I was wondering and wanted to ask before I buy what wheels do I need to get?
36 inch are for 70 ton and 100 ton Correct all others use 33 inch? what do i use the ribbed back wheels on?
Thanks Big Mike
Here's a little background info:
https://mrr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/4/c/c/mr_pi_5-06_freightcartrucks.ashx
Regards, Ed
MikeN8FWD36 inch are for 70 ton and 100 ton Correct all others use 33 inch? what do i use the ribbed back wheels on?
Since I model "modern", early 2000's to close to now, I use 36", which is good for everything 100 ton. Not sure about the 70 ton, I'm thinking it was all 33".
Rib backs, depends on your time frame. I forget when they were ruled out, or not allowed in interchange service, I'm sure someone on here will tell you.
I use InterMountain wheel sets.
Mike.
EDIT: Ed posted while I typed, the link he shows is great info!
My You Tube
Thank You just what the doctor ordered
Hello All,
A few more thoughts...
The general rule of thumb is the larger the diameter of the wheel the smoother the ride.
Most prototypical passenger cars run on 36-inch wheels.
Most other rolling stock rolls on 33-inch wheels.
Well cars, depressed center flat cars, and auto racks typically run on 28-inch wheels for added clearance.
Three axle trucks rated for 100-tons might use 28-inch wheels to spread out the load forces.
As modelers, we don't have to adhere to the prototypical restrictions that 1:1 railroads have to contend with.
That being said, coupler height can be critical in model railroading.
Recently I acquired a heavy-duty flatcar with three-axle trucks and plastic wheels.
I slapped on 33-inch metal wheels.
Then I used my Kadee #206 Coupler Height Gauge and found that the couplers were too tall.
A "palm-to-face" moment occurred and I installed 28-inch metal wheels and the coupler height was correct.
On the other end of the spectrum, I installed a set of 33-inch wheels on a "bobber" caboose.
The couplers were then too low.
I put sets of 36-inch wheels on, and...wait for it...
The couplers were now at the correct height.
Most scale wheel manufacturers list the "actual" wheel diameter.
Inter Mountain has a great list of wheel diameters and typical prototypical uses.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
jjdamnitThe general rule of thumb is the larger the diameter of the wheel the smoother the ride.
As noted, the smaller wheels are used when additional internal clearance inside the car is desired-- getting 3 decks in an auto rack, for example.
He makes a valid point -- just as valid as using slotted screws in model side rods -- in pointing out that sizing wheels to achieve correct coupler heights makes as much or better sense on many working model railroads than using the rivet-counting right diameter. That is not something I'd have recognized before he brought it up.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/13/p/206728/2261614.aspx.
Posted by tstage
"My understanding is that, because of changes in RR regulations, flat back wheels began to replace ribbed back wheels starting in the mid-30s."
Posted by JaBear
"What about ribbed wheelsets versus smooth backed ones ? A common rule of thumb is that rolling stock from before World War ll has ribbed-back wheels and any car built since then has smooth- backed wheels. Ribbed wheels were made of cast iron and the ribbing was to aid in cooling the wheels after long brake applications. The ribs also reinforced the hub area where most cast iron failures occured. Ribbed wheels were outlawed for interchange service in 1958. Smooth-backed wheels are made of wrought or rolled steel and continue in service today. The advent of dynamic braking was a major factor in eliminating the need for the ribbed-back version, as the locomotive provided more braking power so the brakes on the cars weren't worked so hard !!"
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.
It was touched on, so pls let me ask doesn't the wheel size also depend on freight car built date? If "yes" is there a cutoff date from 33-36?
Part of a wheel-size change would be related to permissible car-weight changes. As with articulated well cars, the larger wheels handle things like 286K better, if you have the loading gage to use them. And since it's advantageous to use stock sizes for refit, a larger and larger pool of 36" (in various stages of machining down to their wear limit) might make their adoption more and more desirable...
kasskaboose It was touched on, so pls let me ask doesn't the wheel size also depend on freight car built date? If "yes" is there a cutoff date from 33-36?
Date, no. Weight capacity, yes.
Date only in the sense that weight capacity has gradually gone up over the years. Early wooden freight cars were ~40 ton cargo capacity; modern freight cars are 100 ton cargo capacity.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
mbinsewiRib backs, depends on your time frame. I forget when they were ruled out, or not allowed in interchange service, I'm sure someone on here will tell you.
1958
cv_acr mbinsewi Rib backs, depends on your time frame. I forget when they were ruled out, or not allowed in interchange service, I'm sure someone on here will tell you. 1958
mbinsewi Rib backs, depends on your time frame. I forget when they were ruled out, or not allowed in interchange service, I'm sure someone on here will tell you.
How does anyone even know?
I am pretty sure that about 20% of my freight car fleet has ribbed back wheels, but I just went through over 200 pictures, and I cannot see the wheel backs in any of them well enough to see ribbed backs or not.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
SeeYou190How does anyone even know?
SeeYou190 cv_acr mbinsewi Rib backs, depends on your time frame. I forget when they were ruled out, or not allowed in interchange service, I'm sure someone on here will tell you. 1958 How does anyone even know? I am pretty sure that about 20% of my freight car fleet has ribbed back wheels, but I just went through over 200 pictures, and I cannot see the wheel backs in any of them well enough to see ribbed backs or not. -Kevin
You might not see them in photos of your model trains taken in layout lighting conditions and elevated angles equivalent to shooting from a third or fourth floor window, but real-life train crews and/or car men on the ground would definitely recognize ribs on the back of a nearly three foot tall wheel and bad-order the car, or refuse to accept it in interchange.
It took a long time before model railroaders had good access to accurate and specific prototype information. Ribbed back wheels are an example. There seemed to be a notion at one time that ribbed back wheels were prototypical and flat backed were not. For that reason many kits and RTR cars came with ribbed back wheels when they should not have -- not just the Mantua freight car kits of the late 1950s and early 1960s, but even Walthers kits into the 1980s came with ribbed back wheel sets.
Dave Nelson
Overmod SeeYou190 How does anyone even know?
SeeYou190 How does anyone even know?
cv_acrReal-life train crews and/or car men on the ground would definitely recognize ribs on the back of a nearly three foot tall wheel and bad-order the car, or refuse to accept it in interchange.
Yes, I know the real life guys would be able to see them.
I was talking about models. I cannot see them, so I am not going to sweat about them.
I will admit, I will say it is possible that up to 10% of the frame channels on my Tichy boxcars are glued in backward. Again... not going to sweat what I can't see.
Since this thread was not in Prototype Information, I assumed we were discussing models and layout building.
SeeYou190I was talking about models. I cannot see them, so I am not going to sweat about them.
Anyone is of course free to do or worry about or take into account any information they want. You don't have to ensure every detail is "correct" if you're not worried about making everything as accurate as possible - especially in areas that are harder to see. It's a hobby and everyone can choose their own "standards" or areas or importance.
Whatever sub-section this was in, the question of this thread was about which wheels would be appropriate to use, and the original post included the question as to ribbed wheels.
cv_acrWhatever sub-section this was in, the question of this thread was about which wheels would be appropriate to use, and the original post included the question as to ribbed wheels.
Yeah, I just avoid the prototype information threads most of the time because everybody knows more than I do.
I am absolutely a modeller, so my responses are generally about how to build passable models.
I am crazy about being accurate in some ways, but very loose in others. The less it can be seen, the less I tend to care.