I have an American Flyer steam engine (circa 1948) and a Baldwin diesel (circa 1957) and about a dozen freight cars from that era with the original plastic wheels still on the freight cars. These plastic wheels leave a lot of gunk on the rails that gets picked up on the wheels of the engine, adversely affecting performance.
I had this same problem on my HO layout until I replaced all of the plastic wheels with metal wheelsets and that solved the problem.
When I look at the "traditional" sources of parts for vintage American Flyer, it seems that only repros of the original plastic wheels are aailable for purchase.
However, Northwest Short LInes manufactures a variety of S scale wheelsets including the following:
S Shoulder Axle Nickel Silver Wheelset 33"/110S Pointed Axle Nickel Silver Wheelset 33"/110
Has anyone replaced the original plastic wheelsets with metal wheelsets?
Also, what is "110"? I still use the original American Flyer track from the 40's and 50's. Is that Code 110?
I sure would appreciate some advice on this issue.
Thanks.
Rich
Alton Junction
If you use metal wheel sets you will create a short between the hot and the neutral or base rail since AF is two rail and the outside (usually) is base and the inside (again usually) is the variable current carrying rail.
If you used a non conductive axle you it may work
Jim
Ouch, I did not realize that about "two rail". Are there any metal wheelsets available that are non-conductive or would not create shorts?
Rich, If you have access to or know someone with a lathe, you can bore out the center of the NWSL wheels and install a piece of delrin rod. Bore out the delrin rod to fit the axel. If necessary, install a nylon washer between the wheel and truck sideframe to prevent shorting. Use the lathe to press the wheel on to the axel and check with a wheel gage.
S Helper Service http://www.showcaseline.com/ makes metal wheelsets that are already insulated and have the proper flange to run on tinplate/Hi-Rail track.
They work great!
When you pull up the website, look under "parts" and click on "wheelsets" you want the "blunt axle" type and there are different wheelsets depending on if they will be on action cars, tenders, cabooses or on regular freight cars.
The nice folks at S Helper Service are very helpful, and if you tell them what kind of cars you want to replace the wheels on, they will help you make the right purchase.
Little Tommy
I have an ETS locomotive that I converted from 2 to 3 rails. ETS had solved that problem by cutting the axle in two, then pressing the ends into an insulating tube. For a freight car, you could make that tube the full length between the wheels and pretty robust if you made it by drilling down the center of a thick plastic rod.
There is a trick to drilling accurately through the center of a rod. Start the hole as close to the center as you can. The put the drill bit in a vise and put the rod into the drill chuck. If you hold the drill reasonably straight, the drill bit will seek the center. I just drilled a 3/32-inch hole through a 1/4-inch nylon rod 3/4-inch long, to verify that it is practical.
Bob Nelson
lightningstripe Rich, If you have access to or know someone with a lathe, you can bore out the center of the NWSL wheels and install a piece of delrin rod. Bore out the delrin rod to fit the axel. If necessary, install a nylon washer between the wheel and truck sideframe to prevent shorting. Use the lathe to press the wheel on to the axel and check with a wheel gage.
Thanks for that suggestion. Unfortunately, I don't have access to a lathe. I have to find someone who has already insulated the axle to prevent shorts, if that someone even exists.
LittleTommy S Helper Service http://www.showcaseline.com/ makes metal wheelsets that are already insulated and have the proper flange to run on tinplate/Hi-Rail track. They work great! When you pull up the website, look under "parts" and click on "wheelsets" you want the "blunt axle" type and there are different wheelsets depending on if they will be on action cars, tenders, cabooses or on regular freight cars. The nice folks at S Helper Service are very helpful, and if you tell them what kind of cars you want to replace the wheels on, they will help you make the right purchase. Little Tommy
Wow, Tommy, this appears to be exactly what I am looking for. I will contact them ASAP. I sure do appreciate this reference. Thank you very much.
lionelsoni I have an ETS locomotive that I converted from 2 to 3 rails. ETS had solved that problem by cutting the axle in two, then pressing the ends into an insulating tube. For a freight car, you could make that tube the full length between the wheels and pretty robust if you made it by drilling down the center of a thick plastic rod. There is a trick to drilling accurately through the center of a rod. Start the hole as close to the center as you can. The put the drill bit in a vise and put the rod into the drill chuck. If you hold the drill reasonably straight, the drill bit will seek the center. I just drilled a 3/32-inch hole through a 1/4-inch nylon rod 3/4-inch long, to verify that it is practical.
Bob,
Thanks for that suggestion. Hopefully, I can find some RTR insulated wheelsets. I am not so sure that I could do a credible job of drilling on my own to successfully accomplish this task.
Code 110 refers to the wheel width. Code 110 are scale wheels for S. As noted above Showcaseline has American Flyer compatible wheelsets. Their website http://www.showcaseline.com/ under parts>wheelsets has pictures of both American Flyer and code 110.
Enjoy
Paul
IRONROOSTER Code 110 refers to the wheel width. Code 110 are scale wheels for S. As noted above Showcaseline has American Flyer compatible wheelsets. Their website http://www.showcaseline.com/ under parts>wheelsets has pictures of both American Flyer and code 110. Enjoy Paul
Paul,
Thanks for answering that question. I see the difference.
Just "spoke" to the folks at S Helper Service. They have the wheelsets in stock, so I am going to go ahead and order them for my freight cars. This should be a vast improvement over the old plastic wheels which not leave dumping gunk on the rails but are also starting to disintegrate a little.
Thanks again for that tip.
The timing on this post couldn't be better. I have the same black gunk problem that many people have. I have cars that are 50+ years old, and cleaning the wheels and track gets old.
I was thinking about cleaning and spraying all the plastic wheels with some Matte clear finish. It might seal the plastic and prvent it from leaving crud on the tracks. Has anyone tried this solution, instead of replacing the wheels on all the passenger and freight cars? Don't know if it would work, but maybe it has for someone.
Thank you,
George
aflyer The timing on this post couldn't be better. I have the same black gunk problem that many people have. I have cars that are 50+ years old, and cleaning the wheels and track gets old. I was thinking about cleaning and spraying all the plastic wheels with some Matte clear finish. It might seal the plastic and prvent it from leaving crud on the tracks. Has anyone tried this solution, instead of replacing the wheels on all the passenger and freight cars? Don't know if it would work, but maybe it has for someone. Thank you, George
George,
I haven't tried anything like that, so I don't know if it would work. But, I would be concerned that it would just add to the problem, not solve it.
I use matte medium to secure my ballast and othe landscaping materials on my HO layout. It is a bit of a chore to remove dried matte medium from the rails. Now, admittedly, you are talking about spraying it on the wheels, not the rails. But I have to believe that the matte medium would find its way onto the rails as the plastic wheels roll along and, inevitably, drag around the curved rails. I think the metal wheels, while relatively expensive, are the better way to go.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month