I have a 15+year old Riverossi 2-8-2 steam engine I have taken out of storage to use on my new HO layout. I have tested the motor so I know it works fine.The tender trucks were broken and I can not find replacments. The engine motor get power from the trucks, but one side is insulated and the other is not. I've tried to find these type of trucks but have had no luck. The use of metal wheel cause the wheels to spark and the engine stops and starts down the track. There are no hobby shop near me so I must do all my shopping/problem solving on line.
If anybody has any information about the type, size and manufacture of a replacement for these wheels I would appreciate it greatly.
Bob
Did the tender have 4-wheel or 6-wheel trucks? Replacement tender trucks have been made by Cal-Scale (the 4-wheel kind). They're all brass, with insulated wheels on one side. You might contact Bowser Mfg. to see if Cal-Scale still makes the trucks. If so, they should work on your Rivarossi tender without too much alteration.
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Bob,
If the trucks have four wheels, I have a set in excellent shape on an old Riv. USRA tender from a Pacifc that I don't need. The trucks are identical.
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
You need metal wheels in order to conduct electricity. The tender wheels need to make electrical contact on the left rail, looking forward, and the engine wheels pick up power from the right rail. Make sure you do not have any wheels flipped the wrong way.
You say your trucks are broken: how so? I have had a couple of Rivarossi tender trucks break in half lengthwise and repaired them. They use a metal washer/shim for electrical contact. You can glue the truck and reinforce the joint with a styrene shim where they had the metal washer, and then solder a wire to the axle wiper and run the wire up thru the floor instead of depending on the friction contacts thru the screw that they used.
Hi Nelson,
That would be great!I would be happy to puchase them from you and, of course, pay for the shipping. You can mail me the trucks and I will send you the money for the trucks and postage, or you can give me an amount now, and I will send you check or cash (probably cash since we are not talking volumes of money.) Just let me know what you prefer.
I really appreciate your willingness to help.
Bob McCracken
111 Farmington Place
Clinton, TN 37716-7138 cell 865-740-3311
bmccrack@acs.ac
Tom,
Thank you for the information. I had contacted Bowser yesterday (however I did not inquire about as to whether they carried Cal-Scale wheels) but they wanted to know the diameter of the wheels-33" 44" etc, and I have no idea how you would measure an HO wheel! I realize that this is for the proper coupler alignment, but this is out of my league. I have been working G scale on my garden railroad for the past few years and I'm very rusty when it comes to working in HO.
Have a good day!
Bob: I know that the older Rivarossi had the NEM flanges, much deeper than the RP-25 wheel flanges on most American equipment. I think the Rivarossi tender wheels were actually about 31" scale, which means that an RP-25 33" scale wheel on the tender trucks would work pretty well. That's the diameter I would order for the trucks, if you decide on the Bowser. If they're too small, you can always use metal washers between the trucks and the bolsters to get the proper coupler height. Did you just inquire about the wheels, or the entire truck assembly? I'd go for the entire assembly if I were you, that way with the Bowser brass trucks, you'd have your electrical contact entire, without having to worry about saving the wipers off of your old trucks.