Wheel profiles


P

Pocherguy

New Member
Hello. Brand new to the site; not sure if my subject has been covered or not.
Just getting back into the hobby after about 25 years away from it. Interests are North American narrow gauge (mostly HOn30), steam transition to early diesel passenger/freight, and some European, mostly French/German varnish.
My question is this: for the European stock I have, the mostly come with “pizzacutters” wheels. They aren’t really compatible with anything less than code 100 rail. I want to use maybe code 83 maximum. My passenger cars are relatively easy to convert to aftermarket RP25 wheels, but the steam locomotives and tender(drive) wheels are a different story! Any suggestions for altering the wheel profiles to help them run on lower profile rail?
Thanks
 
Pocherguy said:
Hello. Brand new to the site; not sure if my subject has been covered or not.
Just getting back into the hobby after about 25 years away from it. Interests are North American narrow gauge (mostly HOn30), steam transition to early diesel passenger/freight, and some European, mostly French/German varnish.
My question is this: for the European stock I have, the mostly come with “pizzacutters” wheels. They aren’t really compatible with anything less than code 100 rail. I want to use maybe code 83 maximum. My passenger cars are relatively easy to convert to aftermarket RP25 wheels, but the steam locomotives and tender(drive) wheels are a different story! Any suggestions for altering the wheel profiles to help them run on lower profile rail?
Thanks
Click to expand...
Are you looking for HO or OO scale replacements ?
 
Smudge617 said:
Are you looking for HO or OO scale replacements ?
Click to expand...
HO. The European equipment I have are either Jouef, Lilliput or some Rivarossi brands. The only European locomotives(all steam) are Jouef and Rivarossi. I’ll have to check the wheels on the Rivarossi units to verify the wheel profile, but the Jouef units definitely have the pizzacutters profile. I believe I’m going to need to turn the flanges somehow as I don’t think anyone makes aftermarket drivers for them.
 
Pocherguy said:
HO. The European equipment I have are either Jouef, Lilliput or some Rivarossi brands. The only European locomotives(all steam) are Jouef and Rivarossi. I’ll have to check the wheels on the Rivarossi units to verify the wheel profile, but the Jouef units definitely have the pizzacutters profile. I believe I’m going to need to turn the flanges somehow as I don’t think anyone makes aftermarket drivers for them.
Click to expand...
Let me do some digging, there are aftermarket manufacturer's, unless you know someone with a machine shop who could turn them for you. Or your going to have to use code 100 track.
 
This guy is probably the best in the UK.


Other manufacturers

Ultrascale Products | Your Sign of Quality for 4mm Scale Wheels and Gears

www.ultrascale.uk www.ultrascale.uk



3mm Scale Model Railways TT Wheels

3SMR 3mm Scale Model Railway suppliers for wheels, axles and bearings for model trains.
www.3smr.co.uk

www.roxeymouldings.co.uk

Markits Accessories, Markits Romford Locomotive Wheels, 4mm

Markits Accessories including Markits Romford locomotive wheels, crank pins, axles & couplings for 4mm scale model railways. Buy online from Roxey Mouldings.
www.roxeymouldings.co.uk www.roxeymouldings.co.uk

Hope you find something that works for you, if you do find something and they won't post internationally, let me know.
 
I'll guess you already know, but maybe not: As regards HOn30, two pioneers I know of as far as US prototype modeling (albeit freelance) are Dave Frary and Bob Hayden, who authored some pretty informative and even inspirational articles in Model Railroader magazine back in the '80s. Their shared layout was known as the "Carrabassett and Dead River," IIRC. They used some, then available N scale mechanisms. I still have one or two of them myself. Four axle industrial types.

This might be one starting place: https://www.trains.com/mrr/how-to/track-plan-database/carrabasset-and-dead-river/

More generally, there is table-of-contents, but the link I'm trying to post to that isn't working for some reason.

There is that series of videos, and this one might refer, more closely to your questions than some of the others: https://www.modelrailroadacademy.co...rations-on-bob-haydens-canddr-railway-010821/

Based on memory alone, I'll go out on a limb and say the rail they used was code 55. Code 40 was also available, but it pretty much demanded that the modeler use the "soldering rail directly to cut PC board ties" method. I can't point you directly at a description of that, but I do remember that one of most well respected MR associate editors--Gordon Odegard--wrote an article about same in an issue of MR sometime around then too.

If wheel profiles came up then, I think the mechanisms used then must have been Marklin. Whatever profile was used by Marklin N-9mm.

You might also investigate modeling of Nn3, and the primary name that comes to mind there is Nn3 pioneer Tom Knapp.
 
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I do model in HOn30, but I have no issues with the wheels in that gauge. The only issues I have are with the European standard gauge rolling stock and locomotives. My plan is to run American passenger trains and European ones on the same rails, although not at the same time! This is why I would like them both to run on Code 83 rail. Code 100 just looks too tall and unprototypical. I suppose it could be disguised and hidden with paint and ballasting in creative ways, but those pizzacutter wheels look like small scale Lionel trains!
 
I do run European and American trains on same rails, but my layout is all 100 code rail. One rail modeler suggested to run a locomotive in the air and use file to carefully shave the flanges. According to him he did that on his Rivarossi steam engines. I haven't tried, but i do have a junker Rivarossi steam model which i can practise on. Only time will tell.
 
Rico said:
What about laying two files the width of the track and attaching power to them?
Just put the loco on held in place then go make a samich!
Click to expand...
We are about to make quite a "Frankenmachine":
e3ef4d8dcc5d31bb4b6ce22412b322df.jpg
 
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