Model Railroading > Wheel sizes

Is there an easy way to tell whether a car should have 33 or 36 inch wheels?

Jimmy Best
Thurmont, MD

If the data on the car shows 200,000 lbs (100 T) or more then use 36". If the capy is 174000 lbs (70 T) or less then go with 33".

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

IIRC, 85-ton cars also have 36" wheels.

Of course, passenger cars have 36 inch wheels. E units also have 36 inch wheels.

And correct me it I am wrong, but don't autocarriers have 28" wheels?

Bruce
BoCoMo

Not all autoracks have 28" wheels, most are 33". Some intermodal cars have 28" wheels others have 38" wheels in the mix.

Those were not in the original question, though.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

fbe Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not all autoracks have 28" wheels, most are 33".
> Some intermodal cars have 28" wheels others have
> 38" wheels in the mix.
>
> Those were not in the original question, though.
>
> Posted from Windows Phone OS 7

Single car Tri-level Auto Racks have 28" wheels, bi-levels are 33". An easy spotting feature: if the side sill is "notched" over the wheels, it is a tri-level, if a straight side sill, it is a bi-level. I don't know about Articulated Auto racks.

Intermodals have one size wheels on coupler ends, the other size between wells (I can't remember which is which).

70ACE Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> fbe Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> An easy spotting feature: if
> the side sill is "notched" over the wheels, it is
> a tri-level, if a straight side sill, it is a
> bi-level.

That's not a good rule of thumb for the prototype. There's only one tri-level prototype that had notched side sills (the one Walthers produced in HO) - I believe it's a Pullman-Standard flat? There are a number of tri-level variations that have straight sills. The TTGX (bi-level) and ETTX (tri-level) reporting marks in the '80s and later are the best way to tell them apart.

Dave

"Intermodals have one size wheels on coupler ends, the other size between wells (I can't remember which is which)."

If the truck only supports one well end it has the smaller wheels. If the truck supports ends of two wells it has 38" wheels.

Posted from Windows Phone OS 7