What are toy train wheels and axles made out of anyway?

[FJ and G]

My experiment went horribly wrong.

After just one week, my toy train trucks and axles are pitted with rust. I didn't know that the wheels themselves could rust.

Any ideas of what these materials might be?

Notice that one wheel and axle are rust free where I sprayed WD40 initially. It's exactly 7 days today.

THe 027 rail is on its 3rd week and is very rusty, not surprisingly.

Anyway, the 027 rail will remain outside and I'm timing until it falls apart.

However, the experiment for the truck has abruptly ended as I need it to measure some track gauge

[andregg1]

Hi
The wheel is made with steel powder and it is highly easy to be rusted.
the axels I think is cheap meterial coated.

[FJ and G]

steel powder for wheels? Looks like I won't be running trains unless the outside track is completely dried out or I find a way to lubricate all of the wheels (a monumental task). This sure limits my options. I hope the parts in the motor don't get rusty.l

[Anonymous]

Looks like steel axles and wheels to me - I've had Hornby Dublo OO scale items (made in the '50s - they had diecast bodywork, truck frames, and wheelsets on their 3-rail range) before now with one truck rusted solid in a similar way. It cleaned up well with a wirebrush and WD40 - it's usually just surface rust so you should be able to salvage the truck. From what I've heard track needs to be either brass, nickel-silver, or stainless steel to survive outdoors - Bachmann have offered steel G scale track but it's not popular for the reasons that you've found out (rusts rather quickly).

[3railguy]

I believe many wheels are made from sintered iron which is easy to pressure cast and strong. And what andregg is saying. MPC used cast aluminum for their engines. Axles are normally hardened steel. All these materials are subject to corrosion or pitting and living in Wisconsin with humid summers I can attest to this even indoors if you don't use dehufdifiers. Even tinplated steel track is subject.

Face it, standard issue O gauge trains are not designed to be used outdoors unless you use stainless Gargraves track and treat the ties. You must keep your equipment indoors when not running it. Harsh winters will wreak havoc on even Gargraves ties even after treating and the stainless can get stained. Even dry rainless summers have morning due that emits moisture in areas that the afternoon sun won't bake out. The afternoon sun draws moisture out of the soil so your track is taking a constant beating.

If I were you, I would consider LGB G scale. These trains aren't cheap but they are made from corrosion and UV resistant materials and the mechanicals are sealed.

[FJ and G]

Thanks for responses.

Matt,

I'm esp. interested in British O scale operations outdoors. I believed they pioneered the whole garden railway scene using O scale track. And some layouts there are in O scale as well. It would really be neat to have some live steam in O scale.

(my rails are nickle-silver and ties are treated; I'm in construction phase and this experiment has taught me a valuable lesson before putting real trains outdoors; which is to bring them out when conditions are right or else! And, keep a close eye on maintenance. The experiment has not deterred my interest and construction.)

[Anonymous]

Here's a site with a few links that might be of interest - British O scale producers of varying sizes.

http://www.ukmodelshops.co.uk/counties/manufacturers/7mm.html

As I understand it, the outdoor running started with the old pre-war live steam O locos. The snag with these was that they really weren't designed for outdoor use, the burner would go out due to wind (which could also chill the boiler to an extent that the fire couldn't raise steam). Older Mamod large scale live steamers (which run on 32mm track) have the same problem - they use fuel tablets which don't really give off enough heat to get a good head of steam.

[FJ and G]

THanks, Matt,

Lots of resources there. Now I'll have to convert pounds to dollars and mm to inches.

As usual, as far as railways go, the Brits seem to have taken the lead in outdoor O.

But when it catches on in the US, as I believe it will, you'll see another renaissance.

The advantage of O, as I see it, is that you can have twice the empire as G (Gauge 1). Sort of like when N ate into HO. The O would be ideal for the smaller yards such as found in townhomes.

My yard isn't that small (about 30 X 80 behind the house, but I'll get a lot more train in that space; and besides, already invested in O scale so I'm not about to take up another scale; tho admire the beauty and heft in those gauge 1 trains which range from 1:20 to 1: 32.

The thing I learned about garden RR is they have a lot in common w/toy train (not hi-railers). In addition to the whimsical lovers (of which there are plenty), even the hi-fidelity to scale folks must admit that anything you plant will be out of scale.

[Anonymous]

Chemicals used in lawn/garden fertilizer/herbicide/pesticides also tend to accelerate corrosion. I've seen this on garden equipment that I didn't thoroughly clean after use.

[Anonymous]

I think the O scale has caught on with people who want to model standard gauge over here - prices are much the same as G so it seems to be a case of choosing which scale has the models you want. I've built a couple of freight car kits in O mainly to do something different to my HO and G scale collections - I can recommend the Parkside Dundas kits very highly, they come with all decals, etc and you only need to add paint and glue.

[eZAK]

David,
Have you thought of using a track mounted oiler/greaser?

I've seen this done on a 1/4 scale RR.
There where pads mounted close to the rails that would wipe the flanges with grease.
I was told this was done to ease maintenance of wheel sets, track, & switches.

I would think you could rig up a brush or something simular to touch coat the wheels and axels with oil or a lite grease.

[lionelsoni]

Of course you could carry it too far; but I have never bothered to clean the rusted wheels on old cars that I have bought. It doesn't affect their operation; and it looks prototypical.

[FJ and G]

Pat, Bob,

Both solutions are worthy. That will give me something to ponder.

My main ponderings right now are whether or not to use rust-proof spikes.

The advantage of using rust-prone spikes such as ordinary quarter-inch staple halves or HO spikes is that the rust seats the spike into the tie, giving it greater bite.

The advantage of the brass or stainless steel or aluminum spikes is that they cannot rust thru. However, since they don't have bite, they eventually could work themselves loose.

I'm pondering this as we speak.

If you wi***o see what I mean about rusty staples providing bite, go to your nearest street intersection where there's a wooden telephone pole or street sign mounted on wood. You likely will see rows and rows of staples, some very rusty, from people posting political signs as well as other signs like "lost puppy" or "quick weight loss."

Those staples tend to remain for years. I'm sure the highway crew are not too fond of these people who post stuff, but it leaves a nice experiment for me. And BB the beagle enjoys sniffing the poles as well.