Arnold SW-1 Parts source?

[mplsjct]

No idea what Hornby was thinking when they put traction tires on these ...

Did anyone here do the no-traction tire swap on one of these while they were available? I'm curious as to how well they pulled without the rubber.

Yes, my recollection is the pulling power was sufficient, but I wasn’t pulling more than a dozen or so cars. I’m definitely in the crowd wanting the traction tires left to the poor pulling steamers.

Remember the first Atlas RS3’s?, they came with two traction tires too.

[Mark5]

Remember the first Atlas RS3’s?, they came with two traction tires too.

Yes, I bought one when it came out. I promptly ordered wheelsets without TT from Atlas.

[Cajonpassfan]

I don't know what keeps the traction tire thing alive either. Maybe it's the crowd who thinks their tiny switcher should be able to move 30 cars around.

Well, okay, so Exactly how many era-appropriate cars can one switch with the modified,  TT-less SW1, on level trackage?
Otto K.

[mmagliaro]

Finally...

Here are some photos of my conversion process and the result.  It runs really nice, but then, the original ran really nice.  I don't see any change in running behavior, but unfortunately, mine already had converted wheels on it.  I do remember that when it had traction tires, I thought it was electrically fussy enough that I would never use it for anything.

There are steps I forgot to photograph.  Sorry.  I was kind of in a rush on this one.  Key tips for things I don't show a photo for:

1. To get the Kato wheels off their half-axles, I found it useful to start by slipping a brass tube over the axle on the inside of the wheel, so the tube extends a little past the axle.  Then clamp between the jaws of a vise and press the tip of the axle until it is flush with the wheel.  THEN put it in the wheel puller and press it out the rest of the way.  You don't have to do this, but it was just a little easier to get it started in the wheel puller if the end of the axle was already flush with the wheel.

2. To put the wheels on the Arnold axle, put the axle in the chuck of the vertical mill (you can use a drill press), with the wheel under it, and lower the head to push the axle into the NON insulated wheel. This keeps the axle nice and straight as it goes in.  I also did some by just getting the axle started at the mouth of the hole on the inside of of the wheel and get it into the jaws of my jeweler's vise to press it in.  But I think it's more sure to use the mill or drill press to keep things straight.

Putting the insulated wheel on was pretty easy.  You can mostly just push it on by hand with a little care.  I got it started in the insulator by hand and then put the wheelset in the jewelers vise so it would press in straight.  Check with NMRA gauge to get the wheel spacing correct, and check that it's centered in the truck so the red gear doesn't bind on the slot in the bottom of the truck.  If it does, you need to use the wheel puller to push/pull and shift the two wheels over a tad.













Some video of it running:

[nickelplate759]

Nice work Max (as always).
I've been wondering - couldn't one also use NWSL wheels if one didn't have Kato sets handy, given that they come pre-drilled for 1.5mm axles and/or insulated bushings?

[mmagliaro]

Nice work Max (as always).
I've been wondering - couldn't one also use NWSL wheels if one didn't have Kato sets handy, given that they come pre-drilled for 1.5mm axles and/or insulated bushings?

Certainly.  All you really need are four 40" wheels with 1.5mm holes and four with bushings.
It just seemed like a cheap excuse to use my lathe        With the collet chuck to hold the wheel nicely, the lathe made minced meat out of this job.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

Well damn. That's a lot of work for not a lot of gain.

I think I'll work on making sure all my pick ups are working right and see where things go from there.

[mmagliaro]

Well damn. That's a lot of work for not a lot of gain.

I think I'll work on making sure all my pick ups are working right and see where things go from there.

Well, it was about 30 minutes work total, but only because I have finally amassed all the tools to do it that quickly.
As for not a lot of gain, I disagree.  Remember, when I first got it, I put Arnold S2 wheels on it (because I had them and they fit),
because with the traction tires, the pickup was so unreliable that I couldn't live with it.  I thought the same way about
the old Atlas RS-11 (the 1980s one with the two traction tires), and I put metal wheels on that one too.

[mmagliaro]

I was waiting to see who was going to ask me what I was going to do with the Arnold wheels I pulled off my engine.

[ncbqguy]

Just a thought..
When you say you used Arnold Rapido S2 wheels and they fit, do you mean the wheels fit the SW2 axles or the geared wheel sets were a match?
NWSL made replacement low profile geared wheelsets for the S2; there still might be some in the market or the new owner might be willing to make a run if there wasn’t any inventory in the sale.
Charlie Vlk

[mmagliaro]

Just a thought..
When you say you used Arnold Rapido S2 wheels and they fit, do you mean the wheels fit the SW2 axles or the geared wheel sets were a match?
NWSL made replacement low profile geared wheelsets for the S2; there still might be some in the market or the new owner might be willing to make a run if there wasn’t any inventory in the sale.
Charlie Vlk

Actually, I'm glad you brought this up, because it made me go check and now I can see that what I thought were S2 wheels actually came out of bag "labeled" for S2 wheels, but they are not.   Most of the wheels in the bag clearly came from the Arnold S2, but a few, like the ones I used, came from who-knows-where.
Be that as it may, looking at the REAL S2 wheels, no, it won't work because the axles on the S2 were much thinner, and the axle gear is different - different thickness, different diameter, different number of teeth.

[nkalanaga]

"Certainly.  All you really need are four 40" wheels with 1.5mm holes and four with bushings."

Would 8 with bushings work as well?  If I remember right, the trucks have wipers on both sides. so there's no need for the axles to be "hot".

[mmagliaro]

"Certainly.  All you really need are four 40" wheels with 1.5mm holes and four with bushings."

Would 8 with bushings work as well?  If I remember right, the trucks have wipers on both sides. so there's no need for the axles to be "hot".

Yes, actually, that's true.  There no need at all for any "hot" ones.  Any 40" wheel with a plastic center and 1.5mm bore would probably work as long as they aren't too wide and the flanges aren't too big.

[mmagliaro]

Well, okay, so Exactly how many era-appropriate cars can one switch with the modified,  TT-less SW1, on level trackage?
Otto K.

Finally got around to testing this.  With my modified SW-1, 8 Kato wheels, no TT, and the center fuel tank full of tungsten, mine can reliably pull 10 40' MT cars with Fox Valley wheels on level track.    Adding an 11th car gets dodgy, with some slipping in curves, and on the 12th car, there is lots of slipping.  So I'd call it 10.

[johnb]

Finally got around to testing this.  With my modified SW-1, 8 Kato wheels, no TT, and the center fuel tank full of tungsten, mine can reliably pull 10 40' MT cars with Fox Valley wheels on level track.    Adding an 11th car gets dodgy, with some slipping in curves, and on the 12th car, there is lots of slipping.  So I'd call it 10.

that is perfect for my layout