alternative .553" 33" wheels.

[bobthebear]

Hi Guys.
As Fox Valley wheels are, at this time, unavailable, who makes .553" 33" wheels. I need to replace the pizza cutters on some old Rivarossi/Atlas heavyweight cars. Yes, I know they should be 36", but then some filing if the frames is needed. Am I right in thinking Intermountain ones will work?
I'm in UK, so not able to pop into a LHS and try them easily. I don't want the expense of 12 packs of Micro-trains trucks!
Cheers, Bob.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

ESM has them coming out within the next few months.

[mmagliaro]

I can't say I've tried them, but IM says their 60050 and 60070 33" wheelsets have 0.55" axle lengths, so I can't see why they wouldn't work.  Are you sure you have to file the frames if you use 36"?  The flanges are smaller on the IM wheels.

[bobthebear]

Yes, I fitted some 36" to another set, and the tread rubs on the frame.

[thomasjmdavis]

I can't say I've tried them, but IM says their 60050 and 60070 33" wheelsets have 0.55" axle lengths, so I can't see why they wouldn't work.  Are you sure you have to file the frames if you use 36"?  The flanges are smaller on the IM wheels.

I've done this conversion- it is the tread of the wheel rubbing on the casting of the brakes that is the point of contact- or in my case, at any rate. And there is a small block of plastic in the corners of the trucks (at least some of them, the later Con Cor might be a bit different) that also needs to be removed.  I was using plastic wheelsets from Des Plaines/Centralia kits.  I found that if I carved off some of the brake shoe, I could get the wheels to just clear.

For purposes of the question at hand, I just tried some IM high detail 36" wheels in one of the modified, and they seem to roll just fine. 

[bbussey]

ESM has them coming out within the next few months.

More like a year away. 

[mmagliaro]

Oh yes, now I remember.  36" wheels hit the brake shoe detail on the trucks on the Rivarossi/ConCor cars, so I would assume the same problem would happen on the Atlas ones.  When the OP said they hit the frame, that led me to think it was something else.

[peteski]

This problem (and the fix) seems similar to what I described in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=49923.0

[thomasjmdavis]

This problem (and the fix) seems similar to what I described in https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=49923.0

Just about exactly that. That will teach me for not publishing when I did my cars 10 years ago.

[peteski]

Just about exactly that. That will teach me for not publishing when I did my cars 10 years ago.

The important part (regardless of who published it here) is that the fix is available, well documented, and easy to implement.

[thomasjmdavis]

The important part (regardless of who published it here) is that the fix is available, well documented, and easy to implement.

Agreed.  And a big improvement in appearance (along with adding some steps and knuckle couplers).

[SD452XR]

More like a year away.

Will be worth the wait 👍