Sometimes when your building a wagon kit, no matter how careful you are, the thing just won't run as well as you'd like because the wheels are tight in the axleboxes. This is where bearing reamers come into play;
The two DCC Concepts jobs in close up;
In use, in this case on my laser cut van (which never has run particularly freely);
They have improved matters, now the van runs quite easily. My thanks to Neil Moss for flagging up the DCC Concepts reamers on the NGRM-Online forum.
These reamers are really only suitable for use in plastic bearings, but should be useful to us kitbuilders as well as improving any tight RTR stock.
Paul.
Paul, I also use them successfully in my 3d printed wagons
ReplyDeleteNeil M
Neil, my apologies, it was yourself that put me onto the DCC Concepts reamers and I forgot to credit you. Now corrected.
DeleteHi Paul,
ReplyDeletethese look like an excellent idea, particularly for N/009 where brass bearings are pretty unusual. I've got a laser cut wagon, a chassis and a coach by CD3D as well as a steam tram loco body by York Modelmaking, all picked up cheaply from 009 Sales. The coach had no bogies and I'm looking at alternatives for the roof as I would like to be able to remove it and the loco fits a Kato chassis so no problem there, but I, too, have had problems with getting the open wagon and chassis to run properly so they've been sidelined...time to order these useful tools, I reckon!
The DCC Concepts tools are expensive for what they are, but should last a lifetime as long as they're looked after and not abused.
DeleteMy experience with the CD3D wagon was that the solebars are a tad too close together or the axle holes are too small, but its better I think to open up a tight chassis than struggle with sloppy wheelsets.
I nearly bought a pair of Langley etched 009 bogies for beer money (half-pint) at a show recently, if I had they could have gone your way.