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changing the wheel guage

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  • Member since
    December 2015
  • 80 posts
changing the wheel guage
Posted by nscsx on Sunday, February 12, 2017 11:02 AM

I may have some wheel sets that are out of guage, I purchased a NMRA guage to check. If they are, how do I fix them?

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    November 2016
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Posted by j. c. on Sunday, February 12, 2017 11:12 AM

lot of  variables on that like who made them what material , age ect. best way it to replace them.

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  • From: SE Minnesota
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Posted by jrbernier on Sunday, February 12, 2017 11:31 AM

  If they 'slide' on the axles, you can re-gauge them.  If they are a shouldered fit, replacement is the only real option.

  I generally use I-M wheels.  I have gone through 4 bulk packs of a hundred so far, and not one defective wheel set!

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

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Posted by SouthPenn on Sunday, February 12, 2017 11:37 AM

Jim, do you mean Intermountain?

South Penn
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Posted by Bundy74 on Sunday, February 12, 2017 4:29 PM

I can vouch for Intermountain wheels, I'm use them on everything as well.

As for adjusting out-of-guage wheels, you technically want to twist them back into guage, either in or out.  I've had to do this with Proto and Kadee Wheels (usually because I was a klutz and knocked them out to begin with).

Modeling whatever I can make out of that stash of kits that takes up half my apartment's spare bedroom.

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  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Sunday, February 12, 2017 5:48 PM

If you're moving wheels along the axles, remember that you need to worry about centering the, too, in addition to just getting them into guage.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    January 2001
  • From: SE Minnesota
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Posted by jrbernier on Sunday, February 12, 2017 6:29 PM

Yup, I-M like printed on the bulk pack boxes...

Jim

Modeling BNSF  and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: west coast
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Posted by rrebell on Friday, February 17, 2017 10:39 AM

I has some Ertl cars with their bas trucks and wheels, Intermountain even fixed those!

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    February 2008
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Posted by kasskaboose on Saturday, February 25, 2017 2:31 PM

Intermountain is a producer of wheelsets.  You also want to consider the size of the wheels based on the age of freight cars.  Some don't care about 33" vs. 36 types.

Great discussion here about the different wheels: http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/p/181162/1983157.aspx

Best,

Lee

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