Metal wheel retrofits to MT pasenger trucks

[Puddington]

Has anyone experienced an issue with wheel rubbing in MT four wheel passenger trucks due to brake shoe contact ? I have been detailing and converting some Centralia shops cars for "foreign road" sleepers on the CPR Dominion. I have a bunch of BLMA 36" metal wheel sets with the perfect axle length for the MT passenger trucks. Yet when I add the wheels sets they seem to rub on the brake shoes. I have tried gently bending the brake shoes out a bit but they "spring back" and create some fairly significant resistance on the wheel tread....

Anyone expereinced this or have any remedy ideas ?

Edited typo in title.  Meta wheels should not rub. -gfh

[delamaize]

remove the brake shoes and replace them with etched brass ones?

[peteski]

I seem to recall running into this problem too with FVM wheels.  MT 4-wheel trucks were designed for 33" wheels.  I think that I trimmed the rubbing brake pad surfaces with a hobby knife until there was enough clearance. But I don't remember for sure (I don't even know where these trucks are - this could have been something I did for a friend).

[mmagliaro]

Well, not with MT, but I had this problem with Con-Cor trucks - same reason - I put FVM 36" wheelsets in there and
the brakeshoes rubbed, and yes, the engineering plastic is flexy, so if you bend it out of the way, it just
bends back.

I used a round jeweler's file to ream out the surface of the brake shoe until there was enough clearance.

If you are daring, you could just touch the back of the brake shoe plastic with a hot soldering iron for an instant
and bend it before it cools.  That will permanently keep it back out of the way, and if you're quick, it won't
melt into an unrecognizable blob.

[milw156]

Has anyone experienced an issue with wheel rubbing in MT four wheel passenger trucks due to brake shoe contact ? I have been detailing and converting some Centralia shops cars for "foreign road" sleepers on the CPR Dominion. I have a bunch of BLMA 36" metal wheel sets with the perfect axle length for the MT passenger trucks. Yet when I add the wheels sets they seem to rub on the brake shoes. I have tried gently bending the brake shoes out a bit but they "spring back" and create some fairly significant resistance on the wheel tread....

Anyone expereinced this or have any remedy ideas ?

Make sure your air repeater car is working properly and the hoses are not leaking!

[garethashenden]

Are the original wheels actually 36"? Is it worth trying 33" wheels instead?

[bbussey]

The MTL trucks were designed to house 33" wheels.  If you insert the prototypically-proper 36" wheels, you must either bend the brake shoes back or remove them entirely.

[seusscaboose]

Step #1 - bend it back slightly

Step #2 - move on to next project.

[Puddington]

Step #1 - bend it back slightly

Step #2 - move on to next project.

....but it "bends back".... silly plastic brake shoe....LOL

[mmagliaro]

Bending the brake shoes back on passenger car trucks so that they can accomodate 36" wheels has never worked for me because the plastic will bend back.   If you work it, you can bend it back enough to fatigue the plastic so
that it won't spring back.  If you bend it and just quickly touch the bend spot with a soldering iron tip,
you can "fix" it there so it will become stiff at that bend and not spring back.  You just have to be careful.

Or you can file it out of the way.   I tried both ways.  I think bending/fatigueing/heating is quicker and easier.

[peteski]

I'm not sure why this discussion continues.    Like Max and I said, the rubbing parts need to be either trimmed away with a hobby knife or melted away with a soldering iron. No other options (well, besides using 33" wheels). End of story - move on to the next project.

[Puddington]

I'm not sure why this discussion continues.    Like Max and I said, the rubbing parts need to be either trimmed away with a hobby knife or melted away with a soldering iron. No other options (well, besides using 33" wheels). End of story - move on to the next project.

Gee, I guess because someone wanted it to.... having a bad day Peteski...? Hey man; electrons are free (more or less) - relax.....

[BCR 570]

Puddy:

I have bent the brake shoes back succesfully to accommodate 36" wheels.  The trick is that you have to bend them back further than necessary, and you have to do it several times.  After a while they don't bend back as far, and your wheels will run unimpeded.

Tim

[peteski]

Gee, I guess because someone wanted it to.... having a bad day Peteski...? Hey man; electrons are free (more or less) - relax.....

I guess I just don't get it. There are 4 possibilities and we just keep regurgitating them over and over.  I guess that's what forums are really good for.    Time for this topic to branch to off-topic stuff. 

[Kisatchie]

...Time for this topic to branch to off-topic stuff. 

Hmm... uh, Mr. Peteski,
I'm in a bind. Could you
lend me 500 bananas...?