Flange reduction project & photo

[FJ and G]

I have successfully reduced some wheel flange heights last night in just a matter of seconds by spinning the wheel in my drill over the bench grinder.

As a few of you know, I'm using toy trains on code 148 O gauge track in the garden and apparently, there is no toy train flange depth standard and while most of the flanges navigate my code 148 track ok, some have overly deep flange depths and tap spikes.

APPARENTLY, there's also no NMRA standard for G scale equipment as I often read in GRR's reviews about flange height differences. These are probably not noticeable to most G scale modelers unless you are scale inclined or running code 197 pullman. In fact, a few of you large-scale modelers like deeper flanges as you think it keeps the trains on the tracks better.

As most know, I operate toy trains remotely controlled on handlayed 2-rail track. I am not planning on running “scale” flanges as I enjoy the advantage of the wide tire/deep flanged toy train wheels. My only purpose is to slightly reduce the flange depth to prevent spike hammering by the wheels.

Interestingly, there’s some sort of bluing on the scintered metal wheels that becomes shiny once the procedure is instituted.

Incidentally, I am told, that flange depth on 1:1 trains is just 1 inch. I always find it amazing how just that 1 inch is enough to keep the trains on their track most of the time.

[Anonymous]

Interesting, I might have to try this with my few non-Lionel trains.

[FJ and G]

RR Redneck,

MTH's (or Lionel's?) new Blue Comet O gauge tinplate model's flanges are too deep to go thru Atlas frogs, so these deep flange issues crop up occasionally in O and G scale. Don't know about other scales.

[cacole]

Oversized wheel flanges have been a problem in HO scale as well, especially with some of the cheap Christmas train sets by the likes of Bachmann, Model Power, and the now-defunct Tyco.

I don't think the NMRA has established any "standards" for G-scale at all. From what I read a couple of years ago here on this forum, when the NMRA approached some of the manufacturers about establishing Standards and Recommended Practices for G-scale, they were told to butt out because they had previously regarded G-scalers as "Just a bunch of old geezers playing with toy trains," and not serious modelers.