OK, even after a recent post I did about making sure the wheels of rolling stock are kept clean, I'm growing increasingly suspicious that there may be an inherent problem with some locomotives actual wheels and a sunsequent rapid buildup of gunk. Most of my Kato and Atlas locos run fine, but I have a Kato C44-9W, and a couple Atlas units that will build up a band of gunk, thick enough to stall the unit, within 5 minutes of running on just-cleaned track. Here's what I can't easily believe: 1) That using a wire bristle-type wheel cleaner has somehow created tiny, invisible groves that are rapidly collecting gunk...but only on these units. 2) That there's a residue left by a cleaning fluid that, again, is only effecting these units and cannot be removed ever again by anything! Here's what I've observed: 1) The effected locos have wheels that, when clean, have a dull, brass-type tint to them. 2) The unaffected loco's wheels seem have a bright, shiny, and very silver color to them 3) There appear to be locos of the same type/model/release that may have either the bright silver or dull brass-appearing wheels. If there is, in fact, variations in metal compounds when casting loco wheels, including varying uses of brass and or copper, here's a half-baked theory of mine: 1) That there is a electrical/oxidation reaction occuring between the nickel silver rail and wheels containing brass or copper. 2) This reaction results in this rapid band of buildup (carbon?) and decrease in conduction 3) This buildup increases more with each turn causing tiny arcs, which cause an increase in this reaction and carbon(?) production. 4) This reaction is similar to what occurs, over time, when you twist together a copper wire and a silver metal wire (which eventually causes the connection to fail). Again, most of my locos run fine, but a couple have this recurring problem. Thoughts? Russ [ 05. December 2002, 23:12: Message edited by: tehachapifan ]
I'll put money on the fact that sometime in the past you have MU'd different brands of locos together. The same thing happened to me and I was completely baffled until I took a good look at what was happening. You can't believe how fast the polished coating wears off a set of wheels that are being drug around spinning by another loco or locos. I took a brand new pair of Atlas SD-60's and ran them with two Kato C44-9's at an Ntrak meet and within two hours had completely ruined the wheels on the SD-60's. What you are saying about the carbon build-up and continuity is all true. But it only occurs only after the coating on the wheel tread is damaged and the brass wheel comes in contact with the track. It then perpetuates the problem. You have to get new wheel sets for the offending locos and from then on, only run them with other locos that operate at similar speeds. [ 06. December 2002, 02:32: Message edited by: HERMANzGERMAN ]
