Veering a bit off topic but could I please know what diameter wheelsets are on MTL 1032 roller bearing trucks? Are they 33" or 36"? Which would be the compatible Inter Mountain metal wheelsets for replacing the plastic wheel sets on these roller bearing trucks? Thanks, Krish
Intermountain says that they are 34.5 inches and "have no prototype." Their catalog number for these is 60052. Scroll down on this page: https://www.intermountain-railway.com/wheels.htm
I posted a while back that I had picked up some of the 60052 wheel sets to try. I applied them to 3 M/T covered hoppers and have been running them on and off for a few weeks now. Performance wise, they seem to perform just as well as the BLMA and M/T metal wheels I have so I am very happy with them. I also just got a pack of the 60072 (more detailed wheel set) version to try. Will maybe install them and get them on the layout this weekend. Overall, happy with them and since Intermountain has said they have a new supplier, I'd expect to see more coming on the market.
I am informed that though 60052 is not available, 60072 is. As you say, I too was told that 60072 is the same as 60052, only more detailed. Could you please advise if 60052/ 60072 would work for Code 80 track (Kato Unitrack)? Thanks, Krish
As promised, an update on the IM 60072 metal wheels. They performed flawlessly for several hours which did include some reverse moves through switches. I was running them in a cut of grain hoppers that included 3 with IM 60052's and 3 with M/T metal wheels. Even performance across the board for all 3 types. Here is where I applied them. I took these 3 Intermountain hoppers and replaces the factory equipped trucks and couplers with M/T truck and couplers and replaced the M/T wheels with the IM 60072's. When you put them next to the IM 60052's, you can see the difference but once they are in the M/T trucks and sitting on the layout, it is really hard to tell a difference. Regardless, I give them two thumbs up at this point
Thank you for the update. Had already bought them but was too lazy to install them. Was waiting for you to try them out first! Krish
You are welcome sir. It's been a few weeks since the install and they are still running just fine. They have made several more hours of run time around the layout and no issues. Intermountain promises more stock is being made.
I switched out about 30 older 1990-early 2000s vintage Micro-trains freight cars that pizza cutter wheel sets with the Intermountain 60052 and they run fine.
Both Intermountain 60052 and 60072 are fine on N Scale Kato Unitrack, my entire layout is made up of Unitrack. Highly recommended.
I seem to be the only person that has had dismal luck using metal wheels and I tried several brands back when they were readily available. I could watch a car with metal wheel sets, moving down a straight stretch of track suddenly develop a side-to-side shimmy and then jump the rail. None of the plastic wheeled cars ever did the same. The only thing I could think of that might cause such an effect is that the wheels were not centered on the axle even though they were correctly gauged. Get one wheel-set with the wheels off-center to the left and the other off-center to the right on the same truck . . .
Having said that a bunch of N intermountain boxcars I got about a year ago had crappy unsymmetrical wheels and needless to say they roll ...sorry they wobble down the track
The only thing I could think of that might cause such an effect is that the wheels were not centered on the axle even though they were correctly gauged. Get one wheel-set with the wheels off-center to the left and the other off-center to the right on the same truck . . .[/QUOTE] Did you check that the axles were not too short for the truck frame?
