I got 2 athearn engines. One from the 70's and a newer one but has the same size pins that stick out of the wheel(half axle wheels). I'm trying to figure out the MM size of them. I didn't know there are different sizes so I bought a set of 1.5mm off eBay and they are to small.
So...I'm confused. You have two, need to know wheel size, but the ones you bought have wrong sized axle tips. You cannot measure the ones you have, or are your two engines missing all wheelsets? Both are straight stubs?
Both my engines have the same size wheels. I'm trying to figure out the size. So I can replace them with nickel silver
Ah. The old "replace the sintered iron wheels on your Athearn that will pull a battleship across dry land with NS that won't mess up our dcc" rule. I have all pointy axles in the parts box, but you want stub axle size or wheel tread diameter?
Are they inside bearing wheel sets (square bearings between the wheel and axle gear) or outside bearing wheel sets (outside of wheels fit into metal side frames)? These are made in "US inch" measurements. I am sure you can get close with metric but it might not be the same. Also. Do you want scale 42" (this is what came on BB Sintered wheels)? or 40" wheels (this would be more to scale) and what comes with RTR Athearn locos. At any rate, figure out what you have or want, and you can get replacement wheels from North West Short Line (NWSL) at; http://www.nwsl.com/ There are other vendors as well, but I have used these and was satisfied.
RTR wheels come in both 40 & 42 inch size. Most of the blue box loco's had 42 inch wheels. If your side frames are metal, then you need outside frame wheels. If your side frames are plastic, then you need inside frame wheels. The actual difference in the whees is how far the axel shaft is pushed through the wheels. The shaft lengths are the same. Inside frame are available from Athearn and NWSL. The Athearn are cheaper and easier to find. The outside frame replacement are limitedly available from NWSL. I have never seen a set of NS outside frame from Athearn. In any event, NS wheels will reduce the pulling capability of your loco's by about 20%. This goes with a marginal electrical improvement. Both types will get "dirty". A better, cheaper solution is to lightly rub your track with a graphite stick. These sticks cost around $2 and will last for years. Just some insight
