Wheel Alignment - NOT Gauge/Gage

[lirrman]

Does anyone have a method for aligning freight car wheels.  I had a car that would constantly derail even though all wheels were in gauge/gage.  Turns out they were out of alignment.  I realigned "by eye" and it works OK now but I was wondering if there is a method for alignment as the NMRA gauge/gage provides for gauge/gage?
LIRRMAN

PS: Never realized I was unsure of the spelling of GAGE/GAUGE as it referres to model trains.  The spell check says it's OK either way.  How do you folks spell it?

[Michigan Railfan]

Well, I don't have an aswer to your first question, but I and many other people spell it gauge.

[Jim Banner]

Gauge (UK) or gage (US) - your choice.  But please, please please avoid guage ("goo-age"?) which is also seen, far too often.

There are two things which will misalign the wheels in a truck
- the truck is bent out of shape - warm slightly and bend back into shape.
- the wheels are not symmetrical on the axles - move the wheels over until the axle(s) protrude evenly on both ends.  This can be difficult if only one wheel wants to move on the axle and may require pressing the axle point into a block of wood while pushing down on the wheel.

For checking alignment, I use a narrow metal straight edge across the backs of the wheels on one side of the truck then on the other side.  My eyes are getting old so I do this under a lighted magnifying glass.  By holding the truck with the axles vertical and measuring across the backs of the lower wheels, the ends of the axles are fully into the journals and I get a true reading.  Then I rotate the truck 180^o to check the backs of the other wheels.

This alignment is extra critical on 3 axle trucks.  One trick I have used on passenger cars is to use 36" wheel sets in the outside journals and a 33" wheel set in the centre journal of each truck.  There is normally enough slop in the fit that the smaller, centre wheels hang low enough to still ride the rails, but can rise a bit if needed.  If they do not hang low enough, then it is out with the journal reamer and slowly deepend the holes until they do.  My layout is pre-modern and does not have any 3 axle freight trucks.  But I would think that the same idea would work if you used two 33" wheel sets and a 30" one in each truck.

[RAM]

Looking in the dictionary on my desk, I would say that gauge is the correct spelling.  I know you can spell it gage but it still does not make it correct.

[SvFiat]

Hi, I've got many passenger cars with 3 wheel sets that drove me nuts till i came up with a way to set the width and align them all in one shot. Inspecting all my Bachmann engines i measured the width inside the flanges .562 seems to be the number which coincidentally equal 9/16's of an inch.
You can find 9/16 Th's square stock or even a drill rod for the job. I made mine about 2 inches long out of square stock, seems to do the job well. Just remember most wheel sets have one fixed wheel and one pressed on wheel or plastic bushed for electrical isolation. Put the wheel sets into the truck keeping the fixed wheels to one side and place the tool between the flanges if you get a slight drag pushing it though between the flanges it's perfect and no more derailments.

Have Fun