Fox Valley wheels - with resistors

[Smike]

They are still showing in stock at Brooklyn Locomotive Works.  Just don't order all of the size I need (which I need to figure out which that is) 

[C855B]

Better hurry... you already said too much... LOL!



EDIT - I've hopefully managed to snag some from two sources... just waiting for confirmation since unlike MBK both their online ordering systems don't reflect remaining inventory until the order is manually processed. I may easily have ordered air if somebody (...one or several of you...) preempted my order.

Hopefully this feeding frenzy will convince Matt he needs to add these to normal production. With the increased interest in signalling now that there are reasonable options in N, more of us are going to need the stuff to do detection.

[Papa David]

I just ordered some from BLW.  The price was absolutely the best I have seen.  Pete does it again.

[jagged ben]

If you make/break trains by the car you will need one set per car. Unit trains or similar trains you don't intend to break up will do fine with two or three cars per your shortest block. HOWEVER, if you go all-out about detection in interlockings and sidings where switches have their own detection block - every car will need a resistor wheelset.

I've sort of figured you want the axles at both ends if you want to really be sure that you're not fouling turnouts and such.  I guess it depends a bit on the era you model.  If all your trains have cabooses and your cars are 40ft then you can do both ends of the caboose and one set per car, or perhaps not even worry if every car has one.  If you are running auto racks without cabooses, you probably need them at both ends, or else not depend on them for confirmation you are clear of blocks.   My five unit intermodal sets will get one at each end and one in the middle somewhere.

[C855B]

While I won't count chickens until getting wheelsets in my hot little hands, I've managed to procure enough to get started. HOWEVER, Pete (BLW) is already out of the 3301R10, and had to short my order.

Let's just say I think the message for Matt is there is demand for the product.

I've sort of figured you want the axles at both ends if you want to really be sure that you're not fouling turnouts and such.  I guess it depends a bit on the era you model.  If all your trains have cabooses and your cars are 40ft then you can do both ends of the caboose and one set per car, or perhaps not even worry if every car has one.  If you are running auto racks without cabooses, you probably need them at both ends, or else not depend on them for confirmation you are clear of blocks.   My five unit intermodal sets will get one at each end and one in the middle somewhere.

Two resistor sets per car in order to cover the ends might be too much. Too many resistors in a single train will have electrical performance consequences in consuming track power. A 50-car train with two 10K resistor sets each is 100 ohms. Not catastrophic but 100 ohms at 12V track power means you're eating 120 milliamps for detection, which is a little more than a loco will draw. Just something to be aware of in computing power supply capacity.

I think that the underlying formula is detection on each car or sets of cars should be enough to have at least one wheelset in the shortest block you have. A turnout with separate detection will be the smallest, so in that case the block should be no shorter than, say, an 86' car. Then the only thing to be concerned about "special conditions" is a long car (like your intermodal well or spine cars) spanning the turnout block. A five-unit intermodal car will likely need six sets, since omitting any of the middle pairs would mean the car could span a turnout block without being seen in the block.

Grade crossing blocks are a special case, and it's easy to get into scenarios where the crossing-occupied detection is much shorter than 86'. I am planning to use IR for grade crossings, so the resistor wheelsets aren't a factor there.

[John]

Put the resistors on the last car .. either the caboose for you old timers, or the EOT for the modern types

[C855B]

^^^^ Not if the train is longer than a block. Head end will detect, tail end will detect, middle will be whaaaaaaaaa...??? Under ABS, the caboose crew would see a yellow even with the cars of their own train on the rails.

You're right, though, you would get basic functionality that way, there could just be moments of unexpected false clears. If you were relying on current detection for, say, blind switching in a staging yard, false clears would be a PITA.

[John]

^^^^ Not if the train is longer than a block. Head end will detect, tail end will detect, middle will be whaaaaaaaaa...??? Under ABS, the caboose crew would see a yellow even with the cars of their own train on the rails.

You're right, though, you would get basic functionality that way, there could just be moments of unexpected false clears. If you were relying on current detection for, say, blind switching in a staging yard, false clears would be a PITA.

My railroad uses CTC for operations .. so, all blocks will drop to red once the head end goes through .. the last car just gives me the indication where the end of the train is ..    I can do ABS as well to "purdy" it up for casual running .. but its not important enough to me ..

[jagged ben]

Two resistor sets per car in order to cover the ends might be too much. Too many resistors in a single train will have electrical performance consequences in consuming track power. A 50-car train with two 10K resistor sets each is 100 ohms. Not catastrophic but 100 ohms at 12V track power means you're eating 120 milliamps for detection, which is a little more than a loco will draw. Just something to be aware of in computing power supply capacity.I think that the underlying formula is detection on each car or sets of cars should be enough to have at least one wheelset in the shortest block you have.

Well, again, I think it depends if you're relying on the wheelsets merely to make your signals operate realistically, or if you are relying on them to substitute for visual confirmation that switches are not fouled.  The latter requires wheelsets on the ends of cars, and also putting the detection gaps 10 or 15 scale feet farther than the switch fouling point.

120ma doesn't frighten me too much, although I agree that less is better.  I think for 89' autoracks and flats I'd do both ends in any case.  It's actually fewer wheelsets per length of train than putting one wheelset on two 40ft boxcars.

 

A five-unit intermodal car will likely need six sets, since omitting any of the middle pairs would mean the car could span a turnout block without being seen in the block.

One on each truck?  I think I can skip a couple in the middle, and maybe just do the ends.  (I might choose differently on, say, 40ft well cars vs 53ft spines.)  Spanning a turnout block isn't really a big deal from a signals point of view, because the signals on both sides of a turnout should also protect the track beyond the turnout, where the other end of the car will be.  It might look a little weird on the dispatchers panel for a brief moment, but he can get over it.   

[eric220]

Crap.  I totally missed these.  Hopefully, the response is good enough to justify another run soon.

[Cajonpassfan]

Eric, Pete at BLW still has some, at least they show on his webpage. I ordered a bunch.
Otto

[reinhardtjh]

MBK has a few back in stock.

.540" 33" and .533" 33" in both standard and fat treads.

[railnerd]

Crap.  I totally missed these.  Hopefully, the response is good enough to justify another run soon.

my local pusher says a few weeks.

-Dave

[jagged ben]

MBK has a few back in stock.

.540" 33" and .533" 33" in both standard and fat treads.

Man they went fast again.

BTW, you do know that the 'Standard' wheel is the fat tread, right?   The skinny tread is the one that FVM doesn't call standard.

[reinhardtjh]

Man they went fast again.

BTW, you do know that the 'Standard' wheel is the fat tread, right?   The skinny tread is the one that FVM doesn't call standard.

http://www.foxvalleymodels.com/wheelsets.html

Technically "Semi Scale Fine tread" and "Wide tread"  I thought he Wide tread came later so that's why I called the fine tread "standard".