Aluminum coach wheels any good?

[lofty1966]

I've got a large quantity of aluminium coach wheels (the ones that came with BSL/Phoenix bogies)

I have never used them as I have a fair few Romford/Jackson wheel sets in the stash.

Are they actually any good or are they just crud collectors?

Opinions puhleeze Gents.

[Il Grifone]

IMHO they are just crud collectors - they are not as bad as plastic, but, like those horrors, still go straight to bin (maybe saving the axles). Most of my coaches run on Romford/Jackson wheels, which run well and provide weight where in matters - on the rail.

[GrumpyPenguin]

Agreed - crud collectors, I had some on my garden railway (45mm) and they never ran well either.

[DCB]

Crud collectors,  I had some and they corroded, went white.   Mine were narrow  "scale"  00 wheels with underscale treads which didn't like Peco streamline points .    I feel jacksons themselves are outclassed by near current Bachmann and Hornby RTR wheels.   I would spray the aluminium wheels matt black, polish the treads   fit them to surplus stock I no longer wanted and stick them on eBay

[micklner]

4 hours ago, DCB said:

Crud collectors,  I had some and they corroded, went white.   Mine were narrow  "scale"  00 wheels with underscale treads which didn't like Peco streamline points .    I feel jacksons themselves are outclassed by near current Bachmann and Hornby RTR wheels.   I would spray the aluminium wheels matt black, polish the treads   fit them to surplus stock I no longer wanted and stick them on eBay

Bin them or get some very poor feedback on ebay in due course !!

[Colin_McLeod]

5 hours ago, DCB said:

I would spray the aluminium wheels matt black, polish the treads   fit them to surplus stock I no longer wanted and stick them on eBay

Thank you for the warning.  What's your Ebay username?   

[stewartingram]

Having used a number of led torches made of aluminium, I feel the aluminium oxidises rapidly. The -ve of the battery is usually via a spring to the end cap that screws on. Conductivity soon fails on the thread of the cap where it screws to the body,

Edited April 5 by stewartingram

[kevinlms]

47 minutes ago, Colin_McLeod said:

Thank you for the warning.  What's your Ebay username?   

Yes, he made a similar comment the other day, I think it was for a Mainline chassis with dodgy wheels.

 

I often wonder if you have rubbish bins the UK!

 

Perhaps we should see if we can work out his username?

Edited April 5 by kevinlms
More info

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

25 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

I often wonder if you have rubbish bins the UK!

Recycling bins, please...

 

And this only after prolonged efforts to re-use, repair and repurpose.

[kevinlms]

1 hour ago, 34theletterbetweenB&D said:

Recycling bins, please...

 

And this only after prolonged efforts to re-use, repair and repurpose.

But those prolonged efforts, can be taken too far as per DCB.

 

Besides not everything can be 're-used, repaired or repurposed'. My wife generates a fair bit of medical waste. Without being rude, what else ought I do with it, other than the rubbish bin?

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

2 minutes ago, kevinlms said:

But those prolonged efforts, can be taken too far...

I always forget to put in a smilie.

There's a determined dissident fringe minority 'good enough for grandad is good enough for me' element in the UK population. More preserved ancient stuff per virgate than anywhere else...

[DCB]

17 hours ago, kevinlms said:

Yes, he made a similar comment the other day, I think it was for a Mainline chassis with dodgy wheels.

 

I often wonder if you have rubbish bins the UK!

 

Perhaps we should see if we can work out his username?

The Mainline didn't have dodgy wheels as such but anything Mainline / Bachmann split chassis is waiting for the wheels to fall off,  My Bachmann Manor did it 10 minutes from brand new.  

Never chuck nothing  away.    eBay it.  One mans crap crud collector wheelset is another blokes fine scale EM gauge refurbished lathe turned and polished wheelset .  We had an old gramophone case, no guts bottom falling out, couldn't be bothered to take it to the tip. stuck it on eBay £7.50 plus £5 p+p and got £105 for it.  Horrible orange clock £35.  12 axles  Hornby Dublo 3 rail wheels £12.  I only paid a fiver for 6 coaches so made about £4 profit and got 8 good bogies to put Lima wheels in.  Being an old age pensioner that £4 makes all the difference, 

2 bottles of supermarket budget cola or a twix bar or 8
Just don't over sell, "Needs attention,"    "Spares or repair," If its tatty a quick blast of Poundland rattle can matt black and its "Weathered" , or Grey Primer or pound shop red and  some flattering photos and Bobs your uncle.  
 

[kevinlms]

2 hours ago, DCB said:

The Mainline didn't have dodgy wheels as such but anything Mainline / Bachmann split chassis is waiting for the wheels to fall off, 

 

Waiting for the wheels to fall off, isn't 'dodgy wheels' then?

 

Oh, I see! (not really)!

[The Johnster]

Can't see the advantage for any manufacturer in making aluminium wheels; not an easy material to machine and not particularly suitable for the purpose, but what do I know.  Can't say I've ever encountered them in over 60 years of modelling. 

 

13 hours ago, DCB said:

Never chuck nothing  away.    eBay it.  One mans crap crud collector wheelset is another blokes fine scale EM gauge refurbished lathe turned and polished wheelset .  We had an old gramophone case, no guts bottom falling out, couldn't be bothered to take it to the tip. stuck it on eBay £7.50 plus £5 p+p and got £105 for it.  Horrible orange clock £35.  12 axles  Hornby Dublo 3 rail wheels £12.  I only paid a fiver for 6 coaches so made about £4 profit and got 8 good bogies to put Lima wheels in.  Being an old age pensioner that £4 makes all the difference, 

2 bottles of supermarket budget cola or a twix bar or 8
Just don't over sell, "Needs attention,"    "Spares or repair," If its tatty a quick blast of Poundland rattle can matt black and its "Weathered" , or Grey Primer or pound shop red and  some flattering photos and Bobs your uncle.  

 

We have different standards of what constitutes fair and honest trading, but perhaps this is one of the reasons I don't sell stuff on the Bay, which I find too much of a bother and a stress-generator.  But, sorry, I do not approve of 'if it's tatty a quick blast of Poundland rattlecan black and its 'weathered'; 'needs attn.', 'spares or repair' feels less dishonest, and you'll still sell the stuff; I buy it sometimes.

[Steamport Southport]

50 minutes ago, The Johnster said:

Can't see the advantage for any manufacturer in making aluminium wheels; not an easy material to machine and not particularly suitable for the purpose, but what do I know.  Can't say I've ever encountered them in over 60 years of modelling. 

 

 

 

Another 1970s "wonder" material!

 

Also see 1970s cast resin. I had a GER J19 0-6-0 body to fit on a RTR chassis and you were meant to use the B12 tender. Made by Jaycraft I think. Casting was average, looked like a J19, but the material was dreadful....

 

 

 

Jason