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How the trucks work on our models - rolling qualities and the value of equalization

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  • Member since
    August 2020
  • 581 posts
Posted by Southgate 2 on Monday, June 14, 2021 10:24 PM

Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be too quick to jump to that conclusion. (I.M. exclusivly)

The plating is coming off my Life Like wheels too. Has that caused any tracking or other problems for anyone?  

Dan

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: Maryland
  • 12,897 posts
Posted by ATLANTIC CENTRAL on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 8:55 AM

Lastspikemike

Tangent wheel sets use the thinner ends just like the ones on the IM axles. Quite a bit cheaper where I am. 

 

Well, Tangent has their retail price at $90 per 100,  and Intermountain is $99 per hundred, but overall I suspect you are just not getting the the best discount on the Intermountain product.

I have never paid more than $70 for a box of 100 from Intermountain, usually more like $60.

Sheldon

    

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 9:32 AM

In my opinion it is not a violation on the Forum prohibition of advertising or selling for posters to comparatively mention specific suppliers and costs/quotes for discussion purposes.  This discussion will go nowhere without specific information (including by country) on exactly how many of xx wheelsets can be delivered net of all shipping costs to a particular place for a particular price or cost.

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Wednesday, June 16, 2021 2:15 PM

Lastspikemike
You cannot write about a model locomotive usefully without mentioning the brand. 

But we're talking about price paid for the brand, and more particularly what you paid for the brand, and even more particularly what you paid as a 'good price' from a particular supplier.  That runs very close to looking as if promoting a particular sale transaction --something I'll bet our moderators have to nip in the bud numerous times a day, judging by what I see 'new accounts' trying to do.

Same with LHS: name-dropping or praising isn't the thing; mentioning they're promoting or having a 'big sale' isn't the thing; making it seem attractive to buy something from them at a stated price or on stated terms... is awfully close to 'advertising' in the proscribed sense.

As I see it (possibly NOT from Kalmbach Media's point of view) what we would be doing is comparing 'street prices' (in large part to see if Canadians pay more or less for particular hobby commodities) and not actually coming out and saying "you should buy these from xxx instead of the business relationship with your LHS" etc.

  • Member since
    August 2020
  • 581 posts
Posted by Southgate 2 on Friday, November 12, 2021 4:56 AM

I bring this back up cuz I discovered something. I've been having more derailments lately. Time to go after it. Some of my home made switches needed a tune up, and have been getting them. It's helping. But then, some cars are just not playing nice, and still derail.Hmm

The discovery part. Tonight I found that if cars derail even after tuning up the switch, they are NOT the ones that have Kadee or Intermountain wheelsets. That leaves P2K. 

I'm not burning on P2K here. They conform to NMRA. It's more how the wheelsets behave on MY track. SOME of my hand laid switches (code 70) don't like the shorter distance between the backs of the flanges on these thicker-flange wheels, even though the NMRA guage indicates the track is within tollerances. InterM has a thinner flange, thus wider back-to-back

It dawned on me also tonight that the ore car train that I switched to IM for much less rolling resistance hasn't since derailed at all that I recall, even before fine tuning the track.

in time, I'll stick the P2Ks in my li'l Sherline lathe and relieve them of a little flange thickness on the backside and round it to match IM or Kadee. 

Someone mentioned that some of their  P2Ks had plating coming off. I've seen a little of that too, those'll scrapped.

I'm shooting for zero derailments,  The Intermountains are making a big diff already. I just orderd a 100 pack. Thought it might be worth mentioning. Dan

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Friday, November 12, 2021 8:41 AM

Dan, It sound like you are making progress towards your goal. Good luck on working through everything and making it perfect.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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