Fox Valley Wheels

[Denver Road Doug]

I began installing the wheels on my coalveyors last night.  They look and run GREAT.  I know some don't care for it, but I dig the sound of the metal wheels running down the track.  I had one of the seasoned modelers in the club I used to belong to tell me the single best thing I could do to improve my enjoyment of the hobby was metal wheelsets, and I am now going down that path.

I need to dig out my wheel guage and the jury is still out on overall performance (i.e. staying  on the track, staying in guage, staying clean, etc.) but my initial thoughts are two thumbs up!  I'm not crazy about the brass tread either, but for now it is an acceptable trade-off for overall wheel appearance vs. cost.  Like Tom (I think) said, only contest models really need the "treatment" anyway, and I don't have any at this time.  I'm sold at $2.22/car--40% the cost (worst case) of NWSL--especially for unit trains like I'm doing.

Question though...is there benefit/requirement to having the insulated wheel on the same side throughout?  I know you would reverse them for a situation using wipers to power an EOT for example.  I'm guessing it really doesn't matter but I just happened to think about it last night.

[tom mann]

Doug, I too like the "whoosh" sound of metal wheel on metal rail.  Sounds great on my new 40" long test track*.




*aka "the layout"

[tom mann]

I took this not too great shot to show how the wheel looks with a coat of rusty metal primer.

[inkaneer]

Why do plastic [delrin] wheels have to be black or brown.  Why not cast them in a silver or metallic color.  May not look like shiny metal but after panting the face might look pretty good.

[wm3798]

Geez Tom, I can almost smell the grease in those roller bearings...  These wheels cost how much?

Lee

[tom mann]

Geez Tom, I can almost smell the grease in those roller bearings...  These wheels cost how much?

Lee

Around $7 does 3 cars.

[wm3798]

voof!

[Sokramiketes]

Why do plastic [delrin] wheels have to be black or brown.  Why not cast them in a silver or metallic color.  May not look like shiny metal but after panting the face might look pretty good.

If they were molded in silver, the tread would just turn black anyway from all the grime the plastic wheels tend to collect while running. 

[tokenbrit]

Does anyone know what axle length & wheel size would be right for Kato Coalporters as a drop-in replacement in the Kato trucks?

I'm hoping it's a some length/size combo that FVM offer so that I can drop-out Kato's clunky metal wheelsets, & replace then with something finer...

[tokenbrit]

Just tried MT fit .540" axle length - too short!

I don't have a micrometer to measure the Kato axle length to know if they're .553 like IM or .563 like Bachmann :-\

[Robbman]

Message deleted

[AVR Mark]

The Kato and Atlas wheelsets appear to be interchangeable. I have test fit wheelsets from the Kato covered hoppers on the Atlas ballast cars and they work fine. Does Fox Valley make wheelsets to fit the Atlas trucks?

Mark

[tokenbrit]

Thanks Mark - sounds about right: I tried a wheelset from a Con-Cor Autorack & that seemed to work so I've ordered some 36s w/ 0.563 axle length from Chuck to try (FVM say these are for Con-Cor & some Atlas...)