Welcome to the board, Norm. To help answer your question, I do the following on my equipment to get better rolling quality: 1. Replace stock plastic wheels with metal ones. Intermountain is my preferred brand. On certain types of equipment, I replace the entire truck; I use Kato or Atlas, depending on the application. 2. When using replacement wheelsets, I often use "The Tool" to clean out the axle bearings on the truck. It makes a big difference in cutting down rolling resistance. Also, a bit of dry lubricant in the axle bearings, like powdered graphite or teflon, can help things roll a little better, too.
Along with what has been said, also check to make sure that the wheelsets are not held too tightly by the trucks. You should have just a little bit of side-to-side play inside the trucks. You may need to spring them out a little bit to get the play you need. After you've replaced the wheelsets for some good metal ones and adjusted the trucks, take a very small paint brush and dab in some graphite inside the pockets around the axles. Just a little bit, as too much will only make a mess. While you're working on the trucks, adjust the screw holding the truck to the car. One truck should swivel freely but not wobble, and the other truck shuold both swivel and wobble so that you get a three-point mounting for the car. Mark
The way I get my rolling stock to roll better is to: 1. Replace the plastic wheels and axles with Kadee metal wheel sets. These are good rolling wheels and you can rely on them to be in gauge. A pack of 12 runs around $9. 2. I take an Exacto knife with I believe a #11 blade and reem out the little pocket in the trucks that the needle-point of the axle rests in. I do it enough so there is some free-wheeling, make sure you don't over do it. 3. Before putting the axle back in the truck, I use Labelle powdered teflon and put that in each axle pocket. Then I put in the axle/wheels and end up with a good set of free-wheeling axles.
The tool, a$10.00 item is superior to clean out those journal boxes. The proto 2000 wheel sets seem to be a favorite among modelers and the intermountains(100% all metal) Some wheel sets come with a rib back and some with a smooth back depending upon the manufacturing time era. Beware that wheel sets come in 28", 33", 36" & 38" size here again depending upon the ptototype. Generally passenger cars take 36",some Rivarossis are the exception. Freight cars generally take the 33" or the 36" but here again there are the exceptions.
Thanks for the information everyone! Where might I find some powdered teflon or powdered graphite? Also, doesn't graphite conduct electricity? Does it get into things and cause problems? I assume you don't use enough to cause problems, but I am a little wary. What does you think? Norm
Grahite is available at pretty much any hobby store or hardware store. It's a common dry lubricant, so you don't have problems with stuff siezing up in the cold. Cub Scouts use it religiously on their pinewood derby cars. Graphite is what's called a semiconductor. It conducts electricity, but not really well. Used sparingly it works great. Used in profusion and you get a mess. It's a bit like copy machine toner in that if it gets on your hands or something else it can get all over the place. Of course, any grease we use can make the same mess if we use too much of it and it gets in the wrong places. Mark
