Does anyone know of a supplier/manufacturer of O Scale 48" wheels?

You sure you aren't looking for electric locomotive wheels ? As in PRR E2 electrics? 

Of course I am.  The old adage, you want it, you will have to do it yourself.  

Precision Scale also lists wheelsets on the website - in their catalogue.    I was looking for some other stuff and saw them but not sure what size.

The wheels on the real ES44's and AC60's were not 48-inches in diameter.  They were either 44 or 45-inches.  Perhaps the correct diameters would be available and would work?

PRR Jim...PSC does not make wheels that size, and has not replied to my requests for custom made wheels

@Hudson5432 posted:

The wheels on the real ES44's and AC60's were not 48-inches in diameter.  They were either 44 or 45-inches.  Perhaps the correct diameters would be available and would work?

That may be true, but as Bob Heil correctly guessed, these are for an PRR E2b project.  And the E2b's had 48" wheels. 

That is a tough one.  Let me check with my brother.  The real problem is insulating and getting them square on an axle.  Just making the wheels should be trivial, unless you need a special shape on the back.  

Bob Stevenson may have a screw machine - not sure.  You might check out local small machine shops, although they are a dying breed.

John,

You almost gave me a heart attack about looking for wheels for and ES44 and an AC6000!  Thankfully Bob restarted my heart with his reply. 

When you say 16, are you talking axles or just discs?  And could you deal with the insulating and pressing at your shop?

Jonathon and others..sorry about the confusion!  I was just trying to indicate I wanted a simple disc wheel (no spokes) as in a modern diesel.

Bob2:  Thanks in advance. 16 discs, as you call it.  I want to make an E2b pair, each having two four wheel trucks:  4 wheels/truck x 2 trucks per unit x 2 units = 16 wheels.  I can manage the insulating and pressing. In fact I prefer to!   Probably should make it 20 wheels, as I will no doubt mess something up.

Just so we are all on the same page (Screen)

https://ctr.trains.com/galleri...prrs-electric-empire

Is there a tolerance on the 1.00" you can live with -- say 0.95 to 1.10" or something like that ?

Are you going to power one or both of these ?  [ They did MU w/ P5's, didn't they ? ]  So are you also going to need power trucks w/ an 11 ft wb ?

SZ

@Steinzeit posted:

Is there a tolerance on the 1.00" you can live with -- say 0.95 to 1.10" or something like that ?

Sure, if it was an off the shelf item then I would take +/- ,05".  But If I have to have them made, I might as well go for 1". 

Are you going to power one or both of these ?

Both

  [ They did MU w/ P5's, didn't they ? ] 

Yes, which is why I want these, rather than the Westinghouse E3b or E2c which could not be MU'd with the P5a

So are you also going to need power trucks w/ an 11 ft wb ?

Yes, and I think I have that covered.  It is those massive AAR type trucks with the 11' wheelbase and 48" wheels that help give the E2b such a massive powerful look.   (In addition to the fact that they were just plain big!)

SZ

By tolerance, I usually assume finish size and variance.  Not sure Mike can hold them closer than .002 or .003 between discs. I am checking.  Also, we have never done the .145 profile, but assume the flanges can be rounded with a couple file strokes?

What happened to Grabowski’s business?  Also, did you e-mail Jay at Right-O-Way?

And how are you going to approach the superstructure?

@bob2 posted:

By tolerance, I usually assume finish size and variance.  Not sure Mike can hold them closer than .002 or .003 between discs. I am checking.  

+/-.003 is fine.  Thanks again for checking.

Also, we have never done the .145 profile, but assume the flanges can be rounded with a couple file strokes?

Isn't that a standard tread width?  

What happened to Grabowski’s business?  Also, did you e-mail Jay at Right-O-Way?

Did not contact either. since I did not know they did such things

@bob2 posted:

And how are you going to approach the superstructure?

An EP-5 to start. Will need kitbashing to get to the right height, move the headlight, put the side doors in the right spot, change the side window location and profile, locate the pants correcty, modify the pilot and side sills, change the roof appliances, and of course change the back. But the nose profile/windshield contour is very very close. I have spent many hours comparing drawings.  The biggest change is the height. To me the hardest part of this project is the wheels!  Worse comes to worse I'll go to a commercial machine shop.

John, I would check with Jay Criswell (ROW) about the wheel discs.

John,

Have you tried Joe Fierkolb?  Joe, sorry about the spelling!

Ed

Sent you an e-mail.  The address I have may be ten years old.

I had a thought that didn't die of loneliness. You're seeking wheel sets that are essentially 1" diameter with an O scale NMRA tread and flange. What if you went with a "smaller" wheel from a larger scale, say 1/32 in "fine scale" You'd get a narrower tread and flange. So a roughtly 33" 1/32 scale wheel would be just a shade larger than a 48" 1/48 wheel.

Let's say you got a few sets of 33" freight car wheels in 1/32 scale. You could spin them on a lathe to narrow the treads and trim the flanges.

Just sayin'

Try Slaters of the UK disk diesel wheels.  Find them on Tower Models website and do conversion from 7MM scale to US O scale.

Dear John,

I belong to the British Gauge O Guild. In there latest issue of the GOG Gazette there is a firm that makes loco wheel sets - www.ModelRailwayParts.com -check them out and ask them also about 36" wheel sets to fit in Athearn or Weaver trucks.

Good Luck !! John

Strasburg- 10/17/2020