DRIVER WHEELS ON A 4-4-0

[passh2o]

 Good Day everyone;

Well, I just got a new 4-4-0 Hartland engine and tried running it; now the problem being it wouldn't stay on the tracks. I notice that the driver wheels had all four rims of the wheels loose. How do you keep the center part of the driver wheels attached to the rims? Any help would be nice - thanks

 

mark

[hoofe116]

Sorry to hear of your problem.

I'm not clear whether you mean the 'tire' or the 'flange'. Either way, a trip back to the dealer might be your best bet. Are the wheels metal or plastic? Also, it sounds like possibly a press fit that ran smaller than spec on the center part. Glue of some suitable type might do the trick. Can you press the two pieces back together? If so, glue/epoxy, perhaps. If you can't fit 'em back together by thumb pressure, try using a block of wood and some light hammer taps. Might have to drill a clearance hole for the hub. I'd vote for a trip back to the seller, though.

Les W.

[JD Miller]

Sounds like the HLW American could be old stock.  Metal rims working off the plastic centers did cause some problems a number of years ago.  Maybe the situation has come up again.

As you can see, the metal rim is a press fit to the center section of the drivers.  One fix that works is to remove the drivers.  Press the metal portion of the wheel on to the plastic.  Make certain the metal rim is fully seated on the plastic center section.

Use "wicking" CA at the joint where the rim fits the plastic.  Just a little CA on each wheel is all that is necessary. Apply the CA from the back side of the wheel. The CA will "wick" around the wheel and hold the metal rim in place.

Or, contact your dealer for replacement drivers.  Maybe the second time you'll get a set of drivers where the metal rims stay in place.

 

JD