Association wheel longevity

[Quarryscapes]

Just pondering on this, I'd rather have steel axles running in bronze bushes but as association wheels have brass axles...well how well do they last? I've never seen reports of wearing out. Who has the longest running chassis built from such parts? 

 

I'd hate to build something with complex valve gear and find out it'll need re wheeling every 6 months! 

 

 

[CF MRC]

The Association wheels last very well: Copenhagen Fields stress-tests any mechanism. The only loco I have had to re-work with Association brass axles was a Parks tank on the NLR; this loco has run continuously for many miles up and down the hills on the layout.

 

Steel axles are not immune to wear: I had to turn down the 1/16th steel driving axle on Denys Brownlee's Flying Scotsman to 1.5 mm because the axle had grooved and the frames needed re-bushing to bring it back to a reasonable running condition. The Baldwin 2-6-0 needed it's bearing tops (it has split bearings) re-metalled with silver solder at 100 miles.

 

Tim

[RichardW1]

I do have slight concerns on axle life, but only as a result of wear and tear on hard working engines. As Tim says large layouts like CF really sort out mechanisms fast. It is essential to start with true bearings that do not have too much slop to start with ( they do need some) and side rods that don't impart too much stress in any one direction ( the loco will limp if they do). What Tim did not mention is that regular lubrication, but not over lubrication, is essential. Locos do pick up fluff, which can form into a sort of felt washers around crank pins and behind the wheels over time. I'm not sure if this is a curse, or blessing. One argument being that they help retain lubricants, the other being that they may, and I stress may as I have no evidence, introduce abrasive dirt into the bearing.

At the end of the day a little regular cleaning and maintenance is essential.

 

I had a 4F who's steel axles wore out after about 15 years! I'll settle for that.

 

Richard

[bécasse]

I use powdered lock graphite, which comes in tiny "puffer" bottles which seem to last a lifetime, for lubrication rather than any sort of oil-based product. Not only is it an excellent lubricant that, being dry, tends not to attract fluff, etc., but it also improves conductivity, particularly useful in 2mm scale.

[Quarryscapes]

Cheers for the replies guys, I don't think any of my NG locos will get that much running, so I will definitely give them a go using the standard approach.