Source for 41” wheels?

Mario,

If you can see the 1/48" difference, get the  new wheels made.  Otherwise, 40" wheels will do fine and nobody will ever notice except for the people who read this thread.  Then, of course, we will never let you live it down. LOL

Ed

Mario,

Personally, if 40 inch wheels are available, I'd find that compromise acceptable for a single model.  As far as this lowering the tender?  Well the difference would be half an O scale inch, or .010 of an real inch.  That would be 1/100th of an inch (or communally called ten thousands).  There are some very sharp eyes in the O scale modeling world, but I bet none of them would catch that!  Functionally, you would have to compensate for that .010" at the coupler.

Thanks! I did do the calculations and realized that roughly 2 sheets of paper difference wouldn't exactly be noticeable.

With that said, I was going for if they existed, I'd take advantage of them.

With this said, is NWSL the only source for 40" wheelsets?

Thanks!

- Mario

Only source?  Not necessarily.  What is the diameter of the wheels you have on the model now (excluding the flange)?  By the way, 42" wheels might work also.  Do you want just the wheels or should they be mounted on axles?  If mounted, what overall length?  How long a shoulder and what diameter?  Seems to me you'd want an axle that's a direct replacement but with new wheels.  I suppose all of this is my feeble attempt to say, there are many options out there just make sure you get exactly what you need.

Jay

Jay C posted:

Only source?  Not necessarily.  What is the diameter of the wheels you have on the model now (excluding the flange).  By the way, 42" wheels might work also.  Do you want just the wheels or should they be mounted on axles?  If mounted, what overall length?  How long a shoulder and what diameter?  Seems to me you'd want an axle that's a direct replacement but with new wheels.  I suppose all of this is my feeble attempt to say, there are many options out there just make sure you get exactly what you need.

Jay

There's a lot going for this conversion, as there are brass inserts in the side frames into which the axles fit, and should be easily to replicate using a non-conductive material.

The existing wheels (below) are indeed blunt axel ends.  I can measure them when I get home.

Thanks,

- Mario

Mario,

If you're planning on using the tender for pickup you only have to insulate one side (typically, the right side).  Going with metal bushings and insulating the right side wheel from it's axle it the most common method.  You probably know that so please don't think I'm talking down to you.

Might not hurt to get an exact measurement of the axle diameter either.

Jay

Jay C posted:

Mario,

If you're planning on using the tender for pickup you only have to insulate one side (typically, the right side).  Going with metal bushings and insulating the right side wheel from it's axle it the most common method.  You probably know that so please don't think I'm talking down to you.

Might not hurt to get an exact measurement of the axle diameter either.

Jay

Thanks for the info, I'm still learning!

Mario,

I would use 40" wheels.  Our "Scale" flanges are somewhat larger than the real flanges and no one will see the difference behind the truck side frames.  NWSL used to offer 40" wheel sets with blunt axle ends.  I am not sure what is going on with them now.

As an aside, many steam loco models that have a tight driver spacing have smaller than prototype drivers to allow space for the model's  driver flanges.  The alternative is to leave some drivers without flanges and I personally do not like the looks of that alternative.  Many PRR K-4 loco models have 78" drivers instead of the 80" drivers on the real locos.  Just so you know.

Joe

rrjjf posted:

Mario,

I would use 40" wheels.  Our "Scale" flanges are somewhat larger than the real flanges and no one will see the difference behind the truck side frames.  NWSL used to offer 40" wheel sets with blunt axle ends.  I am not sure what is going on with them now.

Joe

It’s too bad, really. 

Do I have any other choices?  Should I look for someone to machine the stock ones down?

thanks,

-Mario

CentralFan1976 posted:

rrjjf posted:

Mario,

I would use 40" wheels.  Our "Scale" flanges are somewhat larger than the real flanges and no one will see the difference behind the truck side frames.  NWSL used to offer 40" wheel sets with blunt axle ends.  I am not sure what is going on with them now.

Joe

It’s too bad, really. 

Do I have any other choices?  Should I look for someone to machine the stock ones down?

You may have to ask Joe more about that, but I've always heard that "machining" those centered metal (or whatever they are) wheels are NOT easy.

thanks,

-Mario

Mario,

Chill dude.  There are wheels available.  You're going to find all kinds of advice given.  Some great, some good, and a lot of it not.  If it were me, I'd look at the the tender and, taking into consideration, coupler height and overall appearance (looks too high or low...how's it line up with the loco, etc.)  and then decide if you want the exact same height, higher, lower, whatever.  Then measure the diameter of the existing wheels and compensate from there.

Drivers are a whole different story and unless you have the ability to machine them or make new ones, I'd talk to Joe.  He has absolutely got it dialed in.

Jay

I used Lobaugh 42" wheels on my Lionel FEF.  I no longer remember whether I had to drill the journal boxes or not.  If I did drill, it would have been after careful measurement under a magnifier, a careful center punch, and a final drilling with a #41 drill and cutting fluid.  I doubt anyone ever made 41" wheelsets.

Before I became so careful, I drilled a Lobaugh Centipede set of castings.  Just a little error, and I wound up cutting it for sprung bearings to make it track.  Measure 3 times, drill once.

And yeah - machining sintered iron wheels takes hardened tools and more than an Unimat.

Mario,

Another piece of advice, free, of course, so you can evaluate it based on its price:

Is the accuracy of the tender body and detailing worth all the aggravation of getting exact diameter wheels or are there errors in the tender body that overshadow the one inch discrepancy in the wheels?

Just a thought.

Ed

Ed Kelly posted:

Mario,

Another piece of advice, free, of course, so you can evaluate it based on its price:

Is the accuracy of the tender body and detailing worth all the aggravation of getting exact diameter wheels or are there errors in the tender body that overshadow the one inch discrepancy in the wheels?

Just a thought.

Ed 

Good point. 

The shell was a separate purchase and have the chance to build it as 2R, so why not go for as good as I can?

I think I’m going to go with the 40”.

I was able to find Bob selling US Hobbies’  40” wheelsets and ordered those to try. Hopefully they’ll be a good fit.