28" wheels

Just caught that these were out. Been busy and not paying much attention.

What ran on 28" wheels besides auto racks. (RC/MT)

 

Neither the Red Caboose nor the Micro-Trains autoracks take 28" wheels - none of them.

Only the Exactrail Vert-a-Pak car and some Auto-max (ATL/ATH) but not all.

Jason

 

Huh? What do you mean? The prototype doesn't run 28" wheels or the RC/MT autoracks won't take them? I have NWSL 28" wheels on my RC autoracks, but I don't think the axles are a good fit.

 

The prototype that the RC and MT autoracks are models for all run on 33" wheels.

 

I'm confused now. Everyone told me that 89' autoracks used 28" wheels. Now everyone says they don't. Who am I to believe now?

 

Atlas Front Runners.

Also some of the first FVM pack were mislabel, the MT size came in the Atlas back and vice versa.

 

28" wheels were required for only the 89' flats that have a lower deck height the what was 'standard'. ACF had a 'low-level Hitch Hiker' 89' flat that used 28" wheel while their regular 'Hitch Hiker' used 33"s. Pullman had a car called "Lo-Deck" which I believe took 28" wheels but the drawing isn't marked.

The Exactrail car is an example of a lower deck car so it takes the 28" wheel. I only know the Automax because you can actually read it in photographs (but it isn't all cars).

I don't know anything about the Front-Runners.


Jason

 

Generally, tri-level autoracks use 28", bi-levels use 33".

 

That just simply isn't true.

Here's a tri-level with 28" wheels.

http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/auto/ettx701252.jpg

Here's a couple standard cars.

http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/auto/ettx950266.jpg

http://crcyc.railfan.net/crrs/auto/ettx902136.jpg


You can see the difference in the thickness of the sil and the height of the deck.

The standard for for even tri-level cars is 33" wheels.

Jason

 

Jason is correct - the only auto rack model that prototypically should run always on 28" wheels is the Vert-a-Pak. All MTL or RC auto racks should be on 33" wheels. The Auto Max depends on the prototype.

Some depressed center flats, such as the GHQ transformer car or the MTL six-axle car, would ride on 28" wheels depending upon the railroad prototype. For example - regarding the GHQ model, New Haven transformer flats ran on 28" wheels while I believe that CNW transformer flats did not, even though the prototypes were very similar. You have to check your road and prototype.

 

what about the walthers 5 & 3 pack double stacks?

 

Damn - I wasted all that money on NWSL 28" wheelsets!


(Actually I got a few of them for very cheap from a LHS' moving sale, but now I'm gonna have a bunch of 28" wheels that have no purpose...so much for attempting to be prototypical. )

Now I'm not so excited about those new FVM 28" wheels anymore... :I

 

So the RC racks I have would be 33". MTL 89' flats 33", Walthers stacks 33", Athearn BN husky 33"?
I'm confused, I was going to ask in a thread but I won't have to start one.

 

Jason and B.Bussey are totally correct. Prototypes that utilize 28" wheels that I can think of:

low deck 89' flats under auto racks
a rare few low deck 89' flats with hitches for TOFC service
vertipacks
most if not all early articulated spine cars : 10 pack fuel foilers, Itel Impack, etc.
2 axle Front Runners
end trucks on some AutoMax cars (center truck has 33")
some heavy duty flats (and some have rare 30" wheels too)

No 28" wheels under any well cars (double stack cars).

Bigford and MRL, generally, single unit and drawbar connected well cars have 33" wheels, but there are a few with 36" wheels. Early articulated well cars (Thrall Lo-Pac 2000 and Gunderson Twinstack) have 33" on the ends and 36" under the articulated connections. Modern articulated well cars have 33" on the ends and 38" under the articulated connectors.

 

First, I said generally, second, never mind, third, never mind.

 

It's good to see that some people have been listening to me over the years...