Wheel replacement Old West coaches

[Warflight]

Okay, so, I have a number of coaches (they are Mantua Classics) that have RP-25 wheels with metal axles, that I wouldn't mind replacing with metal wheels (Maybe something from Bachmann) but I keep seeing measurements that I don't quite understand... Though I'm probably better off with the wheels I have, I have also been thinking of putting lights inside a few of the coaches (Easy Peasy's shortest lights are 5 ½ inches in length for the "N" scale, which, you would THINK are short enough for an HO scale carriage car, but, they are a little over an inch too long. Classic carriages in HO are 4 ¼ inches in length at the top) which will, of course, require metal wheels at some point, as plastic is a LOUSY conductor!

So, my question is, is what size should I be looking for?

What style is best suited for that Old West look?

I have six cars I want to upgrade... I really want these cars to wow me. (though I do enjoy "wowing" others, my biggest love of this hobby is "wowing" myself with a bit of detail that I may otherwise have ignored)

Also... unrelated (maybe) is there a lighting kit out there that is simple, but will fit a 4 ¼ inch car? (I know I asked in another thread, but never did get a positive yes or no answer)

[Piyer]

Step #1: digital calipers are your friend. You can get a good one for under $20 online or in your local Home Depot / Lowes / Harbor Freight / etc. These will help you with a multitude of measuring tasks....

Step #2: There are two possible measurements that come to mind for replacement wheelsets: 1) wheel diameter, 2) axle length. General rule of thumb is that scale 33" diameter wheels go on cars that have a capacity of 70tons or less, 36" wheels go on 100ton cars and passenger cars, 38" wheels are for 125+ ton cars, and 28" are for autoracks, certain intermodal equipment, and 40ton or under freight cars. Axle lengths can vary from one model manufacturer to the next, so a wheelset that is just right for Brand X could be too long or too short to fit in Brand K's trucks.

Step #3: Therefore, use the digital calipers to measure the original axle length and to calculate the scale diameter of the original wheels (over the face, not the flange), and use those dimensions to identify the best possible replacement wheelsets for the car in question.


Lighting....
The Streamlined Backshop - http://www.sbs4dcc.com - makes a Z-scale passenger car board that might work. Another option, if you are handy, is to pickup LEDs and other components and build a lighting circuit yourself. With a micro or magnetic switch and a button battery, you could have lights that independent of track power. The homemade route would also give you the most choices when it comes to placement, color, and brightness.


I hope some of that is of help to you.

~AJ Kleipass

[Warflight]

That all helps quite a bit! Thanks!

(so, digital calipers are next on the shopping list! Heh... seems I'm buying more things to work on trains, than trains lately! I better go buy some more trains, and make up for it!)

[Terry Toenges]

The next thing you know, you're going to need a storage shed.

[dutchbuilder]

You can never have TO MANY tools.

Ton

[Jhanecker2]

to dutchbuilder :  But you can run out of space to house them . John2.

[Rod in PA]

Warflight,

Check out this site, http://voltscooter.com/.  They make an excellent LED circuit board lighting kit that can be cut down as small as 4".  They use super caps for keep alive and the brightness is adjustable.  I've used them to light up 4 old time Roundhouse coaches and at least 8 different cabooses so far.  They are a little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Rod in PA 

[Warflight]

Under the layout!

Once I have a layout, I plan to build drawers into it, for tool storage! I shall run out of room, the day the layout is finished, and we all know a layout is NEVER finished!

[Warflight]

Check out this site, http://voltscooter.com/.  They make an excellent LED circuit board lighting kit that can be cut down as small as 4".  They use super caps for keep alive and the brightness is adjustable.  I've used them to light up 4 old time Roundhouse coaches and at least 8 different cabooses so far.  They are a little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Ooh... I like it! Though, the capacitors might get in the way of the windows on one end, but I might be able to use them for the combines. I wonder if there is a way to have them battery powered, however? I'll have to shoot them a message and find out!

[Geared Steam]

Check out this site, http://voltscooter.com/.  They make an excellent LED circuit board lighting kit that can be cut down as small as 4".  They use super caps for keep alive and the brightness is adjustable.  I've used them to light up 4 old time Roundhouse coaches and at least 8 different cabooses so far.  They are a little pricey, but you get what you pay for.

Ooh... I like it! Though, the capacitors might get in the way of the windows on one end, but I might be able to use them for the combines. I wonder if there is a way to have them battery powered, however? I'll have to shoot them a message and find out!

Wire them to a 9 volt battery, lay it on the car floor. The LEDs only want about 3v, the built in resistors on that board will lower the voltage appropriately

[Warflight]

Wire them to a 9 volt battery, lay it on the car floor. The LEDs only want about 3v, the built in resistors on that board will lower the voltage appropriately

I have considered that at one point, however, then there is the issue of turning it on and off, as well as the lights being only a piece of my plan for the cars. I also want to put in seats, and passengers, and a 9v on the floor would hinder that.

It's a great idea, if I wasn't doing seats and passengers as well. There is another company that does battery operated, with the magnetic wand (fox... something) that I just sent an e-mail to... the reviews say theirs are shorter, but I can't find any dimensions anywhere, so I sent them an e-mail to inquire. One of the reviews says they can be cut down about an inch, so if that's what I have to do, that wouldn't be too big an issue for me.

[Piyer]

... seems I'm buying more things to work on trains, than trains lately!

Yes, you do reach a point sometimes when you need to add to the workbench in order to add to the fleet. Some of those things are cheap, others not so much so. It comes down to having the right tool for the right job.

[Warflight]

Yeah, lately I've been using a few of my gunsmithing tools for my trains... but it looks like I'm going to need a few more things for the work bench.

[J3a-614]

Well, considering you are looking at models of 19th century cars, then I would say you are looking at 33-inch diameter wheels.  A good way to check--if you have any equipment by anyone else--say an old Athearn blue box car--would be to pull a set from the Athearn car, or from the Mantua car, and compare both axle length and wheel diameter.  If it matches the Athearn car in diameter, you have  your wheel size, and if it matches the axle length, you have that, too.  

You might also want to look at this chart by a company called Reboxx, which offers 33 and 36 inch wheelsets in varying axle lengths; this is the 33-inch chart.

http://www.reboxx.com/Documents/Wheelsets/33%20Application%20Chart.pdf

Here is the home page.

http://www.reboxx.com/

One other thing to keep in mind is that you will likely have to make up some sort of wipers for your trucks.  As I recall, they are plastic, and you'll need a way to get power from the wheels to the inside of the car.

Here is one possible way to do that, using the common Kadee coupler centering spring:

http://www.55n3.org/cars/tender_wipers/

Hope this helps out.

[Warflight]

THAT helps tremendously! Thank you very much!