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Roller Bearing

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • 156 posts
Roller Bearing
Posted by crisco1 on Sunday, September 8, 2019 12:15 PM

The expensive cars have seperate roller bearings.  I didn't know this. I lost it,

when I was changing out my couplers.  Is there a tool that you use to reinstall

the roller bearing?

 

                                                                                                        Thanks,

 

                                                                                                        Chris

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • 869 posts
Posted by NHTX on Sunday, September 8, 2019 1:04 PM

     If you are talking about the rotating axle end, bearing caps, they are a press fit.  The use of cement to afix the cap to the axle end must be extremely sparing and with the utmost care to avoid cementing the axle end to the sideframe, if you must go that route.

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • 1,162 posts
Posted by PC101 on Sunday, September 8, 2019 7:15 PM

crisco1

The expensive cars have seperate roller bearings.  I didn't know this. I lost it,

when I was changing out my couplers.  Is there a tool that you use to reinstall

the roller bearing?

 

                                                                                                        Thanks,

 

                                                                                                        Chris

 

What brand of car? Atlas, Scale Trains etc.?

Hopefully you can remove the wheel set from the truck and then sparingly glue the exsisting roller bearings (a finger press fit) to the axel ends then snap the wheel sets back in to the sideframe. if you feel the need to make them stay in place. I'm wondering if some manufactures should/do send extra rotating bearings along with the products?

I went down to the train room and looked on the layout for rotating bearing caps, yep they are there on the cars I checked, Atlas along with Scale Trains. Now I need to check all rolling stock with rotating end caps on the layout.Crying Then I pulled a box ''Genesis 89' Bi Level Auto Rack'', in the box, never removed from the box, and I see two of the rotating caps missing. Hopefully the missing caps are in the box.Angry   

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, September 8, 2019 9:10 PM

The only HO trucks I ever had with rotating caps were by Kato. I flattened the insertion rod just a bit with a needle nose pliers to make a better interference fit.

.

I would never use glue on an axle end.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    February 2015
  • 869 posts
Posted by NHTX on Sunday, September 8, 2019 9:15 PM

     Scale Trains includes a bag with four spare bearing caps with all of the Rivet Counter series cars I have bought.  They might work on Athearn Genesis cars.

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • 1,162 posts
Posted by PC101 on Sunday, September 8, 2019 9:23 PM

NHTX

     Scale Trains includes a bag with four spare bearing caps with all of the Rivet Counter series cars I have bought.  They might work on Athearn Genesis cars.

 

Thanks for the headsup. I looked in the ''Rivet Counter'' box, only a sealed zipper top plastic bag with two ACI bar code plates. I guess I need to look for bag number two with the extra bearing caps laying on the floor somewhere.

The face of the caps on RC trucks are a larger diameter then the Genesis cap faces. Both RC and Genesis axel tips are .020 dia. so same hole size in the bearing caps. But like I say the cap faces are different in size. Of both brands, the seat/surface area that the bearing cap sets in to the side frame is of a different seat/surface contact area. So  I'd say no go to mix and match. Genesis to Genesis and Scale Trains to Scale Trains. Boy these little bearing caps are making me sweat.

Also looks like nothing will happen (derailment) if the bearing caps go missing.  

  • Member since
    March 2012
  • 1,162 posts
Posted by PC101 on Sunday, September 8, 2019 9:30 PM

SeeYou190

The only HO trucks I ever had with rotating caps were by Kato. I flattened the insertion rod just a bit with a needle nose pliers to make a better interference fit.

.

I would never use glue on an axle end.

.

-Kevin

.

 

Sounds like a very good idea to ever so slightly distort the axel end for interference. Thank you for that thought. I have never used glue. I have never looked for, till now for any missing bearing caps on line (in service on the rail line) yet.  

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