I am looking for a truck tuner and can not find one anywhere. I understand that the Reboxx truck tuner has its problems being it is too short. Anyone know of a different brand that is good. Micro-Mark tools is out of them. I would also need a coupler height gauge and a wheel gauge. I would like to find these 3 items in one place to reduce the shipping & handling charge. Any ideas?
Coupler height gauge. Okay. What kind of couplers are you using? Doesn't the nmra gauge have a height spot on it? Can't remember. Coupler height really makes no difference, unless interchanging (i.e. running on someone elses railroad). For example, in 2-rail 0, the beloved nmra changed the coupler height, oh, 50 some odd years ago. I am NOT going to destroy my 60-70 year old rolling stock trying to drop the couplers to the new height, so I run old height. I made a gauge....took a dummy coupler, screwed it to a wood block that sits on the rails at the correct height. If using X2F couplers, just make sure the pin misses the rails in a turnout. Have a "known good" truck or car, use that to check your gauge. Kadee makes a gauge for those who like non-prototypical couplers that everybody thinks are. Mantuas, the height above railhead is shown on the packages they come in. No idea what a truck tuner is. Dave
Thanks for the info on the coupler height. Thinking about it, your are right, I really don't need one. Please see link below for truck tuner. Everywhere I call, they are out. http://www.micromark.com/HO-TRUCK-TUNER,8241.html
I suspected that was it. I remember when those came out. I don't think it was called that, just a sideframe reamer. Looks like a countersink bit. Never, ever saw a need for one until recently, found a couple of 0 cast sideframes from eons ago with serious casting imperfections in the holes. For me, a clean and lube generally did the trick. You have problems or just listening to someone telling you you have top do it? Dave
I was putting metal wheels on an old caboose I have and they were so tight, the axles would not turn. This is a car from the 60's or 70's. I have put metal wheel on newer cars with no problems. But, most of my cars are old.
The OP (tramp) is wanting to retrofit/upgrade his old rolling stock with metal wheels. If he is wanting to use his original trucks, he needs a truck tuner so he can use the metal wheels with them. There is really no other way to do it, other than buying new trucks and doing the fill/drill/tap/screw thing. As for a coupler height gauge? No, I guess you don't have to have one - but it helps. A lot. Make one, buy one. The point is, your couplers all need to be at uniform height. Yes you can pick any height you want, but the key is be consistent. The problem with picking an arbitrary height is that if you buy a new piece of rolling stock, it may not match your other cars. I got the Kadee coupler height gauge. It's simple, works great. Just a recommendation from my own experience. tramp, most hobby stores local or online - should have a NMRA standards gauge. It has a wheel gauge on it. Just a piece of metal but should be in your toolbox....along with a truck tuner and coupler height gauge hboy: All these tools are relatively low cost and pay for themselves many times over.
I have the reboxx and have had no issues with it. I use PK2 wheels as my replacements, in just about all of the common brands of rolling stock. I do not replace the trucker but I do the couplers. What JNXt said, get coupler gauge and use it. Using the recommended practices by the NMRA is nice but not a must do, having a standard in couplers, height, wheels and weight, is a must do. EBay has all of what you are asking for listed now ratled
You missed the original, I think. I did say choose a height...,but that was for X2F's, or horn-hook, or (sic) nmra couplers. I cannot recall ever seeing an actual gauge for them, since the nmra makes the gauges, and the nmra disavowed them when they were made. Yes, Kadees need a gauge, butt once you know the height (check one at your buddies house), mark the car or truck, use that height to check your others. There is no difference between using a gauge or a set-aside car or truck that has been checked. The photo he showed initially on the wheel swap out was a Mantua Talgo truck with X2F's. There isn't a gauge for those that I ever saw. If Mantua, it has pointy axle ends. Most cars from the advent of RP.25 do. I've swapped out more wheelsets in those, and I never had to "tune" a sideframe, if pointy end to pointy end swap. If he's got straight axles, I don't think there is enough meat to core them out and still not have the pointy end sticking out the journal box lid. When the "tuner" first came out, I recall it was for repairing worn journals (or, "tuning them up")
Well, I may be making some assumptions, granted. I am assuming he's going with Kadee-type 'knuckle' couplers. And no, I don't think there is a gauge for the horn-hooks. Can;t imagine what it would look like. But anyway, if he's getting back into the hobby with both feet, he's going with knuckle couplers. If not today, then tomorrow. Using a particular car would work as a height gauge, yes...I did that starting out before I had a dedicated one. Just much simpler, easier to have a dedicated gauge to measure all your rolling stock against, in my opinion. As for the truck tuner - my opinion is given from my own perspective, and it appears that tramp is heading back into the hobby much as I did: digging out old rolling stock with the old talgo truck/horn-hooks and pizza cutter plastic wheelsets and bringing them up to current standards as much as possible....while at the same time not spending a fortune. I have found a bare handful of these old antiques that will accept new metal wheels (P2K or Kadee), but I've found most will not AND roll freely. They need tuned, reamed, whatever you want to call it. The tuner doesn't so much drill into the sideframe as it does reshape the holes to the right angle that the new pointy ends require. Yes, it is marketed for the purpose you describe - repairing or 'tuning up' worn/dirty journals, but I push it a bit and 'machine' these old sideframes with it. It sure has saved the cost of a lot of new trucks for me and revived a ton of old Bachmann/Tyco/IHC/you name it for me.
Well, if I remember, the taper of the tool is different than the taper of the axles. On purpose. You want to ride on the tip ONLY, otherwise, if riding the entire distance of the taper, you're no better off than the old straight axles. Remember the post bon how to change whels? That was a Mantua/TYCO talgo truck. I can t recall seeing a Kadee that fit that...especially since some were spot welded or crimped to not come apart. That means, cut the Talgo off, go body mounts, then you replace the trucks anyway, then you shim for height. I guess we probably need to ask him again. I think I did once. What couplers are you using?
Thanks for all the replies. As I have been out of it for so long I am kind of lost. I bought a pack of kadee #521 - 36" metal wheel set as well as the #523 - 33" wheel set. I bought these thinking I could just pull the old ones off and slap the metal on. Not that simple. they fit pretty good on the Athearn cars but too tight to roll on other makes. Someone suggested intermountain, see link, but again I don't know enough to get the correct sets. Some of the cars I have have a thin metal axle with thin points on the ends. The kadee's are thick axles with fat points on the ends.http://www.ebay.com/itm/HO-INTERMOU...128784?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1e7718bcd0 Is there a like for the PK2 wheels? I am using Knuckle couplers on some cars and horn on others. I don't have enough knuckle couplers to refit all my cars so I use transition cars.
Thin ones are usually Mantua. Your choices are new trucks or find an outfit that still handles Mantua parts. Not sure coring out Mantua sideframes is going to work. You have to bend the bolster to remove wheels, insert tool, bend back, operate tool, bend open, insert wheels, benad back....ooops, too tight, do is all again and halfway through the bolster breaks. So, you bought Kadee wheels. What couplers are you going to use?
A friend of mine sent me a bag of about 60 knuckle couplers, I don't know what brand but they are non magnetic and I have some EZ mate. I am on a budget so I take what I can get. If I went with new trucks, what should I get? I have some cars with push in trucks and some with screw on.
*shrugs* what can I say? That's what I do, it works for me. Have not had a bolster break...but it could happen. "your results may vary"
That's a good friend! New trucks? Kadee...Proto 2000....Athearn....those are good brands I see at the local hobby store that have worked well for me. Different styles available for different eras. Wheels? 33" wheels for most of your freight cars, 36" for passenger. I don't think push in trucks are even available now.
How would I change the push in trucks to screw in trucks? Can it be done easily? Is there an adapter for that process? I am learning as I go. You guys are teaching me a lot. Thanks
I've seen push in adaptors somewhere. You could do it by gluing in plastic rod, when dry, drill it out dead centre and square, tap 2-56. You do Mantua trucks? That explains the heavy coring of the sideframes, I guess. Usually folks just put new trucks on rather than futzing with the coring, new axles, cut off the Talgo mount and use body mounts. Dave
I'll have to check, because memory is not what it was, but a #50 bit (and you NEED numbered drill sets!) (and appropriate pin vises) gives the proper hole for a 2-56 tap. Clearance hole (like, the trucks or something you want to tighten) is really #43, but I always use #44.
Is this the kind of pin vise you are talking about? Do you use this like a drill to start your hole? http://www.ebay.com/itm/Steel-Pin-V...404?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item43b9d99984
