# Thoughts on solid brass wheels



## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

Hello all,

Has anyone had any experience with solid brass wheels that are not coated? What do you think of them?

Rich


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## xo18thfa (Jan 2, 2008)

Brass wheels work perfectly fine. I've done a few live steamers with them, no problems. They scratch and roughen a little bit, but not a big deal.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

brass is heavier than steel and you want a lot of weight low


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

not for power pickup though, oxidizes too easily (since you did not state track or battery ) 

Regards, Greg


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

Greg, 

If you were to cover them with a product like Neolube 2 would that improve their performance for power pickup? 

Rich


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Many of our locos at the botanic have worn through the plating on the wheels. The bare brass wheels work very nicely.


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## Fritz (Jan 11, 2008)

In Europe the quality wheelmakers mount a stel rim on brass or plastic wheels.
Chrom plating wears off sooner or later. 

Brass for rail or wheels is prewar technoöogy

Have Fun 

Fritz / Juergen


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

The neolube would will wear off quickly. 

Plating eventually wears off, but of course is quite dependent on the quality. 

The Aristo plating, as compared to USAT is crap, it is not smooth, nor looks as good, nor wears as well. 

I have not worn out enough Bachmann locos to comment (since I am primarily SG). 

The locos I have with SS tires/wheels are, of course, perfect. 

If you have removed the oxide from the wheels, they will run ok, but it's the initial use of a loco that has been sitting that pains me. 

My Aristo locos are the worst, since they are steel underneath, and in my environment, they rust, even in a couple days. 

Regards, Greg


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I picked up some real nice brass wheels last year off ebay. 4 that are about 3" in diameter. Guy I got them from said he got them at an estate 
sale, guy had made them back in the 40's. I miced them and they were right on, all 4 the same size. I loaned one to Rodney to see about casting some. He's getting into that quite a bit. Has some nice trucks.


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

Brass wheels for small locos are marginal but will work. If the locos draw a lot of current, the brass will pit. They do require cleaning more often than wheels with a harder surface. 

For wheels that don't pick up power, brass is fine, just paint them.


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

We wear out EVERYTHING at the Chicago Botanic. 

USAT We have lots of their diesels with the wheels worn down to brass. They clean easily and run nicely. When the wheels get a big dip in the tread, they tend to derail so they get replaced.


ARISTO Pacific. I don't know what they make these wheels out of, but they're a bear to clean. The wheel seems to soak up the black stuff. Rarely have pickup trouble.


Aristo F units. We have a lot of these and I've never seen them wore through. Maybe 'cause we change the whole block out when something breaks.


Aristo SD 45s and E8s. These are still pretty new, but the wheels are in pretty nice shape. Easy to clean.


Aristo Mallet. I've never cleaned these wheels.


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## rreiffer (Jan 14, 2009)

Torby, 

I would LOVE to come down and see the gardens. When do you have the Christmas layout open? I am in Grand Rapids, MI and I believe you are about a three hour drive for us to see it. Are you there on any Saturday's? 

Rich


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Christmas layout opens Nov 27.


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Yeah, the Aristo steamers seem to be a pretty porus cast metal, not as bad as the early 0-4-0's (which I KNOW you know about!), but once the plating is gone, they are pretty awful. 

Luckily, all Aristo steamers can be made to pick up from the tender (sometimes that is the ONLY place they pick up from!)... 

The Aristo diesels are weird, rust seems to be the major problem, and some people get rust and some do not, depends on the humidity and other conditions... 

Regards, Greg


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