3 hole disc wheels

[dube]

I have Hornby, Dapol, Bachmann and romford 3 hole disc wheels they are all different and romford look a lot smaller are they all accurate ?

[bbishop]

I've just measured a 4mm Romford wheel at 11.85 mm, which scales to 2 foot 11½ inch. Prototypical wagon wheels came in various sizes. Those under fitted vans could be 3 foot 7 inch and under machinery trucks were often 2 foot 8 inch. And there was pretty much any diameter in between. However the majority of wagons had 3 foot 1 inch wheels. This makes Romford slightly undersized but then the flanges will be overscale. Romfords are not the best wheels on the market but are definitely better than the ready to run wheels you have mentioned. I'm presently building an ABS whitemetal kit and they are getting Romfords. By the by, I checked the RCH 1923 Specification in preparing this post, which does not define a wheel diameter.

 

Bill

[craigwelsh]

3 ft 1 1/2 inch wheels is actually the standard size as specified on most works drawings for wagon stock. 3 ft 7 inch was the normal coaching stock standard until the 3' 6 wheels on the mk1 stock.

 

There was a bit of a debate before now though on where that diameter was actually measured across.

[Pennine MC]

Not sure if the OP means the general appearance as well as the size, but the deep dished appearance of the Romford and Hornby wheels isnt as authentic as, say, a Maygib; in that respect the Bachy is probably the best looking of the RTR wheels and they dont look bad once painted

[Poor Old Bruce]

I've just measured a 4mm Romford wheel at 11.85 mm, which scales to 2 foot 11½ inch. Prototypical wagon wheels came in various sizes. Those under fitted vans could be 3 foot 7 inch and under machinery trucks were often 2 foot 8 inch. And there was pretty much any diameter in between. However the majority of wagons had 3 foot 1 inch wheels. This makes Romford slightly undersized but then the flanges will be overscale. Romfords are not the best wheels on the market but are definitely better than the ready to run wheels you have mentioned. I'm presently building an ABS whitemetal kit and they are getting Romfords. By the by, I checked the RCH 1923 Specification in preparing this post, which does not define a wheel diameter.

The 3ft 7in and 3ft 1in Bill quotes are those for new wheels but his "pretty much any diameter in between" comment is a bit sweeping as the nominal sizes were generally 3ft for wagons and 3ft 6in for coaching stock (before B4/B5 bogies which have 3ft wheels) plus a bit to allow for wear and re-profiling so a wheel down to scrapping size could be 2-3 inches smaller.

[craigwelsh]

but the deep dished appearance of the Romford and Hornby wheels isnt as authentic as, say, a Maygib;

Actually the current steel 3 hole Maygib with only a plastic muff rather than the metal tyre plastic centre older Maygib looks pretty much like a Romford. Their coach wheels look much better though.

[naugytrax]

If you paint the wheels grimy/rusty black/brown to get rid of the annoying shine, the differences in appearance are less obvious. The Jackson/Romford wheels are certainly smaller, and when replacing wheelsets on wagons you need to look at the relationship between the tire and the moulded brake blocks - if the gap is too big it looks a bit unlikely, but of course if the wheels are too big the brakes will prevent them from turning.

I think the important thing is how well they roll. The Jackson/Romford wheels roll more smoothly than the Bachmann or Hornby ones because they have a better profile. The Dapol wheels (at least, the ones used on the Fruit D - I gather that the ones on the 6-wheel milk tank are inferior) are the best of all because they conform exactly to the NMRA RP-25 profile.

[Baby Deltic]

I think the new Bachy 3 hole disc wheels are the best looking examples thus far, so much so that they are currently in short supply, although more deliveries are expected from Bachmann soon.