Switching wheels stops drops

[OldEastRR]

Aha! Being tired of wheelsets dropping out of my Rapido passenger car trucks, I decided to replace them with the 36" wheel sets from MTL. Worked. For the hell of it, I replaced the MTL wheels on their heavy weight cars with the Rapido drop-out sets. Works REAL good -- the MTL cars roll like on glass, on and on. Since I have more MTL heavyweights, and more Rapido cars that've yet to drop their wheels, I can now merely exchange the wheels between mgfr cars when it happens. Yay! Have no idea why this works.

[peteski]

Al,
a $20 caliper from Harbor Freight would probably easily answer your question by giving you the ability to measure the axle length of both wheelsets.  If they are the same, maybe under strong magnifier you could see if the angle of the point is different. 

I also think that a more descriptive subject line would be helpful. Something like "Swapping MTL and Rapido 36" wheesets"  would be way more informative that the current cute click-bait subject line. 

[OldEastRR]

Yeah, Peteski,. I agree -- the thread title falls flat. A much snappier one would be "Swapping wheels stops drops", where :""swap" rhymes with "drop", yeah! But TRW crowd is a picky bunch, and have their own view of the world. Such is life.

[peteski]

I come to this forum to learn things, help others if I can, and show off my modeling (as little as I  do).  While I do insert some humor in some of my comments, trying to always be cute is not something I think is helpful, especially when it applies to a helpful technical thread.  If I am in a playful l mood, there always id the Crew Lounge.  I guess you do you . . .

[thomasjmdavis]

Leaving aside 'stylistic' preferences,  I am left rather confused by the original post.  For several reasons-

1. When I measure MTL wheelsets, I get 0.537", with an older set measuring 0.538"
2. When I measure Rapido (Canada) "Panorama" (ie- smoothside CN prototype) wheelsets, I get axle lengths of 0.525 -0.528."
3. When I measure a Rapido(Canada) Osgood-Bradley wheelset, those are at the other extreme- 0.569".
4. None of the wheelsets of my Rapido(Canada) cars fall out. In fact, the O-B are difficult to remove on purpose.
5. No mention is made in the OP that there is a change from metal (Rapido) to plastic (MTL) wheels.

All measurements taken with my genuine cheap caliper made in China (although not purchased from Harbor Freight).

Given the measurements, it strikes me as odd that the MTL wheelsets would fit either of the Rapido car types I have. Also odd that either Rapido wheelset could be  So, it would be helpful if the OP were more specific on which Rapido car he was talking about- Turbos? Horizons? Panorama? O-B?  Or, for that matter, was this swap done on "Arnold Rapido" cars? (where wheels do fall out)

[robert3985]

Yeah, Peteski,. I agree -- the thread title falls flat. A much snappier one would be "Swapping wheels stops drops", where :""swap" rhymes with "drop", yeah! But TRW crowd is a picky bunch, and have their own view of the world. Such is life.

I would go with "Swap Wheels, Stop Drop"

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[OldEastRR]

Ok, specifics: No problem with Rapido O-B coach wheels dropping out. The streamline NH 8600 coaches  are random drop outs. Those are the ones I switched to MTL wheelsets. But even one of those fell out. The rapido metal wheels don't fall out of the MTL trucks, tho. I've got no way to measure axle lengths precisely, I just put in axles and if they stay in they work. If they don't stay, I try somebody else wheel sets. I've got them from various living and dead train mfgrs. I transfer many cars on and off the layout when I run so I'm not keen on ones that drop their wheelsets for no reason.

[Bobster]

  How about stop, drop, and roll?

[peteski]

Ok, specifics: No problem with Rapido O-B coach wheels dropping out. The streamline NH 8600 coaches  are random drop outs. Those are the ones I switched to MTL wheelsets. But even one of those fell out. The rapido metal wheels don't fall out of the MTL trucks, tho. I've got no way to measure axle lengths precisely, I just put in axles and if they stay in they work. If they don't stay, I try somebody else wheel sets. I've got them from various living and dead train mfgrs. I transfer many cars on and off the layout when I run so I'm not keen on ones that drop their wheelsets for no reason.

Al,
sounds like the problem is more than just axle length. Maybe the sideframes are distorted (bend outwards).

Anyway,  just get yourself a $20 digital caliper. That is cheaper than many of today's N scale boxcars!  It comes *REALLY* handy in the model RR hobby. Not just for measuring. I often use it to scribe cut lines in sheet styrene or metal.  I just dial up the dimension, then scribe.

[robert3985]

Al,
sounds like the problem is more than just axle length. Maybe the sideframes are distorted (bend outwards).

Anyway,  just get yourself a $20 digital caliper. That is cheaper than many of today's N scale boxcars!  It comes *REALLY* handy in the model RR hobby. Not just for measuring. I often use it to scribe cut lines in sheet styrene or metal.  I just dial up the dimension, then scribe.

What he said...^ 

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[jagged ben]

Anyway,  just get yourself a $20 digital caliper. That is cheaper than many of today's N scale boxcars!  ...

Lol so true.  I can't believe how many years I spent in this hobby without calipers and how many tasks are so much easier in the last few years that I've had them.  Forgot which bag that FVM wheelset came out of?  No problem.  Not sure if I'm drilling that hole for a body mount coupler in the center from each side of the car?  I can give myself a reality check.  The list goes on and on.  The reduced frustration from owning callipers is equivalent to many many times the additional enjoyment of owning one more boxcar.

This is in the same category of indispensabilty as a digital multimeter, which now costs less than a decoder, (thus likely paying for itself the first time you find you didn't isolate a motor lead).

[OldEastRR]

Well, I do have a metal ruler measured in N scale feet ... old school?

[Dwight in Toronto]

Al,
sounds like the problem is more than just axle length. Maybe the sideframes are distorted (bend outwards).

Anyway,  just get yourself a $20 digital caliper. That is cheaper than many of today's N scale boxcars!  It comes *REALLY* handy in the model RR hobby. Not just for measuring. I often use it to scribe cut lines in sheet styrene or metal.  I just dial up the dimension, then scribe.

You guys suggested that I get a digital caliper during discussion about my PCC streetcar build.

Might you care to suggest a version or two?  And Peteski … I’m curious - how do you scribe with one?  Are the “tips” sharp enough (well, I guess they must be, otherwise you wouldn’t be doing it!). 

[robert3985]

Well, I do have a metal ruler measured in N scale feet ... old school?

Nope.  I bought my first dial calipers (not digital, but just as easy to read) in 1973, but I had been using both a set of micrometers and dial calipers since I landed my job as a machinist when I was 15 during the Summers and on extended holidays starting in 1964.

Both mechanical micrometers and dial calipers have been around at least since the industrial age really got started probably in the late 1700's or early 1800's when it was possible to cut precision gears...waaaaay before there was such a thing as "N-scale"...so, your scale ruler is quite a bit newer than dial calipers.

Before dial calipers, there were vernier calipers...probably extant to when clocks started being made, whenever that was.

Digital calipers?  I use them because I can convert from metric to imperial to fractions of an inch with the push of a button.

Like Peter, I also use my calipers to scribe Styrene, aluminum, brass and nickel silver to have a line to cut to with my precision shears, or a line to use as a reference when bending thin shim stock.  You just open up the calipers to whatever measurement you want your shim stock, or thicker stock, to be, then using one of sides of the jaws to ride against a straight edge on your metal stock, you lightly press the other sharp, pointy end of the other jaw against the softer metal and it scribes a very precise, thin and accurate line.

I also use my calipers to very lightly scribe a line on freshly painted car and engine bodies as a line to lay my stripes to when decaling.  The barely discernible scribed line literally goes away under the decal film and after sealing the decals....a VERY handy tool for getting stripes nearly perfectly straight. 

Photo (1) - Two of the engines in my recent Pennsy Fantasy Paint Scheme contract, with the stripes precisely put in place using my calipers to scribe a reference line in the glossy paint before decaling:


An absolutely essential tool for any sort of precise model building...

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[peteski]

Well, I do have a metal ruler measured in N scale feet ... old school?

Well, no.
How would use a ruler to measure the length of the axle since the wheels are in the way?  And accurately enough to 0.001" (which in N scale modeling is significant).  I don't understand why some people can spend lots of money on models, but are bucking dishing out $20 for a useful tool which will make their modeling easier.