Re-Gauging Freight Car Wheelsets

.009 out???? Sure it's not more like ,09??? Without some expensive tools adjusting a wheel set .009 is tough!!! Good luck...

Yes dave, another "senior moment".... It should be .09"

D&H 65 posted:

Yes dave, another "senior moment".... It should be .09"

OK....that's better. The few wheel sets I have tried to re-gauge have been done with a bench vice. (a press would be better) I take a small block of wood with a 1/8" hole drilled for the axle.  On the other end I use a 1/4" drive socket......whatever fits the wheel face best....like a 3/8" or so.....each wheel brand is different.  Doing it this way still runs the risk of bent axle but go very slow and make sure that socket is centered.....most important.....go slow.....very slow. 

D&H

I understand how what you describe could tighten the gauge, but can you give more explanation on how you can widen the gauge?

I want to respond to this question. Tomorrow, I will shoot a picture of the tool I use to spread wheels on trucks. My problem is that most of my MTH rolling stock will derail when passing through my switch tracks. All my track and switches are Atlas. The MTH wheel sets are about 0.030 more narrow than Lionel and Atlas trucks, all of which negotiate my switches without derailing. Once I use my tool to spread the wheels on the MTH rolling stock, then they will run through my switch tracks without derailing. The trick is to do this without bending the axle or leaving a wheel in a wobbling condition.

I have had the same problem with Weaver wheel sets gauged too narrow.  They spark on Gargraves turnouts and they pinch the guard rails on my Atlas #5 turnouts. Fortunately, you can easily pop the wheelsets out.  I use this modified wheel puller to increase the wheel gauge (it came with a box of tools I bought at a show).  A friend machined out a cone shaped hole in the pin for the needlepoint axle.  You can do the same with a cheap battery terminal puller from Harbor Freight.

The modern hidden tab trucks from Lionel are riveted together and it is not possible to remove the wheelsets without damaging the frame.  You could cut or drill the rivets, but once you re-install the wheelsets, I don't see any way the put new rivets in.  There's no room to work.  I'm baffled about how they put these things together.

It may take a custom tool to spread the wheels in place in the truck.  Maybe cutting slots for the axles on the ends of the jaws of a channel lock wrench and using it like an inside caliper. 

If these cars are a recent purchase, contact Lionel about a replacement truck.  I had 3 out of 6 couplers fail in my 3-pack of Vision line sound reefers.  They sent me 3 new trucks.

Bob

Thanks for the inputs so far guys; here's my observations on some replies...

PRRJIM: That is the question I'm asking as well - to increase the spacing, you really need to remove the axle to decrease the likelihood of bending the axle. Once the axle can be removed, you can drive the axle end through one wheel and then re-install the wheel to the desired dimension.

RRDOC: The wheel puller is certainly a good option, but you still need to get the axle removed to allow its usage. I've also tried judiciously widening with some channel lock pliers, but always have found the axle is bent afterwards.

Here's a picture of the tool I made for this purpose.

The legs are very stiff steel about five inches long. I ground the groove in the ends so they would slip over the axle on an O gauge truck. The two shorter bolts, with nut and jamb nut, are to adjust the width of the legs and to adjust them to parallel when inserted in a truck.

Turning the long bolt will spread the legs to move the wheels. In the case of MTH trucks, the wheels are very tight. So, be careful when tightening the long spreader bolt as the wheels will pop (jump) when their grip on the axle fails. Trucks from other manufacturers slip easier, but in most cases, there isn't a problem with gauge that causes derails on the other manufacturer's rolling stock. At least, not on Atlas tracks on my layout.

Try making something like this and give it a try.

Vic

Vic; excellent idea and tool! In my spare time I'm going to try and duplicate your tool design-it does look like what is needed. Thanks for the valuable input.

You can also make a cheap and simple spreading tool from a copper tubing compression-union. Here are the photos I posted in January under the title "A simple spreader for 2-rail wheels."

There's no reason it won't work on any axle that does not have an attached gear (in different scales, too, by using a larger or smaller union).

AMCDave posted:

D&H 65 posted:

Yes dave, another "senior moment".... It should be .09"

OK....that's better. The few wheel sets I have tried to re-gauge have been done with a bench vice. (a press would be better) I take a small block of wood with a 1/8" hole drilled for the axle.  On the other end I use a 1/4" drive socket......whatever fits the wheel face best....like a 3/8" or so.....each wheel brand is different.  Doing it this way still runs the risk of bent axle but go very slow and make sure that socket is centered.....most important.....go slow.....very slow. 

Guy's, guy's spelling counts "vice" is what you commit at a massage parlor, a vise is what that gets you into.

Bogie

OldBogie posted:

AMCDave posted:

D&H 65 posted:

Yes dave, another "senior moment".... It should be .09"

OK....that's better. The few wheel sets I have tried to re-gauge have been done with a bench vice. (a press would be better) I take a small block of wood with a 1/8" hole drilled for the axle.  On the other end I use a 1/4" drive socket......whatever fits the wheel face best....like a 3/8" or so.....each wheel brand is different.  Doing it this way still runs the risk of bent axle but go very slow and make sure that socket is centered.....most important.....go slow.....very slow. 

Guy's, guy's spelling counts "vice" is what you commit at a massage parlor, a vise is what that gets you into.

Bogie

It is the message that "counts" - we can deal with the "spelling" later - we all know what he meant when he was sharing a nice idea.

Question OldBogie:  How would you know what goes on in a massage parlor.  Are there some of your adventures you are not telling us about? 

Speaking of errors in spelling and grammar: "guys" (plural of "guy") does not require an apostrophe (for example -- "Guy's, guy's spelling counts ..." in the post by BOGIE). There's a growing tendency, now almost a new normal, to use an apostrophe to form the plural. But that is incorrect usage, because an apostrophe indicates either possession, or the intentional omission of letters.