Of the umpteen N Scale Cars I have - many are Micro Train trucks with plastic wheelsets. I have decided to swap out all the plastic with new or used metal so my question is two-fold. I have numerous metal wheelsets in a storage container and wonder if and how I should pre clean them ( just in case they have grunge ) before I install. No sense in putting dirty wheels on I say. Secondly - as for replacement sets - is there a big difference between the different brands of metal wheel sets. Am I limited to using only M/T metal wheels on M/T trucks or can I off brand without an issue.
Now would be a good time to clean them. Perhaps try a couple of methods, such as isopropyl alcohol, or Goo-Gone. Whatever gets it off, and leaves to residue to pick up more dirt.
I have been planning to try using an ultrasonic cleaner next time wheels need cleaning. There is a great range of quality and appearance between wheel sets. I like Fox Valley wheel sets. Early on I discovered there is also a few different axle lengths. Microtrains use a shorter axle length and Atlas uses the longer.
I agree with hoyden. A ultrasound will do the job with whatever solution you care to clean them with. The unit is also handy for cleaning other parts as well ... a good investment! Can't offer any help on wheel-sets. I'm a HOer.
You will need a way to measure the axle lengths of each wheel set, original and replacements, to the nearest 0.001" so that they match pretty well. Otherwise, you may end-up with some trucks that lose their wheels on the layout and others that add a lot of drag or might not roll at all. Bachmann in particular has had a variety of axle lengths over the years, most a lot longer than Microtrains. And, if you have any Roundhouse or Athearn cars, you might be very peasantly surprised how much easier good metal wheels from Fox Valley, BLMA and others make them roll. I bought some Athearn "Overland" passenger cars used, and they came with what I think were the OEM wheels. When I tested them, a Bachmann 2-6-0 with traction tires started to slip its driving wheels with more than one car, until I changed the car wheels to BLMA metal ones, and then it pulled 5 all of those cars with no apparent problem.
