Converting freight cars to Proto:48

Protocraft and Northwest Short Line are the two most obvious sources for trucks and wheelsets for converting cars and locos to P48.

 

NWSL has a drop-in geared wheelset to P48 specs.  Model #2533-6.  Page 13 in the link above.  Replacement wheelsets for rolling stock can be found on pages 11 and 12 of the same catalog.  

 

One of the keys with modeling to P48 specifications is using the accurate track gauge of 4'-8½".  If you just replace wheelsets, you will need to adjust the position of sideframes to relect this narrower gauge.

 

An alternative is to purchase trucks full trucks from Protocraft.  However, there is limited selection of types, and also they can be expensive.  The trucks are highly detailed, but costly.

 

You can purchase ready made P48 track, or lay your own.  

 

Doing P48 in a simple way is about the track gauge and the wheel profiles.  Theoretically everything else can stay the same.  P48 modeling is often taken to a highly detailed level overall, but the real underpinnings of the movement are the track and wheels.  Although it does seem counter-intuitive to go to all that trouble with the wheels and track only to slough off on the rest of the layout.

 

I hope this helps.  I'm not an expert on P48 by any means, although I have explored it..  It suits my detail-oriented nature.  Perhaps some others can chime in with addtional insights.

 

Jim

Also take a look around the Proto48 Modeler website and the OST P48 forum for a look at what others are up to.  Also Cougill Studios.

 

Jim

San Juan Car Co has plastic P48 trucks.  Usable with NWSL wheel sets.

 

ChipR

P:48 and Finescale are not necessarily the same thing although they are generally thought of as so.  Change the track gauge to 4'8.5" and maybe regauge your wheels and your P:48, but by no means Finescale.  It's about 1/20" difference.  The real noticeable difference is changing over to .135 or smaller wheel treads.  That allows you to bring in the sideframes of any trucks more than 1/8" and usually ~1/4".  That alone makes a huge visual difference whether or not you change the track gauge.  Gary Schrader has a video on YouTube of an Ow5 AC12 with finescale, .115, wheels on his layout which anyone would have a difficult time telling is not P:48.  Likewise, Erik Stott is making his Sd45s with .115 wheel treads in both Ow5 and P:48 in addition to the Ow5 .145 wheels.  The finescale wheels make WAY more difference than the track gauge.  If you are using .145 or wider wheels it is likely, do to the slop, that you will not even have to regauge the wheels to use them on P:48 track.

I totally forgot about finescale! That actually sounds better. I wouldn't have to regauge everything. Your right about the wheels, they make more of a difference than the track gauge. I watched a video of a guy who laid O gauge track that would pass as P:48 quality, I believe he's even a member of this forum.

i recently saw a set of of the conversion wheels for the SW9 on ebay. 

 

I am wondering what you intend to do with the 3 rail trucks you take off? I need 3 sets lol

 

Vince

I can see the difference in track gauge.  I sort of do not like the looks of finescale wheels, which is really good because my patience with track laying is not good.

 

Going from the forgiving tinplate wheels and track to P-48 is a jump from one end of the spectrum to the other.  Track and switches must be perfect.

 

My impression has always been that Proto-48 required .115 wheelsets, except for steam models.  I have 1 1/8" gauge tracks so I can use .172 wheelsets and still have the sideframes where they belong - under the car body.  I tried .115 wheelsets, and they made it for almost an entire season, when the temperature changed and hence my track gauge.

 

The only reason NWSL even makes .172 wheelsets is me - yet a lot of importers still use that size.  All MTH 2- rail products are .172.  There has to be a reason. . .

To me now thinking about it, the P:48 track gauge doesn't look like I'd notice it, I think I'd just do P:48 standards on Standard O gauge tracks.

 

I've been using the .115 wheelsets on standard gauge for several years.  Track is laid to NMRA standards.  NWSL has drop in metal wheelsets for most trucks like Athearn, IM, RC, and San Juan.

Charlie   

It was always a puzzle to me why these narrow wheel treads give some of us fits and not others.  After all, HO scale works with treads like .115.

 

But note - there are some very serious modelers who tried to get NMRA standards changed to .145, which is way, way wider than the prototypical .115.  One has to wonder why they were reluctant to go to the scaled down wheel tread of .115.

 

If you are having no trouble with .115, I say go for it.  If you are an average modeler, pay attention to the experts.

 

Opinion.

Gary Schrader maintains that as long as track sticks to NMRA standards .115 (he says .117) works fine.  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eVptvhy_AS0

 

There is a new video with the AC12 pilot model with the Tsunami DCC decoder that controls two separate drive motors and sound and lights.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3Uk1xiheao

 

the NMRA standard was changed from .172 to .145 because the commercial track is getting better.  Atlas O 2-rail switches are notoriously out of NMRA spec which is why .115 won't work with them.

I did not realize they actually changed the standard.  If they compromised on the wide .145 to accommodate Atlas switches, that is a very poor reason. Opinion.

 

I find that the .155 wheels found on Sunset work ok here.  If I get a car with .145 wheels, they get replaced.  I will never, ever have Gary Schrader's skills - my track goes in and out of gauge with the seasons, and that includes what little Atlas plastic track I have.  Actually, I have a couple of pieces of Atlas that had to be pulled because the gauge was too narrow for .172 wheelsets.

 

In the beginning of Proto- 48, the true pioneers told me they were having very poor results with steamers with .115 driver treads.  These were guys who knew how to lay track.  I suppose things have gotten better.

 

All that being said, I am 100% in favor of what these modelers are doing.  We should never have been stuck with Russian gauge in the first place.

 

I agree with Bob's last statement, but I had too many 5' gauge steam locos already to seriously think about changing track gauge.  I do however, have to turn down the driver flanges on SOME locos to close to prototype height and thickness.  This alteration is not only for appearance, but to cut down on the bumpty-bump going though switch frogs.  

Does anyone know if Atlas and MTH follow the new standard of .145 wheels?

That is an excellent question.  I remember the discussion about changing the standard, but did not realize they did it.  The .172 wheel is no longer in any NMRA standard; only the .145 is listed.

 

MTH and Atlas make no mention of compliance in their literature.  Both cater to the lower end of O Scale 2- rail, so I doubt they will go to the narrower treads soon.  Might ask them directly?

 

The 3-rail scale crowd is leaning toward scale wheels on 3- rail track.  I would guess that they will be happier with the wider wheels, and they are a much bigger market.

I wish that Atlas and MTH would do the NMRA standard. It would make the 2-Railer happy. Or that they would give more accurate detail. Plus thy make the affordable O scale trains I can afford. Oh well, if Standard O or P:48 don't work I'll try On30.