problem is in the rails themselves. Nickel silver is an alloy of nickel and brass. One can vary the proportions. Rails having a high percentage of nickel tend to have better conductivity. How much nickel goes into the mix is usually dependent on the price of nickel which has fluctuated greatly over the years. Between 2005 and 2009 there was an unusually high spike in the price of nickel. Track made in this time period can be expected to contain a higher percentage of brass to offset the price of nickel. One simple way to determine whether a piece of flex track has a high percentage of brass is to bend it. If it tends to spring back to its former shape it has a high percentage of nickel. If it tends to retain the curve then the brass content is greater. I have found that Peco C55 flex and Model Power flex tend to be more rigid and spring back. Nickel is commonly used in alloys as a hardening agent and thus the springiness of track with high nickel content. We, of course, use it for a different purpose because, unlike brass, the oxide of nickel will conduct electricity. So high nickel content = better conductivity and less need to clean track.
     
  19. Maletrain

    Maletrain TrainBoard Member

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    Umm, bending track rail really isn't a reliable way to gauge nickle content. Brass alone can range from soft to springy, depending on how much it was "work hardened" when rolled to shape and whether it was annealed (softened by heating) somewhere along the manufacturing process for the parts.
     
  20. Inkaneer

    Inkaneer TrainBoard Member

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    But it is far cheaper than hiring a lab to do a metallurgical analysis.
     

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