Has anyone changed the wheels on the concor or atlas made by rivarossi passenger cars? I am looking to use a wheel that has a smaller flange height. Will the atlas brown plastic freight car wheels work?
Ray I'd take off a wheel and measure the axle length. if you don't have one, you can get one cheap (google) then pick up FVM wheels http://www.foxvalleymodels.com/metalwheels.html
If I recall correctly I used the Intermountain 36" plastic wheels on my ConCor Bud cars and the streamline cars. Really improved the rolling characteristics to rival Kato and MTL. However, using these same wheels on the six wheel trucks on the older Atlas, Lima and Model Power cars there was contact with the brake shoes. I did not try them on the four wheel trucks. You may have to go with a 33" wheel. Try an Atlas 33" freight car wheelset in them and check for axle length and also clearance with the brake shoes.
I know this ain't for everybody, but I swap out the entire truck for M/T. I'm one of those people that has M/Ts on everything but the cat (so far) !!!
If only MTL would make a universal power-pickup truck for all my unlit passenger cars..... cheaper than those *&%$@ batteries. Yeah, I'd get in on that.
Hmm, that sounds like a good project to tackle -- getting Kato trucks and pick-up strips and adapting non_Kato car frames to take them.... actually need only modify the bolsters and cut some holes for the contacts to come up through the floor.
That is one way todo it albeit expensive. Russ Straw put me on to the IM 36" plastic wheels and the Kato 11-702 couplers. I think total cost was around $20 for about 20 or so cars. Cars couple real close. Caution is needed here as I run broad curves [24" absolute minimum]. Don't know how they work, if they work, on anything smaller.
