Low Profile Wheels

[wm3798]

Except the ties are kind of chunky... :
Lee

[Norm P]

I just picked up a Red Caboose coil car that won't run on my Atlas 55.  The clerk at the store said he thought coil cars take FVM 38".  Of my limited fleet of Athearn, IM Atlas, and now Red Caboose, the coil car is the only one that clunks along the ties.

[DocGeoff]

In the last two weeks I've converted 80 cars to Fox Valley low pro wheels. The only problem I've had was with a Walther's flat car because I changed the trucks to MT and the car had burrs on the frame that were catching on the coupler. No problems otherwise.

[Walkercolt]

I made the mistake of buying some Shinohara turnouts and a double crossover 25 years ago. I never got them to work properly with MT "pizza cutters", or anthing but old Arnold Rapdio GP-30 engines(talk about tall flanges!). I would think it's just me, but N-TRAK "strongly discourages" the use of Shinohara turnouts on "community tracks". I think I know why. The module is still in the garage and I still can't reilably run trains on it, so there it stays. I can see the problems with them, but I can't fix them, and I've tried lots of things...shims, and more. I'm sure someone has gotten them to work fine, but not me. Just my experinces, yours will probably be different. ???

[Chulvis]

The clerk at the store said he thought coil cars take FVM 38". 

38" ??? Does not exist, Norm. 33" or 36" will do the trick, but I am not sure what size wheels the prototype cars use.

[Hyperion]

The clerk at the store said he thought coil cars take FVM 38". 

38" ??? Does not exist, Norm. 33" or 36" will do the trick, but I am not sure what size wheels the prototype cars use.

Prototype's run on 6.5"x12"x36" wheels.

At least BNSF's do.  Other railroads might run theirs on 9" axles, but they're almost definitely all running on 36" wheels.

[Norm P]

The clerk at the store said he thought coil cars take FVM 38". 

38" ??? Does not exist, Norm. 33" or 36" will do the trick, but I am not sure what size wheels the prototype cars use.

I thought it was odd--33 and 36 are all I've ever seen advertised, but he was the guy behind the counter, so I didn't question him.  At any rate, it won't work with whatever wheels Red Caboose put on it.

[Chulvis]

The clerk at the store said he thought coil cars take FVM 38". 

38" ??? Does not exist, Norm. 33" or 36" will do the trick, but I am not sure what size wheels the prototype cars use.

I thought it was odd--33 and 36 are all I've ever seen advertised, but he was the guy behind the counter, so I didn't question him.  At any rate, it won't work with whatever wheels Red Caboose put on it.

Well, I know that RC use MTL trucks, couplers and wheels on all their rolling stock for the past five years or so. I suppose it is possible that some pizza cutters are on the trucks. Could easily happen at the factory. 

[Norm P]

I double checked to make sure all the wheels are on the tracks and it definitely goes clickety-clack.  To my inexperienced eye the flanges look bigger than those on my IM covered hoppers, which seem to be my smoothest rolling cars.

[Mark5]

I double checked to make sure all the wheels are on the tracks and it definitely goes clickety-clack.  To my inexperienced eye the flanges look bigger than those on my IM covered hoppers, which seem to be my smoothest rolling cars.

RC cars come with MT Pizza Specials. Swap out the wheelsets for the replacement of your choice.

[Norm P]

Thanks for the info.  I'll pick up a pack of FVM wheels this week.

[bsoplinger]

I know very heavy trucks do use 38" wheels in real life. I think the end of the 5 car well cars use these trucks, in fact I believe that Kato claims they have scale wheels on their well car sets (38 on ends 33 for all middle trucks). I think those, when or if Kato ever has parts for them, would be the proper size wheels for coil cars. But til then, and based on the truck you're using, you'd want either 36" (if using Atlas 100T trucks) or 33" (any MT truck).

You can buy the whole Kato truck (without a coupler) for 5 bucks a piece now. Which is on the way expensive side unfortunately.

[3rdrail]

I know very heavy trucks do use 38" wheels in real life. I think the end of the 5 car well cars use these trucks, in fact I believe that Kato claims they have scale wheels on their well car sets (38 on ends 33 for all middle trucks). I think those, when or if Kato ever has parts for them, would be the proper size wheels for coil cars. But til then, and based on the truck you're using, you'd want either 36" (if using Atlas 100T trucks) or 33" (any MT truck).

You can buy the whole Kato truck (without a coupler) for 5 bucks a piece now. Which is on the way expensive side unfortunately.

Brian, it's the other way around. The end trucks have 33 inch wheels and are 70 ton trucks, while the middle ones have 38 inch wheels and are 125 ton trucks. Yes, 125-ton, 315,000 mgwr, cars require 38 inch wheels and larger bearings on the trucks. AFAIK, no one makes an N scale 125 ton truck.

[sundowner]

 no one makes an N scale 125 ton truck.

Kato does but it only works with the Maxi IV.