RailandyOz

I am seeking suggestions for available commercial pin-point-axle 10.5mm dia wheelsets with deep flanges, as replacements for the original sleeved plastic wheelsets with stub axles as found on Transcontinental Series 1 coaches. I now once again (what are 60 years between friends?) have a running Tri-Ang layout of (laboriously-but-successfully) restored Super 4 track. I am planning to replace the sad and unround original sleeved plastic coach wheels with metal pin-point wheelsets, running in brass bearings to be fitted into the original open-ended axleboxes. I will be turning my own bearings, so the axle length over pin-points is arbitrary and can be reasonably accommodated in my bearing plan, probably within the range of 23-26mm. A few tests with "modern" minimally-flanged replacement wheelsets have shown that successful passage through the Super 4 point flangeways needs flanges of at least 1mm. I have some old larger-diameter Lima disc coarse-flanged wheelsets that do the job nicely for 4-wheel freight stock, but now I need 10.5mm wheelsets for the coaching stock with flanges of >=1mm, and not this new-fangled RP25 stuff. So I am open to any coarse suggestions....

Thanks all, I will conduct a Randomized Clinical Trial* and report back IDC. (*maybe de-ionized water as "Placebo" and leave one in its box as "Control").

What size capacitor should it be, when the original is missing?

I have several poorly-repainted Tri-ang TC coaches and a couple of locos which I would like to strip back to original Tri-ang plastic. I am seeking suggestions/warnings re stripping products safe to use on Tri-ang.

Thanks DCB, that is useful info re the Peco O Gauge rail, just what I needed to know. WRT straight track, I have worked out a way to graft Super 4 rail ends onto Peco Code 100 so that I can connect Code 100 flex track straight onto Super 4 with a smooth transition. I only plan to use Code 100 for less-visible areas as I am running out of usable Super 4 straights. I raided my scrap Super 4 rail collection and cut off a 26mm "plain end" piece and a 20mm "rail joiner end" piece (the 6mm difference is the projection of plain rail ends beyond rail joiner rail ends looking down on a Super 4 track section end) then ground down a 10mm long section of each piece, to just short of the top of the flat rail base. These ends are then soldered onto the ends of the Peco Code 100 rails. To do this I made a simple ply soldering jig about 150mm long with 2 grooves 1.5mm wide x 1.5mm deep @ 16.5mm spacing between inner sides of the grooves. I used a Tri-ang R482 short straight as a locator with the transition pieces slid onto rail/rail joiner to hold the pieces in correct longitudinal position. This combination is placed upside-down into one end of the jig and held down with a weight, then the Code 100 is laid in with ends overlying the 10mm sections of the transition pieces and butted up tight. Then sweated together (I used Carr's Brown Label flux for the Tri-ang steel and Yellow Label flux for the Code 100 nickel silver). The jig results in the rail tops being in the same plane with a smooth transition. I also cut out every 4th Peco sleeper and moved the remainder along to match Tri-ang spacing, it looks fine from a distance. The Code 100 needs packing below the sleeper base to match the Tri-ang height, I found 5/64 balsa sheet perfect for that. WRT restoring points, Mr Snooze on YouTube has great videos of Tri-ang Super 4 point and track restoration. I have restored all my points including those nuisance fractured-off short rails, reattaching them with tiny self-tappers as per the videos. I have also nickel-plated all my points and short track sections, I haven't extended that to the quarter-curves or double straights yet but need more experimenting with my plating bath. Phase 1 of my planned layout is all flat so no traction issues so far from the nickel-plated sections. Wheel profiles are another can of worms, I am trying to retain as much of the original Tri-ang design as possible but many old wheels are elliptical at best and approaching square at worst, let alone damaged flanges and spacing on axles etc.. But I just love the sound and smell of the old stuff hurtling and rattling around, it makes all the cleaning and fussing worthwhile.

I am looking at the possibility of replacing the Tri-ang rail in Super 4 straight track with, say, Peco Code 143 FB rail., i.e. reusing the track bases but threading on longer lengths of new rail, so preserving the look of the Super 4 and the ability to run original flanged wheels, but avoiding the tedium of trying to clean up my existing stock of old dilapidated Tri-ang steel rail. I am talking only about straights. I do not need suggestions to go to Peco Code 100 track, I intend to retain the original Tri-ang flanges on locos. Does anyone have experience or suggestions about new rail which would slide into Super4 bases?