# Metal wheels for a Lionel Atlantic



## rpc7271 (Jan 2, 2008)

I picked up a new Lionel Atlantic off of ebay last week. Ran it this weekend at Railfair in Scottsdale Az and it ran great. Now i want to add a QSI sound decoder and i dee metal wheels for the loco and tender. On George Schreyer's web site he donsn't recomend Gary Raymond wheels as the flanges are to small. He recommends Dean Lowe wheels but I can't find these and suspect that they are no longer available. Anyone out there got any suggestions on wheel sources?


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## Pterosaur (May 6, 2008)

I have converted all 6 of my Atlantics to metal wheels...George Schreyer's web site is FANTASTIC but I think I found an easier way. 

Small Bachman wheels work great (the ones with the black plastic axle housing, not the older metal axle wheel sets). For the lead truck just pull the Lionel ones apart from each side and leave the truck intact. Using a hammer and a wood block drilled with a relief hole gently pound the Bachmann axle flush with one side of the wheel, use a cut off wheel to trim the other side flush. Run a rat-tail file through the Lionel truck a few times...Pull the Bachmann wheel-set apart like you did with the Lionel and re-assemble through the truck. A little care and the wheels will roll with the best of 'em! 

For the tender the same small Bachman wheel will work again though you need to shorten the axle a bit. Using the original Lionel wheel as a guide gently tap the Bachmann axle so it is the same lenght as the Lionel "axle stub". Then using the cutoff wheel trim the "long" stub to the same length as the previous side. I then ground the end of the axle to "round" the freshly cut tip. Pop 'em in just like the original Lionel wheels. I added a USA brushed power pick-up to the Lionel tender truck and ran a Futaba R/C servo extention wire to the loco (easy connect/disconnet). It ain't no LGB but it runs as slow and smooth as my mogul! (clean track is important) 

I've said it before, these are some of my favorite loco's, I have a lot of track time after making these changes. Hope this helps. I have some pic's I can send you if you pm me your e-mail. 


Edit...The big thing is this conversion is CHEAP. Keeping the original trucks you can do it for about 25 bucks.


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

I've subsequently used the Bachmann small wheels in other projects and they would probably work as well as the Dean Lowe wheels. Aristo also makes small wheels for the C-16 tender, these could probably be made to work too, but likely at a higher cost. 

The Bachmann wheels didn't exist when I did my Atlantic conversion. I STILL have not found a replacement for the engine trailing truck.


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## Pterosaur (May 6, 2008)

Posted By George Schreyer on 11 Oct 2010 06:49 PM 
...I STILL have not found a replacement for the engine trailing truck. 
Me niether, these are the only plastic wheels that ever run on my track. I keep thinking some day I'll just give in and have a shop make some up for me...Guessing that might cost a buck or two!


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

I've had good luck with Gary Raymond wheels, just don't get the real fine scale ones.


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

FWIW, the first Atlantic I ever ressurected for a friend, I found some metal O guage spoked driver wheels with removeable 
weights at a local train show, at a dealer that specialized in O guage parts that were almost the perfect size for the Atlantic
trailing truck wheels... Made up an axle, mounted an installed them, unfortunately, at this point,I have no recollection of what 
the wheels were originally intended for, I don't think they were Lionel parts though... I have found parts on several occasions 
that were useful in G guage in the O guage parts bins...
Paul R...


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Wow, some great ideas, and now that I have a small lathe, maybe I can mod the Bachmann wheels to fit the tender trucks. I've been interested in this loco ever since reading George's site about it.

Following his lead, I added 4 pounds of lead, strapped the motor in place, shimmed the axles, and added a QSI











You can see the socket at the right end, the weights are off the shelf "rock cod sinkers" in the 2 pound size.

I put a nice large speaker inside:









Now all I need is some better power pickup, and all metal wheels.

I'll be watching the O scale vendors too!

Greg


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## Pterosaur (May 6, 2008)

Apologies if the pic's do not come through, if not I will edit to add links... Well that worked like a box of poo on Christmas morning. I changed them to links.

Here is how I wired my tender...If you carefully drill a hole through the "opening" of the shaft that actuates the fake hatch on the bottom of the tender you get a clean/hidden wiring arangement. The USA pick-up is screwed to an existing hole in the Lionel truck. 










Here is a pic showing the LGB American lanterns I wired into the Tender. I "sawed" off the original jeweled marker mounts and drilled access for the LGB bulbs. They are a tad big but I like the bright markers and appreciate the "tin-plate" old Lionel look. I also sawed off the "hooks" on the LGB markers. 










Last...The Futaba cable install...


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Nice idea!







Greg


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Welp i was out digging around the Garage thru some of the train stuff i had stored out there and looky what i found.










I think i bought these 5 or 6 years ago and had fogotten all about them

Anyways 2 were NYC and one was GN ? what was i thinking ???

So i decided to pull the GN one out of the box cause it felt heavier than the others

and low and behold lookie what someone did to it 

all marker lights are lit, full power pickups from the wheels and ALL metal wheels

even on the trailing truck.

so someone has to have made these

Tested it and it runs like a top

I will use this one as a model and copy the mods to the other 2

provided i can find the metal wheels for them

Anyone got a clue as to who made them by looking at the photos ??





































Sorry about the Dishs in the back round, No staff this week...


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

I believe that either NWSL or Gary Raymond made the metal wheel replacements for the loco at one time. 

I'd love to get my hands on those... how about some trading? I'll DCC them for you in some kind of trade.. or is that the only one with metal pilot and trailing truck? 

I did find a clean way to mount the pickups on the tender, stock Bachmann "small diameter" wheels just pop into the tender trucks.



















More details on my site: *http://www.elmassian.com...trong>** 

Greg*


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

The pilot truck wheels are definitely Gary Raymond FS133 wheels. The trailing truck wheels looks like it might have the same flange profile and is probably GR.


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