br-nse-fan Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Hey all Am in the process of upgrading my aging Lima fleet of parcel vans, and am looking for a suitable replacement wheel. Would the Bachmann coach wheels be an option, or is there something else readily available (ie: eBay)? Thanks in advance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Dagworth Posted March 10, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted March 10, 2011 Lima stock takes a shorter axle than most other makes, 24.5mm I believe, and (IIRC) all the stock wheels were 12mm diameter. Most modern stock takes 26.5mm axles, and the Bachmann coach wheels are generally 14mm diameter (on the mk1s) or 11.5 on the Mk2s. Some suppliers do make wheelsets with the shorter axles. Andi Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coach bogie Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 It was a couple of years ago but I recall buying wheels from Charlie Petty that were a straight drop in to Lima Axle boxes. It's worth asking him Mike Wiltshire Just checked website. He supplies below http://www.dckits-devideos.co.uk/search.php WTW02 - 14mm Disc EMU Wheels x 1 Axle EMU245 24.5mm Length over Pinpoints THESE WHEELSETS ARE FOR DC KITS EMUs ONLY Blackened brass wheelsets WTW02 - 14mm Disc EMU Wheels x 6 Axles EMU245 24.5mm Length over Pinpoints THESE WHEELSETS ARE FOR DC KITS EMUs ONLY Blackened brass wheelsets WTW02 - 14mm Disc EMU Wheels x 10 Axles EMU245 24.5mm Length over Pinpoints THESE WHEELSETS ARE FOR DC KITS EMUs ONLY Blackened brass wheelsets Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnb Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 I have with some success purchased some standard Hornby wheelsets with 26mm axles (in 10 packs) and using a decent wheel puller removed the Hornby and Lima wheels and put the Hornby wheels on the Lima axles. It does need care and also a back to back gauge. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted March 10, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 10, 2011 I bought several Lima-length axle wheelsets from Replica Railways, they were a straight swap in my CCTs & GUVs and run very nicely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Lima wheels are 11.5mm diameter but 12mm will do as a replacement or even Hornby's 12.5mm. The latter are about the cheapest source of new wheels, but swapmeets can often supply Jackson/Nucro wheels cheaply. (These need care in selection as some have 1.9mm diameter axles. The later type with 2mm axles are needed. Usually the 2mm axles have yellow insulating bushes and/or 26mm pin point axles.) (Best of all check with a vernier caliper - these are cheap enough to be in every toolkit - I don't trust the digital ones and they're dearer.) It is then a fairly simple matter to switch axles - set the back to back to 14.5mm for the above wheels. Or replace the entire bogie with a Bachmann spare - some attention to ride height will probably be required. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
naugytrax Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 The question is, why do you want to replace the wheels? If it's a matter of appearance, then you would certainly want to fit scale wheels (14 mm diameter). If you fit 11.5 mm or 12 mm wheels which don't have the huge Lima flanges, they'll look even sillier than the originals. But the Lima bogies had their dimensions shrunk to match the under-scale wheels that they were supplied with. Apart from the axle length, the issues with fitting scale wheels to Lima bogies are (1) the brake blocks won't line up and (2) the vehicle will ride too high. So, again if appearance is the concern the bogies have to be replaced, e.g. using Bachmann or Hornby spares. I used Bachmann bogies on my 5363 Mk 1 TK and etched GWR bogies on my 5352 Siphon G. In both cases I had to cut out the floor because the Lima floors are too low to give clearance for scale wheels. And of course I had to provide new bogie pivots. It was significant work, not just "plug 'n play". Since the inside-framed Siphon G is unique to Lima in RTR and quite attractive, I felt the work was worth it (I replaced all the underframe fittings too). But the coach doesn't look like much: even with flush-glazing, close-coupling and sprung corridor connections it's not a patch on the Bachmann equivalent and I wouldn't bother to do one of those again. If you really like your Lima wagons and you enjoy hacking, then I'd say go for the whole upgrade with new bogies. Otherwise, if a modern RTR equivalent is available, I'd say buy it and auction off the old Lima. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
balders Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 As above.......i've just put four mint Lima MK1's on a certain auction site.....they were amongst my first purchases a couple of years ago when I started getting back into it......but, as time goes on, and knowledge gets better, I realise that whilst they served a purpose, there are excellent alternatives out there, which are cheaper than spending time and money trying to improve the Lima stuff. Mainline MK1's are relatively cheap (£6-£7 a pop) and excellent scale alternative. If you are willing to overlook the oversized lining, and put some flushglaze in, then I personally think a rake look really good as the (maroon) colour is a nice shade....and they are easier to detail if that's your bag. A set of Bachmann or Hornby metal wheels drop straight in and contribute to the package being an excellent runner. I'm inspired to tinker with mine (add relevant transfers etc), as the set I picked up had a patina to them that makes them look very good, and they sit nicely with the newer Bachmann's I own. I am currently pondering improvements to the Lima LMS and MK1 GUV's i've got, as I won't part with them, too pretty. That'll be a set of Bachmann Stanier bogies then, and some careful thought about spacing. The BR GUV presents more of an issue as it sits too low. Regards Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike50001 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 bit of an add on to this subject, but does anyone know anyone that does replacement wheels for lima hst mk3's? the old plastic wheels on mine have about worn out there pin point ends. an the others could do with getting rid of the pizza cutter wheels. do the new limby mk3s share the same old bogies but with new wheels? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br-nse-fan Posted March 10, 2011 Author Share Posted March 10, 2011 Hi All, Many thanks for all the replies. Specifically, the vehicles I am looking to add better wheels to are the Siphon G... the GUV and the shorter version of the GUV, not sure exactly what it is. All are in BR Blue and not readily available (except the GUV from Bachmann). Does the shorter van have an official designation? I really don't want to part with any of them as they have all recently had Kadee's added, and don't look bad. Since they are all parcels, I'm not too concerned with the flush windows, although I'll probably add them to the models that have windows down the road. Here are some shots of the ones I have... the LMS is one of my Dad's, but mine is in Blue... I don't think anyone needs to see the large GUV? Siphon G Small GUV Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
balders Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 The shorter one is a short LMS design GUV........there is a thread on them somewhere in here that's good.......main thing is the bogies are generic MK1 items, not the prototypical Stanier items that should be fitted, solved by going down the Bachmann route (but will need spacing for ride height - Dagriz has done one, saw it this morning) I don't think 14mm wheels will fit in - as discussed above re. the MK1 problem of axle length etc Regards Guy Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9-70 Posted March 10, 2011 Share Posted March 10, 2011 Lima BR Blue GUV fitted with Bachmann LMS Bogies. Ride height was adjusted by adding fibre washers between the bogie and chassis. Flush glazing by SE Finecast, to represent the window bars, the original glazing strip was carefully cut from the roof and glued into the window openings. While it may not be up to the standards of some of the excellent model coaches I've viewed on RMWeb, it's good enough for me:-). K9-70 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Il Grifone Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 bit of an add on to this subject, but does anyone know anyone that does replacement wheels for lima hst mk3's? the old plastic wheels on mine have about worn out there pin point ends. an the others could do with getting rid of the pizza cutter wheels. do the new limby mk3s share the same old bogies but with new wheels? As above, the Hornby 12mm wheels are the correct diameter for a Mk III and will fit the Lima axles. With care it is possible to shorten the Hornby axles to 24.5mm (with a flat file in a power drill). Remove the wheels , shorten the axle and refit the wheels. The use of a vernier caliper helps to ensure that the axle isn't shortened too much. Having mainly Hornby MkIIIs, I fitted complete Hornby bogies to my Lima TGS. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boscarne Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 If you decide to keep the Lima bogie frames, Alan Gibson Workshop can supply their wheelsets on 24.5mm axles. They do 10.5mm, 12mm and 14mm diameters, in several patterns including disk braked. http://www.alangibsonworkshop.com/ Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted March 11, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted March 11, 2011 As above.......i've just put four mint Lima MK1's on a certain auction site.....they were amongst my first purchases a couple of years ago when I started getting back into it......but, as time goes on, and knowledge gets better, I realise that whilst they served a purpose, there are excellent alternatives out there, which are cheaper than spending time and money trying to improve the Lima stuff. Mainline MK1's are relatively cheap (£6-£7 a pop) and excellent scale alternative. If you are willing to overlook the oversized lining, and put some flushglaze in, then I personally think a rake look really good as the (maroon) colour is a nice shade....and they are easier to detail if that's your bag. A set of Bachmann or Hornby metal wheels drop straight in and contribute to the package being an excellent runner. I'm inspired to tinker with mine (add relevant transfers etc), as the set I picked up had a patina to them that makes them look very good, and they sit nicely with the newer Bachmann's I own. I am currently pondering improvements to the Lima LMS and MK1 GUV's i've got, as I won't part with them, too pretty. That'll be a set of Bachmann Stanier bogies then, and some careful thought about spacing. The BR GUV presents more of an issue as it sits too low. Regards Guy I rebogied my Lima Mk1 GUVs with spare Hornby units - they needed a bit of packing but look and run better, also the shorter Hornby couplings help with the overscale gap between coaches. Each coach took about 20min to do! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
balders Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 I rebogied my Lima Mk1 GUVs with spare Hornby units - they needed a bit of packing but look and run better, also the shorter Hornby couplings help with the overscale gap between coaches. Each coach took about 20min to do! I've some spare older Hornby's that now look like they'll donate! cheers Colin..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br-nse-fan Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Hi All Thanks again for all the input and feed back on this request. I think the best course of action is to update / replace the bogie's on all the vehicles. I am going to a train show this Sunday, so will keep my eye out for replacements. I've seen a number of suggestions as to what to replace the Lima bogie's with... so I would like to ask what the best replacements in terms of looks, as well as ease of use would be for each of the following: Lima Siphon G Lima MK1 GUV Lima small ex-LMS GUV Couplers are not a consideration as they have Kadee's, and the heights can be adjusted if need be. Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Hi All Thanks again for all the input and feed back on this request. I think the best course of action is to update / replace the bogie's on all the vehicles. I am going to a train show this Sunday, so will keep my eye out for replacements. I've seen a number of suggestions as to what to replace the Lima bogie's with... so I would like to ask what the best replacements in terms of looks, as well as ease of use would be for each of the following: Lima Siphon G Lima MK1 GUV Lima small ex-LMS GUV Couplers are not a consideration as they have Kadee's, and the heights can be adjusted if need be. Thanks! The Siphon G usually rode on 9' GWR bogies - your best bet for a simple fix would be the Bachmann Collett bogies. The Mk1 GUV would probably have BR1 bogies - again, Bachmann do them as spares. The LMS GUV would be on LMS bogies as mentioned above. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br-nse-fan Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks all.. I'll be seeing about a pair each of MK1, LMS and Collett bogie's this weekend.. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks all.. I'll be seeing about a pair each of MK1, LMS and Collett bogie's this weekend.. If you can't find Mk1 bogies, I have spares. Adrian Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
br-nse-fan Posted March 11, 2011 Author Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks Adrian Did you get the PM I sent about close coupling coaches? Derek Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted March 11, 2011 Share Posted March 11, 2011 Thanks Adrian Did you get the PM I sent about close coupling coaches? Derek I did - I'm thinking about it. I'm planning to post something on my coach works thread regarding couplings to address the Mainline/Bachmann Colletts and you question about Kadees in Airfix mounts - hopefully this weekend. Adrian. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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