FVM wheels no longer listed on MBK

[sd45elect2000]

A tweener wheel might potentially come in handy on a car that should technically be on 36" wheels but would then sit too high.

Nice to know about the 34 inch wheels, A large amount of my interurban cars can use these...

[Maletrain]

A tweener wheel might potentially come in handy on a car that should technically be on 36" wheels but would then sit too high.

Not seeing (literally) much benefit of making a car (36-34.5)/2/160 = 0.005" (in)visibly lower.  Maybe some benefit for making clearance under the car for oversize flanges, but still not much compared to the typical level of slop and rocking for an N scale car.

[tehachapifan]

Perhaps not but, when it comes to ride height, I've been surprised in the past with how much lower or higher a car looks when applying what seems like negligible changes.

 

[peteski]

Perhaps not but, when it comes to ride height, I've been surprised in the past with how much lower or higher a car looks when applying what seems like negligible changes.

Are you speculating that the odd-size IM wheels are to be used as replacement for original 36" wheels (and not for 33" wheels)?

[tehachapifan]

Are you speculating that the odd-size IM wheels are to be used as replacement for original 36" wheels (and not for 33" wheels)?

I'm thinking more along the lines of taking an N scale car that came with 33" wheels but technically should be on 36" wheels as per the prototype, but where adding 36" wheels would make it ride too high. Maybe these tweener wheels would give it the bigger wheel look without adding as much undesirable ride height. But, maybe not. Just a thought.

[peteski]

Ah ok, I now see where you going with this. Sort of a give-and-take a little in both directions.  I also think that if that was the reason IM came out with those odd-size wheels, they would have likely described their intended purpose.  But you do have an interesting idea.

[Mark5]

But, in my drawer of stuff I've never found a use for, I have a package of (plastic  ) ATLAS made wheelsets that are labeled "MT replacement wheelsets".  If they both use .540 wheelsets, why would these wheels (although made by Atlas) be specific to MT trucks?

Simple: at the time that Atlas introduced these, Atlas did not have any trucks that used 0.540" wheelsets (MTL was still cutting pizza at that point).