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"The cars are lighted using the end of the axles to pick up current ."
"If the Kato wheels you have are pressed onto a plastic axle ..."
Have you read through the Rapido Canadian thread from some months ago?https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=51993.75You could scroll back and forth from that particular point. There is a lot of discussion on the thread about the Rapido Canadian and the various solutions to wheel, truck and tracking issues that some modelers experienced.
OP: So, is not relevant. The axle needs to be metal and electrically connected to the wheel to provide power to the contacts in the trucks that are connected to the lights in the cars.Whether a metal wheel on a metal axle is actually moveable on the axle would need to be determined in order to use wheel sets that do not start with the correct axle length. The critical measurement is actually the distance from the axle tip to the point on the wheel tread where the inner edge of the rail for in-gauge track will contact it. If the metal wheel on a metal axle cannot be moved along the axle, then this dimension can't be changed.That is why I asked what the axle length is for the OEM wheels provided for these cars by Rapido. If it is something readily available like 0.540", then it would be easy to make new pick-up wheel sets using the available metal wheel sets of the same axle length, because the wheels on those sets will have the correct dimension between axle tip and track gauge contact point on the treads. You would just need to cut the axles of the replacement wheel sets and use the sides that have the wheels electrically connected to the metal axles (in pairs joined by insulating plastic tubes).So, let's cut to the chase and find out what the Rapido axle lengths are for these cars.
Okay, I get it now. Half-axles with a metal wheel solidly attached. You can't push the who half-axles further into the plastic insulating tube in the middle without making the wheel gauge too narrow. Now that I reread your post.... But... did you go read that other thread, where Peteski explains how the Kato wheels are actually a separate metal wheel pressed onto a metal axle? You should be able to take a Kato half-axle (metal wheel, metal axle), carefully press the wheel slightly toward the outside (toward the pointed end), and then press two of those together in a plastic axle tube to get the correct gauge AND the shorter axle length you are after for the Rapido car. If you can't quite press the wheels close enough together into the axle tube, gently trim the tube and the inside ends of the half-axles so they won't touch.You'll need to put the pointed end of the axle into something firm, but not too hard, to protect the axle point, while you force the wheel outward... like maybe a block of oak or a piece of hard plastic with a small depression drilled in it.
And, if you have a caliper and measure the existing Rapido axle to be something readily available like 0.540", you could use some other metal wheel sets that are already the correct axle length, cutting them in half, and then you would only need to make sure they match the NMRA flange gauge when you position them in the axle tubes - no sliding wheels along axles.And, I am sure you will find many other uses for a decent caliper, both in model railroading and elsewhere.
Nooooo!!!!Do not try to make a new point on that axle with a Dremel. No way you can do that and get enough precision without a lathe.Believe me, I've tried it, and the results are "less than acceptable" at best. If that point isn't ground with extreme precision, the wheelset will bob up and down all over the place. Not only will it look funny, but electrical contact in the cone will be lousy.Wouldn't it be a heck of a lot easier to slip a short length of tubing over the half axle, place the half axle, point-down, on a hard block of wood,and then gently tap the tube with a hammer to drive the wheel slightly outward on the axle? Then you could press the wheels a little further into the plastic center tube, the wheel gauge would be correct, and the overall axle length would be shorter. You'll need a little trial-and error here to get it so the gauge is right and the axle length is right, but it doesn't seem all that bad.Or even better, put the half-axle + tube + little block of wood in a jeweler's vise, and then you can very precisely squeeze to move the wheel just how you need it, instead of tapping with a hammer.I'm only suggesting a block of wood because I'm guessing it's something you can get your hands on that will cushion the axle point so it isn't ruined. It needs to be something hard, like oak, but not TOO hard (like metal). In fact, a small piece of tubing, a little less in diameter than the axle, could be put over the point to protect it and still support the end of the axle while you press.
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Topic: How to shorten KATO passengers axles ??? (Read 3556 times)
