Lima Rolling Stock wheels - Code 75 track

[resluke]

Hi all
Could anyone give me some suggestions on changing older Lima wheels so they run well on Code 75. I’ve seen Peter’s Spares do a set coded PS34 - but at £3 per bogie it could get expensive quickly. Are there any suppliers that sell them in bigger quantities at a lower cost per wheel? 

 

I’ve seen on other threads that the wheels can be ground with a dremel, but I’d have no idea where to start with this nor could I find any ‘how - to’ YouTube videos.

 

Any suggestions or advice appreciated. 

[lofty1966]

Best suck up the three quid a pop.

Lot of work to file/grind down the huge Lima flanges.

You really need a lathe to be consistent but if you are a dab hand with a file it can be done with an electric drill and a lot of care and patience. 

[Halvarras]

I'd be inclined to go the Peter's Spares route and if necessary spread the cost over a period of time. £1.50 per axle isn't bad - Hornby's wheel packs work out at £2 per axle these days (was 35p when they first came out, but that was then and this is now 🙄!)

It's another of those 'time vs money' equations innit? - spent quite a lot of time filing down the wheels you already have, or spend some money on drop-in replacements (which means you can spend the time saved on doing something much more enjoyable than filing down Lima flanges.......ouch!)

[Downendian]

I’ve converted my rake of Lima PGAs to run on standard Bachmann/Hornby wagon wheels. After cutting back the inside of the axle boxes with a Xuron and filing flush I used this reamer

https://www.dccconcepts.com/product/bearing-reamers-set-of-two/  
most run extremely well, but a few need converting to brass bearings as the wheels keep falling out. However as Halvarras has said, wheel prices have recently significantly increased. I was lucky to have a large stockpile.

Markits do the Lima wheels as well, but they may be the same ones as Peters Spares.

Lima wagons can be pretty good, the PGAs are a hybrid of two early diagrams and with a clean up and improved running they look good behind a Western -how I remembered them.

Neil

[ISW]

14 hours ago, resluke said:

Any suggestions or advice appreciated.

Have you considered using AliExpress? I've ordered a reasonable number of times from there without any issues. Yes, it takes longer to be received (~2-weeks ish) but the prices 'can' be much less. Here's one from AliExpress that might be acceptable:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001243767835.htmll

 

Dimensions as follows:

 

The dimensions aren't 'exactly' the same as Lima wheels, but the length is about right. The wheels are ~1mm smaller in diameter. Not sure about the back-to-back though. It might need 'tweaking'.

 

But at £7.32 (£14.55 normally) for 24 axles, the price is very compelling.

 

There are plenty of other 'sellers' on AliExpress with similar wheels. It's just a case of deciding which one(s) best match Lima wheelsets, with an acceptable price.

 

I also have an extensive 'fleet' of Lima coaches / wagons, but am using Code-100 so the pizza cutters do run without issue. However, I'm also seriously considering retrofitting 'proper' wheels.

 

Ian

[Il Grifone]

As I understand it (and would welcome being proved wrong!) ordering from China (or elsewhere abroad) used to have an exception for customs duty/VAT for small orders (around £18 IIRC). The EU in its wisdom has scrapped this and now all orders are liable. This is not so bad in itself, but there is a hefty charge on top for the privelege of paying it. Despite Brexit, this also applies to the UK and also applies to orders to and from the EU.

I recentlytried to send some personal items from the UK to Italy, as I have done in the past without problems. The shipping agency now requires a detailed list of the contents (for customs) and was all set to charge me EU import duties (based on the insured value). Being of low value I put this at zero as, being pre-owned personal property, they are not liable to EU import duty, but the shipping form does not include this option!

 

Back on topic, Lima wheels have two types - a rather nasty sharp flanged effort in bright chrome colour and a rather better dark coloured version. The diameter is 11.5mm (1 metre in H0 scale) on a 24.5mm long pinpoint axle of 2mm diameter. Standards are approximately the standard Hornby (Dublo) in use since 1938 and are not really compatible with code 75 track.

I have a programme of replacing them with something finer (I have a stock of 12mm Jackson disc wheels (available for Grifone friendly prices at toyfairs). These suffer from variable diameter axles and some need reaming out. Plastic or card inserts will convert the spoked variety to disc. To be fair they do run quite well on code 100 track though some do have eccentric insulating bushes (one per wheelset as one wheel is live to the axle without any bush).

Edited October 13, 2023 by Il Grifone

[ISW]

15 minutes ago, Il Grifone said:

As I understand it (and would welcome being proved wrong!) ordering from China (or elsewhere abroad) used to have an exception for customs duty/VAT for small orders (around £18 IIRC). The EU in its wisdom has scrapped this and now all orders are liable.

I can't prove you right or wrong, but Brexit was January 2020, and I placed 5 orders with AliExpress through 2021 that came through without any issues. Now, maybe something's happened since then (?) but I don't have information.

 

Ian

[DCB]

The easiest answer is change the bogies, Hornby  (Triang Hornby) 1960  - 2000 and beyond bogies are a straight swap, just need a bolt and a few washers.   Biggest problem I find with replacing  Lima wheels is the axles are shorter, presumably H0 and fatter than most OO  Hornby/ Jackson/ markits wheels are smaller inside diameter   The Lima bogie side frames spread and the wheels come loose but not enough to fit Hornby axles without deepening the axle dimples .     Badly warped bogies need a small amount of deepening, but on good  ones it's marginal whether the axle end breaks through the moulding.   I have restored Lima coaches with warped bogies by fitting badly worn square axle  Triang -Hornby  silver seal  wheels  with the pin points worn down and mixing and matching till I get them  to run acceptably   You can detach the tyres and turn the flanges down and refit them with superglue gel to correct 14.5mm instead of 13.8mm B to B  but I wouldn't bother.     The dark lima wheels run OK on code 100, I use them in Hornby Dublo bogies but they seem to have flat treads and tapered flanges so steer on the flanges.    You really need to cone the treads as well if you reduce the flanges.  A decent coned wheelset will steer through code 100 points without the flanges touching.   I have had to reprofile 2020 Dapol Mogul leading  wheels to a conical tread to stop derailing.
I am sure the bright silver Lima wheels have a use, but apart from spraying them black, fitting them to surplus stock and selling the on I can't think of one.

[resluke]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:25, ISW said:

Have you considered using AliExpress? I've ordered a reasonable number of times from there without any issues. Yes, it takes longer to be received (~2-weeks ish) but the prices 'can' be much less. Here's one from AliExpress that might be acceptable:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001243767835.htmll

 

Dimensions as follows:

 

The dimensions aren't 'exactly' the same as Lima wheels, but the length is about right. The wheels are ~1mm smaller in diameter. Not sure about the back-to-back though. It might need 'tweaking'.

 

But at £7.32 (£14.55 normally) for 24 axles, the price is very compelling.

 

There are plenty of other 'sellers' on AliExpress with similar wheels. It's just a case of deciding which one(s) best match Lima wheelsets, with an acceptable price.

 

I also have an extensive 'fleet' of Lima coaches / wagons, but am using Code-100 so the pizza cutters do run without issue. However, I'm also seriously considering retrofitting 'proper' wheels.

 

Ian

 

Hi Ian, this is what I resorted to doing in the end, I’ve ordered these (link below) - I’ll test them and report back, but from the measurements I’d be unsurprised to find they’re the same product as is manufactured for Peter’s spares. 

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mr3KKQU

[ISW]

4 hours ago, resluke said:

Hi Ian, this is what I resorted to doing in the end, I’ve ordered these (link below) - I’ll test them and report back, but from the measurements I’d be unsurprised to find they’re the same product as is manufactured for Peter’s spares. 

https://a.aliexpress.com/_mr3KKQU

Which 'color' did you get; #80066? That seems to be closest to a Lima wheelset in all dimensions.

 

 

Do let us know how you get on.

 

Ian

[resluke]

2 hours ago, ISW said:

Which 'color' did you get; #80066? That seems to be closest to a Lima wheelset in all dimensions.

 

 

Do let us know how you get on.

 

Ian

Yes, the #80066, which despite being third on that image was (a) as the option. Should be here in a fortnight so I’ll have a look at how they are and report back.

[roythebus1]

Gibson used to do wheels with Lima length axles, I got a load of 12mm years ago for LimaDMUs. The Lima pizza cutter wheels won't run on code 75 or flatbottom rail without running on the chairs or ballast. We discovered this back in the early 1980s when we had trouble with Lima stock on the MRC's New Annington layout. One of the members took a bogie home and turned the flanges down to BRMSB and the DMU ran perfectly afterwards.

 

If anyone needs 12mm disc brake wheels, I have a large stock of these I had made for my VGA kits in the mid-1980s. they were made by Romford, axles are 2mm diameter, 26mm long. Tread and flange is to NMRA standard. they have etched disc brake centres. Drop me a pm if interested.

Edited October 23, 2023 by roythebus1

[resluke]

Update, the wheels have now arrived and they (code 80066) fit perfectly.

 

The photos show one bogie, one wheel west is the Lima pizza cutter (silver) one is the new wheels from Ali express. Link below.
 

 https://a.aliexpress.com/_mr3KKQU