Garden Railway Forum

I need to set the back to back wheel gauge correctly on this wagon without destroying it in the process as I cannot remove the wheels. At the moment the wheels ride the check rails of my points:


Any ideas?

I keep saying I am not an engineer so can only offer a 'bodgers' method....... If the gauge is too wide and the wheels can slide on the axles I would cut two blocks to the correct B to B and tape them to each axle. Then carefully close them in a vice one at a time with the visible part of the wheel in the jaws, releasing and turning the wheels often to prevent distortion of the axles. When the wheels reach the blocks they should be correct.

Unfortunately, I need to increase the gauge so the wheels need to be pushed closer to the axle boxes.

The wheels will not slide on the axles at present. I guess they would need heating up to get them to move but that will result in burning the wooden chassis and melting glue.

How about procuring three screws (max length 1mm < back to back dimension) with nuts, say 2BA/M5 and placing them between the backs of the flanges and carefully and evenly jacking them apart.
Only one wheel will move, but you probably don't need to go very far.
The only drawback is: if the left hand wheel on the first axle moves and the right hand on the second then it'll run crab wise - depends how far you have to go.
S

How far do you need to go?
Is there room before you come up against the axle boxes?


Are the B2Bs too tight, or is there simply not enough play:
If you lift each end of the wagon in turn, does the opposite end run through the points?
In which case introducing some float at one/both ends may sort things out.

I would also like to make the same declaration as Peter, I am merely a bodger!

The heat from a hair dryer can be enough to soften things without burning things.

I like the idea of jacking apart but I think I would initially go down the brute force and ignorance route and try and pull the wheels apart and down the axle while twisting a little.

I tend towards Jim's version, it's what I would have tried first if it were mine. Twist both wheels in opposite directions and pull at the same time.

tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Mon Nov 12, 2018 4:32 pm The wheels will not slide on the axles at present. I guess they would need heating up to get them to move but that will result in burning the wooden chassis and melting glue.

I can't tell from the photo, do the wheels have a plastic centre with a steel tyre, ala Slaters or Tenmille? If so twisting them in opposite directions while pulling them apart as suggested by Jim and Philip will usually allow some adjustment.

IP steel wheels with an insulating plastic bush can sometimes be adjusted the same way, but need a lot more force in my experience.

If the wheels are solid steel and pressed, or loctited, onto to the axle, then the only alternative is to remove the wheelsets by carefully dismantling the wagon. Adjustments can then be made by supporting the wheel on the jaws of a vice, with the axle between the jaws and adjusting with a suitable size hammer. Use a chunk of brass or wood on the axle end so the hammer doesn't burr it over. If reluctant to move, then loctite may be involved and a bit of heat is indicated.

If you have digital calipers, take some measurements of the check rails, wheels etc. and work out first if you have the clearances to move the wheels out. They look close to the axle boxes and it may not be just the wheels that will need adjustment.

Good Luck,
Graeme

The wheels are solid steel and pressed on.

I will live with it until the wagon has to come apart. It only has an issue with the Peco SM32 shorter radius points SL-E691 and 692.