Athearn Passenger Car - wheel question

Out of the box, the wheelsets are actually hybrids: the wheels on one side of the truck are plastic, and the axle and other wheel are metal. This is to ultimately create an electric circuit, if you follow Athearn's instructions, to illuminate the interior. Crude, but effective.

Having said that, I would replace them with 33-inch wheels from any of the manufacturers (Kadee, Jay-Bee, etc.) for better operation. Or, if you're more inclined, to replace the trucks entirely with the sprung models from IHC that roll as though they're motorized.

Dieter Zakas

=>Having said that, I would replace them with 33-inch wheels from any of the =>manufacturers

Use 36" wheels, not 33".

Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)

Matt, I would tend to agree with Wolf that if you are going to change out the wheel sets, that 36 in wheels would be the way to go. The rudimentary standard for wheel sizes is 33 inch for freight cars and 36 for passenger cars, noting that there are exceptions to the rule. Best thing to do if you are to change the wheels is to check the coupler height agains the NMRA gauge after installing the wheels but before screwing the truck back onto the car body as the Athearn passenger cars have truck mounted (Talgo) type couplers. If the 36 inch wheel leaves the coupler high, then try the 33. The IHC trucks that were mentioned may work well although they are designed to fit onto IHC or Rivarossi cars and cost about $25 a pair and you would have to find another way to mount the coupler.

Bob Rule, Jr. Hatboro, Pa.

Actually coupler height should not be a problem, as the stock Athearn wheels already ARE 36" (at least every pair I've had were), and the Athearn coupler arm is one of the more rugged and accurate ones out there.

Don

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Thanks everyone! I will add twelve [36"] metal wheels.

I also want to add metal grab irons to this passenger car and to two of our Athearn cabooses. I need to remove the plastic, molded on, grab iron after I have drilled out some holes. I was thinking that an artist's, pen-like, Exacto knife, periodically heated with a candle, might be a nice combination to slice through these molded on, plastic, grab irons.

Your thoughts or might you know a proven technique already out there?

Thanks! Matt

>

=>I also want to add metal grab irons to this passenger car and to two of =>our Athearn cabooses. I need to remove the plastic, molded on, grab iron =>after I have drilled out some holes. I was thinking that an artist's, =>pen-like, Exacto knife, periodically heated with a candle, might be a =>nice combination to slice through these molded on, plastic, grab irons. =>

=>Your thoughts or might you know a proven technique already out there? =>

=>Thanks! =>Matt =>

=>>

Use the chisel style Xacto knife (#17 narrow, #18 wide). Shave off the grab iron to the point where you begin to scratch the paint. You don't need to heat the blade. Then drill your holes and insert the wire grabs. They will cover the remaining traces of the molded grab iron, but if you're really fussy, touch up with matching paint. For grab iron colour, you're on your own

- check protoype info (if you can find it.)

If you don't want to go to all that trouble, a trick that works at "normal viewing distance" is to touch up the outer edge or one side of the grab iron with a black fine-point Sharpie or similar. This shadowing creates the effect of a stand-off grab.

HTH

Wolf Kirchmeir ................................. If you didn't want to go to Chicago, why did you get on this train? (Garrison Keillor)

Use a cold sharp blade to remove the cast on grabs. Cut and scrape -- the important thing is to get a smooth surface with no damage to adjacent surfaces. One of my favorites is a #11 blade that I cut down with a cut-off disk so the blade is very narrow. If you heat the blade you may melt the plastic and make a mess so I don't suggest that unless you really know what you are doing. You might want to do a little practice with what ever technique you use. If you really want to do the car right -- after you replace the wheels with

36 in. metal ones -- body mount the couplers. Make a styrene pad to get the right coupler height and then, if your track radius isn't too tight, mount the box with a screw so that the space between the cars comes out to a scale 30 in. Then add American Limited diaphragms. J. Bright

Matt,

An Xacto knife with a new blade should be more than sufficient to remove molded on detail. Depending on the work, the chisel type blade may be more efficient than the standard blade.

Bob Rule, Jr. Hatboro, Pa.

Perfect- thanks everyone for the Exacto #'s and the wheel confirmation.