Ok, which is preferred on your rolling stock-metal or those supplied with the car kit? Should I change all my plastic wheelsets to the metal ones, and why? Thank you
Well, you don't have to go this far, but I swap out all the trucks for the appropriate Jay-Bee, Kadee, etc. truck for that car. The metal wheels have pointed axle ends, which allows them to roll a lot more freely that some plastic wheels. Also, the metal wheels weigh more, and will stay on the track better. First thing I do when I get a new kit is heave the trucks (including the wheels). There are some exceptions, of course (caboose trucks, passenger car trucks) but everything gets metal Kadee wheels. ------------------ Corey Lynch Pres - Rensselaer Model RR Society, NEB&W RR http://www.rpi.edu/~lynchc/Railfanning/railfanning.htm - My Site http://www.union.rpi.edu/railroad/ - NEB&W
<font color="336633">I change all my wheels for Kadee metal ones, including Atlas ones, as they dont have the correct wheel profile. i wonder what Tunnel88 will say...... </font> ------------------ Matthew wheres all the C636's???? stickymonk.com Matts Photo gallery TrainBoard member #257
Got METAL? I have replaced all the weelsets on my rollingstock with JB or Kadee metal weelsets. I think they preform better, Sound better, and reduce the ammount of track cleaning that I do . Plastic tends to acculimate gunk, and so far I havent experienced this with the metal. I think its been over a year since I have cleaned my track. I do keep the origional trucks though, at least till someone comes out with an affordable realistic sprung truck....Mike
I've used Kadee, Proto 2000, and Intermountain replacement wheelsets. I like the Intermountain the best. The reason you should consider switching to metal wheels are: they run cleaner than plastic. Plastic wheels tend to pick up and retain dirt more than metal wheels. Metal wheels are heavier. They look better. They are more free-wheeling. I buy Intermountain wheels in bulk packs of 100 for under $50 with club discount. The intermountain wheels are the heaviest of the three I have used. Kadee wheels tend to wear and leave their coating on the track. I suppose eventually that ends but it seems to be a bit of a problem. The P2K wheels aren't as heavy as the intermountain. NWSL also makes quite a few different sorts of wheels. I haven't used their freight car wheels, but I love their locomotive replacement wheelsets! Have fun. ------------------ Union Pacific - Hawaii sounds nice until you realize there are no trains.
Some of the "metal" wheels, are plastic that are flash plated on the tire and flange, so are not as heavy as the solid metal wheel. They charge you the same price, so get the solid metal. One thing bad about plastic wheels, is, if you set the car down on its wheels on a shelf, (not on rails), the flanges tend to flatten expecially in sunlight. This can make the car hop or derail. If you discard plastic wheels, keep the metal axels. You will find uses for them. Throw a few wheels around the roundhouse too. ------------------ Watash #982 "See you in the Pit"
<font color="336633">Is that the black coating? If it is I never have had that problem as I put them in my lathe and polish them with a brass brush or almost worn out 800 grit wet and dry</font> ------------------ Matthew wheres all the C636's???? stickymonk.com Matts Photo gallery TrainBoard member #257
On other reason to go metal wheels is if you are running DCC, for some reason plastic wheels leave gunk on the rails and require more frequent track cleaning. I've been told that it has to do with the electrical properties of the square wave AC and causing ionaztion. ------------------ When in doubt, empty your magazine. Member #33
UPFAN- Where do you get your Intermountain wheels?? I know that I would not get the discount, but what is their normal price for 100?? THX
I've seen ads in MR where you can get the discount, but i don't recall who was selling em! Metal wheels are definitly the way to go. Everyone has their own preference, and some wheels work in some trucks better. You probably should test em out. Sticky is right about the Atlas wheels, they are way off on the contour. Kadee's have the best(of the RP25 crowd) but at a premium price. I'm now into the Proto 87 wheels which are just beautys. I'm betting Kadee will do some nice ones, at probably at a much better price than NWSL! Wish they'd get on the ball. I have a lot of Kadees and P2K wheels that i'm trying to get rid of and will probably give a nice price. Actually getting around and boxing them all up is the hard part though!
I am converting couplers and wheels to Kadee. If I am to convert DC to DCC one day in HO too This is manditory.
Hey tunnel 88, would the proto 87 wheels work well with regular track(providing it's layed well), or do I have to make the track "proto 87 compatible". I currently use Atlas code 83 track with their custom line switches.
Well the safe answer is no. Just to see i've run cars over Atlas custom line 6s to see and sometimes they work fine but other times they don't at all. Your best bet would be to lay the switches, as the rest of the track is fine. Incidentally i just put wheels on a P2K GP30 which is the first unit i've done thats completely powered(no half finished wiring or anything like that ) but i've yet to run that through any nmra gauged switches... i think i'll do it tomorrow and just comment on how it worked. If you want the look of the thin wheel, NWSL does sell them gauged to NMRA specs, but i haven't tried these myself. The big drawback regardless is cost... not cheap wheels at all.
Has anybody heard of Cliff Line wheelsets? They're brass with steel axles. I've never seen them, but have a lead on a bunch of them at a good price. Are they any good? Anybody have any experience with them? Mark
I just picked up a package of LL P2K 36" Wheel sets. Has anyone else used these? How do they compare to Kadee wheel sets? Bry
I use the ones that come with their kits Bry, and they seem to be OK. I use Jay Bee wheelsets, Kadaes, P2K , whichever is available at the time. as far as I am concerned they all work equally well....Mike
Way back when I had my first American Flyer HO train, the freight cars with sprung trucks (some of them came that way) consistently ran better than the solid sideframe trucks. But the plastic wheels always gunked up and were hard to clean. (time passes) Now, with a Dremel brass brush, it's far easier, in fact, too easy to clean the wheels. I've "cleaned" metal wheels right through the shiny nickel plating to the brass beneath, and I can imagine what I'd do to a plastic wheel. Fortunately, I standardized on Kadee trucks (and wheels) when I started my small empire (at this point some 40 cars). I love the sound of metal wheels (I may even make cuts every 40' to add some clickity-clack). I am also now using solvents to clean the wheels, reserving the Dremel for the really hard stuff. I haven't been completely happy with the KD cast aluminum wheels, they don't polish up like the well-used steel on the prototype. What shine you get quickly dulls. But they don't gunk up and they are guaged and profiled perfectly. I recently started testing some P2K wheels because they are shinier than the KD's. They seem similar in rolling qualities. I have also noticed that wheels that pick up power tend to get gunky rather quickly (like in tenders, passenger cars and cabeese ) - but when they need cleaning, tehy tell you by not working!
