Bachmann wheels on LGB wagons...?

Probably an old question, that most of you already know the answer to......

Are Bachmann metal wheelsets a straight clip-in replacement on LGB rolling stock, or do they need any modification to either stock or wheels?

Given that the Bachmann ones are less than half the price of LGB, is there any appreciable difference in running quality or is it just a case of typically high LGB pricing?

Thanks in advance!

Jon.

Jon,
 
The good news is that they are a straight replacement for plastic wheels of the same diameter.
 
The bad news is that Bachmann quality reflects its price.
Some axles have wobbly wheels, although most are fine.
 

Moderation in all things - including moderation.
 
The Great Westcott Rail Road YouTube channel
Building the GWRR

Westcott


Jon,
 
The good news is that thhey are a straight replacement for plasric wheels of the same diameter.
 
The bad news is that Bachmann quality reflects its price.
Some axles have wobbly wheels, although most are fine.
 

Thanks! Kind of what I'd guessed, I'd heard of lots of folks using Bachmann wheelsets, so I assumed they were quite an easy fit, but I'm not surprised to hear they are not quite as good - you usually get what you pay for in this world! 

Even if you discard the wobbly ones, the remaining good ones are still the cheapest on the market!
I don't think that anyone has come up with a way of straightening them yet.

Moderation in all things - including moderation.
 
The Great Westcott Rail Road YouTube channel
Building the GWRR

I'm using them and they are, so far, good enough for my puroses, but I'm no expert.

I've heard this "wobbly" rumour before, but I've got maybe 30 sets of wheels (mostly on LGB stock) and have NEVER had a wobbly one. Brilliant value for money IMO.

Mel, CMO and chief sausage knotter, the Wetton Gooey Light Railway.
The advantages of simplifying origami are two-fold


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wetton-Gooey-Light-Railway/246392918762922

Zerogee

Thanks! Kind of what I'd guessed, I'd heard of lots of folks using Bachmann wheelsets, so I assumed they were quite an easy fit, but I'm not surprised to hear they are not quite as good - you usually get what you pay for in this world! 

Fair comments. However in the case of lighter stock Bachmann wheelsets may prove superior due to their weight. The LGB "metal" wheels are much lighter as they are plastic with a metal tyre.

Please do not adjust your mind, there is a fault in reality.

The bad news is that Bachmann quality reflects its price. Some axles have wobbly wheels, although most are fine.

 
If someone has a wobbly set and wants to send them to me, I'll stick 'em in the lathe and see if I can identify what's wrong; and if I can offer of a solution. Course it all depends on the price of them. If they're cheap enough, does it matter?

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

bobg

If someone has a wobbly set and wants to send them to me, I'll stick 'em in the lathe and see if I can identify what's wrong; and if I can offer of a solution. Course it all depends on the price of them. If they're cheap enough, does it matter?

Nice offer!
 
They are about £10 for 4 axles.
Many users just put up with the odd bad one.
 
The wobbly ones I have (but Mel doesn't) seem to be caused by the plastic insert in the wheel centre being slightly skew on the axle.

Moderation in all things - including moderation.
 
The Great Westcott Rail Road YouTube channel
Building the GWRR

In that case can I offer a solution without seeing the total problem. Has anybody tried hot water and applying a little pressure in the right direction?
 

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

I have Bachmann wheelsets on most of my LGB, strangely enough the USA (White Pass) hopper wagons don't like them at all. I can live with that though.
Kim

Kim sums it up well - given their cost, most of ufs just live with a small wobble.
And, of course, slightly out-of-true Bachmann wheels as well.
 
Perhaps it is the non-Aristocraft unsprung bogies/trucks that show the problem most?

Moderation in all things - including moderation.
 
The Great Westcott Rail Road YouTube channel
Building the GWRR

Here's a closeup of a Bachmann metal wheel.
A few of them seem to have slightly skew plastic centres.
 

Attached Image(s)

Moderation in all things - including moderation.
 
The Great Westcott Rail Road YouTube channel
Building the GWRR

The plastic centre collar is quite obviously there for electrical insulation. As to why it should decide to go askew occasionally when the whole thing is pressed together is a bit odd, unless some "foreign" body has become entangled in the press jig. 
 
Perhaps a simple jig with two close fitting parallel slots, at the correct 'back to back' measurement for the wheels and the application of SWMBO's hair drier (with adequate permissions of course) whilst rolling the set back and forth, would do the trick. Melting the plastic is not what is needed, just sufficient softening to allow re-alignment. Fingers to be kept at a sensible distance of course.
 
Two and a half quid apiece is not insubstantial if one has many wagons to convert and a percentage of these wheelsets are unusable.

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

Bachmann wheelsets are a great value option but beware if you leave your rolling stock outside for long periods as they rust like mad! Of course that makes them look prototypical and the rust on the tread that touches the track soon comes off when running. The only bit that would be good to lubricate to stop the rust (and slightly improve the running) would be the axle journal bearings (plastic friendly oil of course).

 
Mike on the BCRR Railroad - A little bit of the Rio Grande in north Essex
Videos are shown by courtesy of Tony, who took them whilst visiting.......
http://www.youtube.com/wa...b8&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...r0&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/wa...gE&feature=channel 

Westcott


Even if you discard the wobbly ones, the remaining good ones are still the cheapest on the market!
I don't think that anyone has come up with a way of straightening them yet.

  
I am not called fimble fungers for nothing.  See the following thread
 
http://www.gscalecentral.co.uk/f/tm.aspx?high=&m=69974&mpage=1#69979


Edit: Tidied up the posts for you Don.  Hope you don't mind.  Gareth

Don.
Stoneycombe & The Penrose Valley Railway in sunny Devon, England
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqXftHeRMUU
"Modelling is not so much an obsession but more of an Observation"

I found the Bachmann metal wheelsets excellent replacements for the LGB. However I did run into one bad set. I then decided to buy a heap of SanVal wheelsets (http://www.san-val.com/) , over a year ago when offered at a large discount and for quantity.

It was a tad expensive (brass and stainless streel) but I have enough now to satisfy any future requirements as well as sell ons to a few friends. It might be worth investigating a bulk purchase with a few friends. I don't know the current state of SanVal but I did run into a few problems with their axles being a tad longer than LGB/Bachmann and they would not fit some - not all - Aristocraft wagons! LGB seemed fine.

As for rusting of Bachmann (the SanVal shouldn't rust)  I am just setting up an outdoor  track at my son's place (I live in an apartment so my trains have been indoor to date) so we shall see.

Peter Russell
Adelaide, South Australia
Life upside down is always more interesting!

On the CFR we have hundreds of Bachmann wheelsets. Some are over twenty years old. Some are a little wobbly, I fit those to break vans(Cabooses) they lookgreat behind a long consist. I've never had a rusty set yet. We use them on all the major manufacturers various models. I've also fitted them to the Accucraft "Welshpool" rolling stock.

Casey Jones Snr

If it looks right, it is right.

I have to say I have at least one Ac/craft axle on Welshpool stock that has a slight wobble to it, and mine are only recently out of the box, so it was like that from China (say no more).

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

Would it be possible to remove the wheels from the axles and put two good ones on one axle and two dodgy ones on the other axle. The dodgy ones could be used for static displays.

[Would it be possible to remove the wheels from the axles and put two good ones on one axle and two dodgy ones on the other axle. The dodgy ones could be used for static displays. ]
If you so wished, it might work. The wobble on mine isn't causing a problem (yet), but from what's been said it seems the biggest problem is the axles anyway, rather than the wheels themselves. If I did have trouble I have the kit to produce axles in Silver Steel so would try replacement first.
 
As with all mass produced stuff it's a question of tollerances, and presumably these are getting past what ever quality control is in place. In China? Very little probably, it costs money.

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

Hello all,
    Bachman wheels are great value for the money, any "wheels out of true" become loads for the trains, as well as trackside "Junk". But the wheel must be a long way out of true to be scrapped. I dont understand why some of the major companies don't use steel wheels as standard on new eqiupment.
 
Regards from Andrew from the Sandbar & Mudcrab Railways at Nowra

Yebbut Nobbut
I wan't to replace my plastic wheels with metal, and without even counting there are a lot of axles. Is Bachmann the only answer? I mean I don't mind spending some more pennies on someone else's stuff if it works out better in the long run, but I do see that some people offer stainless at a daft price, and ball  bearing at silly prices. Is there an inbetweenie?

If the world is round how come I always fall flat on my face?

I've also had my fair share of wobbly Bachmann metal wheels but in a lot of cases it was the axle that was causing problems, not the wheels. A bit of tweaking with the axles seemed to cure 90% of the dodgy wheelsets.

Glen

My Flickr photo site 
My YouTube videos

pugwash


Yebbut Nobbut
I wan't to replace my plastic wheels with metal, and without even counting there are a lot of axles. Is Bachmann the only answer? I mean I don't mind spending some more pennies on someone else's stuff if it works out better in the long run, but I do see that some people offer stainless at a daft price, and ball  bearing at silly prices. Is there an inbetweenie?

Try Brandbright they have their own wheel plus other makes on their website

The last forty Bachmann axles I obtained were absolutely fine. Out of over  1000 Bachmann axles, I have only had one seriously out of shape.

Casey Jones Snr

If it looks right, it is right.

Which reinforces my conclusion that wobbly ones are are the result of being dropped on the floor, the heavy weight of the wheel bending the soft axle,
 either post purchase, or in the factory before they reach the bubble pack
For a solution that worked for me,
 see the other thread in 'rolling stock'   

Don.
Stoneycombe & The Penrose Valley Railway in sunny Devon, England
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqXftHeRMUU
"Modelling is not so much an obsession but more of an Observation"

The one seriously out of shape was still in the Bubble packaging. Obviously missed at the factory. I buy them by the box load, so I don't  get to examine them before getting to the CFR. Even the damaged one I found a use for.

Casey Jones Snr

If it looks right, it is right.

casey jones snr


The one seriously out of shape was still in the Bubble packaging. Obviously missed at the factory. I buy them by the box load, so I don't  get to examine them before getting to the CFR. Even the damaged one I found a use for.

And could of course been returned to the supplier for replacement had it been thought necessary. In the end you gets what you pay for, and obviously the price is kept down by using soft mild steel for axles. Silver steel or similar would at least double the cost of the axle, and be more troublesome during manufacture.
 
The moral of the story? If you can straighten them do so, if not, then either send them back or use as scenery/load.

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

My fleet is 100% equipped with metal wheels, mostly Bachmann. I have had a few wobbly wheels over the years but the strange thing is the ones that wobble on one item seem to be perfect on another. If it wobbles I put them back in the wheel box & the box always seems to empty itself.

Mike
General dogsbody, Dutch Elm Valley Light Railway

pugwash


Yebbut Nobbut
I wan't to replace my plastic wheels with metal, and without even counting there are a lot of axles. Is Bachmann the only answer? I mean I don't mind spending some more pennies on someone else's stuff if it works out better in the long run, but I do see that some people offer stainless at a daft price, and ball  bearing at silly prices. Is there an inbetweenie?

What about Accucraft? I use both Bachmann and the former - cheaper than Bachmann and seem better quality. No problems experienced. Also make my own sometimes. I use piano wire (available in one metre lengths at various diameters) for axles. Can also be use to replace Bachman axles.

Mick

Mick - always learning something new (then forgetting it).

Some Accucraft wheels tend to shed the plating. I posted pictures on the "G Scale Forum". These were mainly from the first batch of imports.

Casey Jones Snr

If it looks right, it is right.

Does everybody except me run such perfect track that you can actually see a wobble? my stock wobbles all the time and it's NOT the wheels!!!!!!!!

"Most garden railwaymen are ordinary folk - Albeit as nutty as fruitcakes"...D. Rowlands

trammayo

What about Accucraft? I use both Bachmann and the former - cheaper than Bachmann and seem better quality. No problems experienced. Also make my own sometimes. I use piano wire (available in one metre lengths at various diameters) for axles. Can also be use to replace Bachman axles.

Mick

I've found Accucraft wheels are pretty good (I've also had the same plating issue as Casey, but it doesn't seem to effect their running qualities), but they have much finer flanges which can cause them to drop into the sizeable gaps in G Scale (LGB etc.) point frogs. This also causes them to be less reliable when shunting etc. unless your track is absolutely perfectly flat.

Just bought yet more Bachmann wheels off Jeremy. Still not the slightest hint of a wobbly set.

Mel, CMO and chief sausage knotter, the Wetton Gooey Light Railway.
The advantages of simplifying origami are two-fold


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wetton-Gooey-Light-Railway/246392918762922

I find that wheels need re-gauging, I check against the gauge and tweek as necessary (usually under rather than over). They run much better through points when the gauge is correct.

Bram
GSS GSC

In Leafy Warwickshire

Time rich, cash poor but enjoying life 'cos nobody leaves this world alive

Where can I buy a job lot of bachmann wheels then?

As with all flanged wheels, assuming the profile of the tread is near enough, the "back-to-back" measurement is the most important one. That's what controls the wheel-set through points by guiding on the check-rails. I notice that there seems to be a lot more tolerance in this gauge (%wise) than in my other much larger one.

You don't have to be mad to play trains on the TVBL....but it helps if you're a little loco!



Being long retired, I've discovered that now I work a lot harder than before, it's just that nobody pays!

CoggesRailway


Where can I buy a job lot of bachmann wheels then?

Normally I'd recommend Back2Bay6, but obviously Steve is incapacitated at the moment. I know that Jeremy at DragonGScale has them in stock, maybe you could see if he could supply in bulk? Alternatively, you could ask Casey where he gets his box fulls from (see his earlier post)?

Mel, CMO and chief sausage knotter, the Wetton Gooey Light Railway.
The advantages of simplifying origami are two-fold


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Wetton-Gooey-Light-Railway/246392918762922

yb281

Alternatively, you could ask Casey where he gets his box fulls from (see his earlier post)?

Co incidentally he just called round on a very brief visit and I asked him that very question. He orders them from his local model shop. If Bachmann at Barwell have stock he gets them quickly, if not there's a bit of a wait. Twelve packs of four axles each in a box.

Please do not adjust your mind, there is a fault in reality.

minimans


Does everybody except me run such perfect track that you can actually see a wobble? my stock wobbles all the time and it's NOT the wheels!!!!!!!!

Bang on with that one Paul!!