I am assembling a fleet of HO Accurail kits, and am looking at replacement metal wheelsets. I have used some Proto 2K wheelsets before with good success, but they seem to be out of stock everywhere, including at Walthers. Have people had good success with Intermountain wheelsets with Accurail ? I saw some comments that these wheelsets might have too much play for the Accurail trucks. Any other recommendations? Do some wheelsets have a better fit with the Accurail trucks? Thanks.
IIRC Jaybees seemed to do OK in them, but they're unobtanium now unless you just run across some.
In general, Reboxx offers a handy guide to what works where via links from this page: http://www.reboxx.com/wheelsets.htm
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Big_Mike
Intermountain wheel sets fit the Accurail trucks very nicely. I just installed a set to see for sure. There was no excess play and they definately will not fall out. They roll very freely. They also have non-magnetic metal axles as opposed to the P2K plastic axles.
You can get bulk packs of Intermountain wheel sets on eBay. Be careful to get the right wheels. They offer RP25 as well as semi-scale sized wheels.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Intermountain-HO-100-axle-Bulk-pack-RP25-Nickel-33-Wheel-sets-New-MIB-/231462860964?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item35e442f8a4
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Almost all my freight cars have Proto 2000 wheel sets and I love them. The only time I don't replace with P2K wheels is when the car comes with good metal wheels.
There nothing wrong with plastic axles? Theyare not inferior to metal ones.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
Intermountain and ExactRail wheels work great in Accurail trucks. I've also used Kadee in the past, but their cast metal has voids that collect dirt. Proto 2000 wheelsets do work in Accurail trucks too, but I encountered enough of them mounted crooked on the axles to give up on purchasing any more. JayBee didn't do much for me either. Their axles don't seem to roll as nice as Intermountain or ExactRail no matter how the journals are tuned.
Rob Spangler
I have 130 or so cars and most all of them have P2K wheelsets. I've not had one single problem with them. None of them are crooked. However, if you feel they are bad I certainly will take them off your hands and by all means, buy what you think will work best for you.
Mark
I have lots of freight cars with the P2K wheel sets and they seem to be just fine. I switched to Intermountain mainly because of the bulk pricing. I bought a fleet of 20 Athearn covered hoppers so that took 80 sets right there.
Recently I acquired several vintage Athearn cars with the sprung trucks. Whoever had them had taken the time to make sure they all functioned properly so of course I decided to keep them. However, when I went to install my remaining supply of P2K wheel sets I discovered that in many cases they were a poor fit. They were way too tight. They were also next to impossible to get into the trucks without destroying the trucks themselves. I managed to lose one spring which ticked me off big time! The Intermountain wheel sets went in fairly easily and rolled very freely.
My preference for metal axles is based simply on very unscientific spin tests. The Intermountain sets seem to spin longer than the P2Ks when I give them a flick with my finger. Its kind of splitting hairs. I have no intention of replacing the P2Ks that I have already installed.
I've installed quite a few Intermountain wheelsets in Accurail models. They run very well and have never given me problems. Of course, I use the MicroMark Truck Tuner first before putting in the wheelsets.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
All of my cars have P2K metal wheelsets. I haven't had a bad one yet, after many, many packs. used to buy a dozen or so packs at a time prior to Walthers - when LL was still in Baltimore, Klein's had them for $3.99 a pack. 30 some of the cars with these wheels have racked up a lot of mileage running on the club layout and have survived the attachment of resistors for activating the block detection system. ANd painting. All of my layout ready cars have the wheels painted, grimy black on the outside, the insides are sprayed with cheap flat black, especially the ones with resistors, to hide the shiny conductive paint.
The P2K wheelsets fit Accuraila nd Athearn trucks just fine. Cars that come with metal wheels generally keep them, but plastic wheels are banned from my layout.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
wp8thsub Intermountain and ExactRail wheels work great in Accurail trucks. I've also used Kadee in the past, but their cast metal has voids that collect dirt. Proto 2000 wheelsets do work in Accurail trucks too, but I encountered enough of them mounted crooked on the axles to give up on purchasing any more. JayBee didn't do much for me either. Their axles don't seem to roll as nice as Intermountain or ExactRail no matter how the journals are tuned.
I had a bunch of Proto Wheels that seemed to be wabbly - but it turned out that the bunch had a little bit of flash right on the end of the axle point!
Took a bit of looking with a magenifier but once I found the problem - the X-acto knife fixed it!
I always try to find the reason a part seems bad and fix it - if possible.
I now use Kadee Wheels exclusively and the only reason why is that proto Wheels were out of stock for so long.
I like the Kadee wheels better as they already blackened and they are cheaper than the Protos when Walthers puts them on sale.
BOB H - Clarion, PA
I tested a lot of truck/wheelset combinations in an effort to find the least rolling resistance so a single steam engine could drag a long train up out of my hidden staging yard. If a freight car wouldn't start and roll by itself down an 0.8% grade (after using the MicroMark truck tuner) I replace the truck or wheelset. The best combination I found was Accurail trucks with Intermountain wheelsets. The Proto2000 wheelsets work well also. I buy both the Accurail truck frames and Intermountain wheelsets in bulk for replacements.
Grinnell
PS My testing did not include modern roller bearing trucks or the older arch bar trucks.
hon30critter Mark I have lots of freight cars with the P2K wheel sets and they seem to be just fine. I switched to Intermountain mainly because of the bulk pricing. I bought a fleet of 20 Athearn covered hoppers so that took 80 sets right there. Recently I acquired several vintage Athearn cars with the sprung trucks. Whoever had them had taken the time to make sure they all functioned properly so of course I decided to keep them. However, when I went to install my remaining supply of P2K wheel sets I discovered that in many cases they were a poor fit. They were way too tight. They were also next to impossible to get into the trucks without destroying the trucks themselves. I managed to lose one spring which ticked me off big time! The Intermountain wheel sets went in fairly easily and rolled very freely. My preference for metal axles is based simply on very unscientific spin tests. The Intermountain sets seem to spin longer than the P2Ks when I give them a flick with my finger. Its kind of splitting hairs. I have no intention of replacing the P2Ks that I have already installed. Dave
However, in all the different car kits I have built (and there is a lot of them) I have found Proto 2000 wheel sets to work as well as I need them to work. I love the extra detail P2K puts into their wheel sets and the fact that they are silver on the tires, this looks like the natural burnish you see on real railroad car wheels.
To answer the OP, I have used P2K, Intermountain, JayBee, and Exactrail metal wheelsets in Accurail trucks without issues.
My go to sets are now either P2K, or Intermountain, depending on whichever I can get cheaper. If I have a truck set that doesn't cooperate with the replacements I have on hand, I either measure with a caliper the old wheel set axle length, and look for that size, or, order replacement trucks. All of my Accurail kits I have put the trucks on with a screw, as the press in pegs have a tendency to loosen up over time. 2-56 screws are a perfect fit in the bolster. I also updated any older Athearn kits the same way... No press in truck retainers in my roster! Plastic wheels are likewise banned.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
I've used Intermountain's wheels on Accurail trucks with no problems. I actually really like the Accurail trucks they have some nice details on them and look sharp when painted.
Mine doesn't move.......it's at the station!!!
I do like the P2K detail! The lettering on the wheels is neat.
As with the ribbed backs, raised lettering on the wheel faces is era-dependent. For more modern prototypes, wheel faces typically lack such detail. Serial numbers and other identification are found on the back.
Image from http://etrucking.com/forum/content.php?2342-Greenbrier-Announces-Orders-for-14-100-Railcars-Valued-at-1-24-Billion .
wp8thsub As with the ribbed backs, raised lettering on the wheel faces is era-dependent. For more modern prototypes, wheel faces typically lack such detail. Serial numbers and other identification are found on the back. Image from http://etrucking.com/forum/content.php?2342-Greenbrier-Announces-Orders-for-14-100-Railcars-Valued-at-1-24-Billion .
Yep, Rob, you are indeed coprrect! I must correct myself and clearly state that Proto 2000 wheels are correct for my era and are my choice!
That now being out of the way:
Big Mike, it is only the "BEST" to not ask questions about what is the best! As you can see questions about what is the best, only lead to people's opinions based on their own biases. The truth be told, any of the recommendations given in this thread will work and work well. A significant detail that stands out is that most of us feel metal wheels are a better choice. Beyond this, you really need to make up your own mind. Try wheels from various manufacturers and a choice will become apparent to you!
Thanks for all the replies. I have tried the Proto 2K wheels, but they are seemingly unavailable everywhere right now. I think I will try some Intermountain wheelsets to test them out.