Hello all I am in the process of building my layout and would still like to use more steam on it but I dont want to double head around the entire layout. I had a train on a 2.25% grade the other night and it would not roll at all when I took the engine off to change direction. The cars are all brand new accurial boxcars. I would like to doublehead this 2.25% grade section but not my 1.6% sections I would like to run 16 car trains. My min curve radius is 32inches. Is there wheelsets out that will let me run steam? I like bachmann's 2-8-0's ,4-8-2's and lifelikes 2-8-8-2(I know it will pull for sure). I have owned one athearn 2-8-2 sold it due to lack of pulling power,may have gotten a bad one but afraid to try another.
Are you talking freight wheel sets and also engines? I have been told many times that Lifelike sells a good pack of 33" & 36" replacement wheel sets. I don't own accurail, but I would think the upgrade should have the same profile end as the accurail for a snug fit in the frame. My personal experience, I replaced the whole truck with Kato ASF ride contoltruck & can double the amount of cars my train hauls. Superior free rolling ability but pricey.Steam engines, the heavy ones, 16 1/2 oz plus should provide good traction. Both Athearns, light pacific ,12.75 oz & mikado 13.00 oz need added weight.
<font color="336633">As far as the rolling cars.... I have had problems with some P2K cars being to free rolling, thats why I prefer kadee ones on any car that will be switched, I keep the free rolling ones (P2K and Intermountian) to cars like TOFC, COFC or any other unit train. </font>
Very True, I have found that my new Atlas Hoppers with stock set roll the farthest,then the proto car with their set and finally kadee car with their set. If I want to speed things up fron here, I go Kato.
I use Central Valley trucks with real working springs. They have precision brass wheels, and will coast down a .5% grade from a standing stop. My two and a half pound (old) Mantua Pacific (with a DC-71 motor) pulls 22 up a 3% with no problem and does not have traction bands. It would probably pull more cars, but that's all I have on brass wheels so far. Your engine can not be too heavy, (unless it falls through your layout!) You need weight on the engine, and good flexible trucks, plastic wont cut it.
Yes, freight cars should roll. Reboxx makes replacement wheelsets for a large variety of different manufacturers cars. Right now their website seems to be down, but you might try them Monday if you are interested. http://www.reboxx.com As was mentioned, sometimes cars can roll too good and you will need some way to hold them on a grade.
Changing the wheels is the first thing I do with any new freight or passenger car that comes with plastic wheels. I replace them with Kadee wheelsets and 95% of the time retain the original trucks. Before I put the wheelsets in, I use some Labelle powered teflon and put that in the sockets that holds the axles. This makes the cars free wheeling. Occassionally, I will get one that won't free wheel. In that case, I will get out the exacto knife and trim out some plastic in the axle socket and then the unit will free wheel.
See MR Oct 01, page 51, upper top left side. There's a tool for that purpose.Western Star is the hobby distributor
Hey all! Whenever I get around to building my own layout I'm going to replace or try to get freight & passenger cars with metal trucks/wheels or just the wheels. Them plastic ones are ok for now but sooner or later the company should make any freight or passenger car with metal trucks & wheels.
Union Pacific, here's a nickel's worth. Plastic wheels have additives, to give wheels their authentic color. Over time these pigments will accumulate at the wheel surfaces and transfer onto the track along with other contaminates dirty up the track. Metal wheels such as intermountain, proto are slick, clean and more free rolling.
In my first test I bought some life like and some k-d wheels. The life like wheel rolled better in my accurail cars it seems that accurail truck are not tappered good you need a slinder taper on the axle life like is smaller than k-d or the accurail wheels. I think the tool mentioned in another post would correct this problem in the trucks. I will probably go with lifelike wheels for now. P.S. I hope to have some photos up soon of my rr the Alabama Northern R.R.
