Problems with Gibson wagon Wheels?

[Guest WM183]

Hi folks.

 

The past year or so - perhaps a bit longer - I have had a lot of problems with pairs of wagon wheels from Gibson. The tyres sometimes come free of the rims - in two cases, right from the pack - and many of them are wobblers, with the wheels not square to the axles. Is there any remedy for any of this, or is it just rolling the dice anytime I get some of them? I love them when they're good, but... if 2 or 3 in 10 is bad (this is about my ratio) that is pretty bad?

All the best,

 

Amanda

[brossard]

I think I have seen that although it has been a long time since I used them.  They are steel tyres pressed onto plastic centers.  It is a good idea to check the wheels to make sure the tyres haven't come loose.  If they have, as far as I can remember it is a simple matter of pressing the tyres home.  A dab of CA on the plastic rim will secure them.  They will wobble if the tyres are loose.

 

John

[Lazy]

I had the same problem with a large batch of 10.5mm wheels a few years back - virtually all were out of true. I tried dismantling and reassembling them but this did not work. In the end I laid them aside and looked for other types (Romfords seemed to be in short supply at the time). Peter's Spares sell what is described as a Lowmac wheel which has a non-standard axle diameter but runs true (although it is a bit chunky). I was fortunate enough to find an Ebay seller who was selling a large batch of Steam Era Models wheels which have also proved to be true. As to the Gibsons, I eventually 3D printed some simple replacement wheel discs in Shapeways' FUD which, with careful assembly on to the original axles and tyres (glue required), resulted in some usable wheelsets, although this was more about salvaging my initial outlay rather than any intention of becoming a wheel designer. But in general I would suggest using other wheel makes.

[brossard]

I recall that the Hornby and Bachmann wagon wheels were quite good value.  Not as fine as Gibson but made well and true and a good price.  This was quite a few years ago now.

 

John

[Guest WM183]

Thanks guys. I wish Romfords were easier to get. Can you buy wheels from Bachmann or Hornby separate?

 

[brossard]

11 minutes ago, WM183 said:

Thanks guys. I wish Romfords were easier to get. Can you buy wheels from Bachmann or Hornby separate?

 

 

Yes:

 

https://anticsonline.uk/Category/Wheels-and-Couplings_N891

 

John

[PenrithBeacon]

On 17/09/2021 at 17:56, WM183 said:

Hi folks.

 

The past year or so - perhaps a bit longer - I have had a lot of problems with pairs of wagon wheels from Gibson. The tyres sometimes come free of the rims - in two cases, right from the pack - and many of them are wobblers, with the wheels not square to the axles. Is there any remedy for any of this, or is it just rolling the dice anytime I get some of them? I love them when they're good, but... if 2 or 3 in 10 is bad (this is about my ratio) that is pretty bad?

All the best,

 

Amanda

Are these from your stocks or a recent purchase? I ask because Colin has improved the wheels enormously since he bought the business. 

[DLT]

25 minutes ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Are these from your stocks or a recent purchase? I ask because Colin has improved the wheels enormously since he bought the business. 

 

Quite so, this was an issue many years ago.   What I used to do was pull the rims off and glue them back on.  You needed to check for and remove any moulding flash on the plastic centres, as this could be a cause of the rims not fitting "true".

I expect there are still a lot of the old type around, especially if you are getting them secondhand.

Cheers, Dave.

[Guest WM183]

1 hour ago, PenrithBeacon said:

Are these from your stocks or a recent purchase? I ask because Colin has improved the wheels enormously since he bought the business. 

Some were packed with kits, so they could be old ones. Others I bought from Eileen's.  A few were in parkside kits in the new ratio style plastic box things, so those kits are quite recent.

[Bearwood West Yard]

I completed some Cambrian Salmons and used the Alan Gibson wheels recommended - boy have I had no end of trouble! Although the Cambrian model is light as a feather anyway, the flanges are so fine that they constantly derail. Virtually no weight to them which doesn't help - ended up swapping them out for Bachmann wheelsets from a load of BDA's that are undergoing respray. 

Bought the wheels around January time from Eileen's, so a fairly recent batch. When I've got my lathe back up and running I'll check how true it runs on the finger clock.

[micklner]

Sound like P4 wheel sets, if the flange is fine.

[Andy WD]

I've had the same issue with some loose tyres and wheels out of true in the last couple of batches I've bought. All purchased recently from Eileens.
 A back to back gauge and a little Loctite, (other brands available), seems to have sorted them out though. But it is has been frustrating, especially as they have been in short supply!
 
 

[Halvarras]

On 18/09/2021 at 14:08, brossard said:

I recall that the Hornby and Bachmann wagon wheels were quite good value.  Not as fine as Gibson but made well and true and a good price.  This was quite a few years ago now.

 

John

 

Hornby's certainly were when they first came out - just £3.50 for a pack of ten. I pounced on those and rewheeled all of my plastic-wheeled stock for thirty five quid, and I don't think I found a single wheel out of true. 'Twas a right bargain!