Well, i'm finally trying to get all my wheels together so i can figure out what i have... Here's a pic of me starting- http://clem.mscd.edu/~jimenez/Stuff/wheels.JPG My workbench area is quite messy as you might notice! I'm trying to clean things up~ I'm not sure how much to try and sell them for though... They go for about 60 cents each new. Oh yeah, if the Accurail Protomates are workable i'll be getting rid of those Kadees as well!(i'm taking off the Kadee's as well as the wheels as i put my cars in wrapping and box them for short term storage)
AHHH tell us about the protomates. I"ve seen smaller sized copelers advertized but still havent seen them in person. What do they cost, how hard to instal ect. I also have tried the NWSL wheelsets ( well 1 set anyway) and I have found that they do fine untill they come to an Atlas turnout. Problem seems to be the frog area, have you run into this yet?.....Mike ------------------ Its only Money !!
I don't know if you've read anything else that i've posted, but i will be handlaying switches to the P87 tolerences... Regarding the Accumate here's the last thing i've heard on it(I'm about due to start bugging Eric again! ) No one that i know has got their hands on these yet as you'll see. This is their reply from around the 4th of July... <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Hi Benjamin, This will be a bad news/good news sort of email. The bad news of course is the delays the proto coupler has been experiencing (and is continuing to experience), even to the point where there was consideration of stopping it altogether. Much of this was due to a huge backup in the tooling department. But... I've just been informed that the coupler project WILL be resuming, though the release date has had to be pushed back to the fall. Sorry again to be the bearer of bad news, but I guess 'better late than never' would be a good phrase to use. Another bit of good news, however is that your emails (and others asking about it) have helped keep the project from falling by the wayside. They played a big part in showing that the interest is still very much out there for a proto sized coupler. It's a little out of my sphere of direct influence, but I guarantee that I'm going to keep nagging and pushing as much as I can to get those suckers available as soon as possible. Have a great 4th of July holiday! Eric Cote Accurail At 07:11 PM 6/29/00 +0000, Iwrote: I know i'm probably starting to bug you guys, but what's going on? I've got five locomotive projects that are stalled waiting for a coupler! Please don't let this project fall to the wayside~ I'm pretty sure there are more people like me eagerly awaiting a scale size coupler. Just keeping you guys honest, Benjamin<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I'm not sure if anyone is familiar with the Sergent Engineering scale coupler which is just about perfect in size and appearance but is probably not the best coupler for a big layout. Here's their page- http://user.icx.net/~sergent/ Note: i haven't tried these yet.
<font color="336633"> just a quick question about proto couplers will they be compatable with normal kadees? as i would love to have scale couplers on my stock but i dont want to have to replace all of them at once</font> ------------------ Matthew wheres all the C636's???? stickymonk.com Matts Photo gallery [This message has been edited by StickyMonk (edited 12 September 2000).]
The accurail website has a little more info on them- www.foxvalley.elnet.com/~accurail/ (their link was down) Just go to the the coupler section and find the link to Proto sized coupler. From what i recall, it is compatible with other knuckle types. The Sergent on the other hand is not compatible with any other coupler... Here's the link to the Proto Accumate- www.foxvalley.elnet.com/~accurail/protoho.htm [This message has been edited by tunnel88 (edited 12 September 2000).]
I really like the way the proto 88 wheels look. But I am sort of hesitant to build my own switches. This is probably the main reason I havent went further with them yet. ( the other reason is that I finally compleated the instalation of metal wheelsets on all my rollingstock. I really hate to take such a loss right now,maby a future project. (yea like I need ANOTHER project) I think I have seen the Sargent in mags. somewhere,and they do look real nice, but,guess what another project!!! ....Mike ------------------ Its only Money !!
I totally understand! Concerning the Sergents, they are really nice but take a little effort into building them. Trying to outfit several hundred cars can put a hit on your time as well as the wallet! But they do look very good. My other concern is with the way you uncouple them. If you can access all parts of your layout there is no problem but if you can't you have to use their remote uncoupler which from what i understand rides on the cars, which doesn't look very prototypical. I probably should get some just to try em out- Maybe if they sent me a pair of Type E and F!
The Sergent Coupler works just as great as a real coupler does. Back in 1938 or 9 my dad made several pair almost exactly like Sergent's, with the exception, that dad's had a tilting bar inside, instead of the steel ball Sergent uses. Yes they look 'real' to scale. You do have to do a little very fine filing and assembly, but the effort is well worth it. They work well on DCC, but can short on engine to engine on two rail DC; just like the old Mantua loop and hook type did. (Does) I still use the Mantua only because it is the only one besides Sergent's that I can back into a flat car and couple without moving the car. Dad used the Smiley patent drawings and I think Sergent used the Bailey or some later prototype. Sergent couplers will remain set for a curve after being un-coupled on one, or straight after. They are not self centering. Neither are the real ones. For the purists, the Sergent would be the best looking and acting one. When Sergent developes the remote wand un-coupling they will be totally hands off, so just might take the market. Who knows?? ------------------ Watash
Hey Tunnel88, What if we all send e-mails to them asking them to send you a pair free for testing and report? Huh Huh? Would you accept as second choice a pair of x2f? HEE HEE ------------------ Watash
I've got way too many useless XF2s of my own... I don't think i ever showed the pic of the bag of plastic wheels i've replaced either! I should just order some on my own just to say i've tried em... Sergent
<font color="336633">i used to keep all my old plastic wheels but a few month ago i bined the lot of them, i just cant see the point in keeping hundreds and hundreds of plastic wheels, as for the x2f..... well thats the first thing that gets binned as soon as i open the box i have not got on very well with any of the new couplers they all seem to aquire an open position when they been stored for a while, so until i test out the scale ones i will be sticking to good ol' kadee</font> ------------------ Matthew wheres all the C636's???? stickymonk.com Matts Photo gallery
I don't have any use for those plastic wheels as well, i just thought it would be kind of neat to see how many i changed. I'll admit though i haven't added any in a long time. I just started throwing them away... Along with the X2Fs~ But i have plenty of unbuilt kits with plastic wheels and couplers still in the boxes...
If you wrap cars for storage, and the KD air hose (uncoupler thingy) is pressed to the open side while wrapped, the coil spring takes a "set" with time. The early McHenery's had a tiny plastic leaf type spring that did the same thing. If you set a car or especially an engine on a flat shelf or table for a length of time, the flanges of plastic wheels will flatten, and with the varnishes made today, can react, bonding to the table. (Some engines had brass wheels on the pick up side,plastic wheels on the other.) Remember, the flanges on brass wheels will eventually embed into the varnish of dining room quality tables and furniture. Especially here in Texas were it has been 105 degrees for 80 some days! Those marks are difficult to get rid of. The wife, you know! Do glue felt to a section of track, then set the engine on that for display, and your home free. ------------------ Watash
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>...i'm taking off the Kadee's as well as the wheels as i put my cars in wrapping and box them for short term storage...<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Any wheel with a rubber tire is plastic I think. What about taking a power truck from another shell and put it in so there are two motors in one engine? I haven't tried this yet, but I found I have one like that. I don't know if it came that way, or was converted. It has added weights and pulls like an ox, and no rubber tires. This is diesel wheels. (I went through this in another forum on steam drivers. We are stuck there. The factory will sell a whole set of wheels, but will not sell only one pair out of that set. There are two places that will sell one pair of drivers for $18.00 a pair. They are a different diameter that on the engine, so one pair of these wont help, can't turn down the engine's wheels because they are plastic after you go .0015" deep.) ------------------ Watash
Tunnel88, I thought everyone was talking about changing car and diesel wheels, which I think are all about the same size. You are disposing of plastic wheels, replacing with brass I guess. So- What are you doing about your engines? The ones I have seen, have brass wheels on the pickup side, plastic on the insulated side. Some of the plastic wheels have those rubber bands on them for I guess added pulling traction. Do you replace these plastic wheels, with brass insulated wheels,(for the rubber bands)? Did I find you? ------------------ Watash
All the engines i have are diesels which pick up current from all the wheels so none are plastic. I think the Athearn ones are sintered iron(?) but i'm replacing all wheelsets with NWSL nickel silver wheels- Maybe the Bachmann/Model Power/Lifelike(not Proto 2000) have the rubber whatever it's called but i'm not sure...
You are right Tunnel88, it is the steam engine drivers, that are the worst quality today, with some having the rubber. It seems the diesels are better quality manufactured than the steamers. ------------------ Watash
