Which metal wheels should I order (and where) to replace the plastic ones on Walthers gondolas? https://www.trovestar.com/generic/zoom.php?id=162680
I use the plastic wheelsets for several reasons, so I am not up to speed on the metal ones. The last I heard there was availability problems across the board. I am not aware of any recent changes.
My personal preference is either Fox Valley or Intermountain types. Availability has gotten a bit better lately, may have to hunt around a bit.
Here's a site that speaks about metal wheels and also offers the axle lengths for several brands of cars and their trucks. https://www.trovestar.com/blog/article/421
There are NO metal wheel availability issues for the following brands - they are all currently available at most hobby shops: Eastern Seaboard Models Intermountain Micro-Trains Athearn Rapido Trains Atlas For those who love Fox Valley Models metal wheels, there hasn't been any announcement of availability in years. Rumor has it that the overseas factory that made them is no longer in business. There's still no word on whether ScaleTrains or Scale America will produce them again. I would highly recommend Eastern Seaboard Models (ESM) metal wheelsets as a reasonable substitute.
Walthers uses .553" axle wheels in their trucks. Intermountain and Atlas makes metal wheelsets in that size. And if you wait until early 2023, Eastern Seaboard Models will be coming out with their excellent low-profile metal wheels in that axle size.