# Replacing blind driving wheels with flanged ones



## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

Has anybody ever tried this on a G gauge steam locomotive? I've seen blind driving wheels on a variety of locomotives, (well, mostly bug maulers...) and have always envisioned changing out the blind drivers in the middle for flanged spares. I figure with wide enough radius track, this should never be a problem. If an LGB mogul with three flanged axles can go around a R2 curve without too much complaining, what's to say an Aristo 2-8-0 or Bachmann 4-6-0 can't be fully flanged on an 8' or larger radii curves?


----------



## peter bunce (Dec 29, 2007)

Hi, 

The reason for the blind drivers is to allow the full size locomotives to get round the sharp curves; especially narrow gauge locos. 

Our curves are generally even sharper, so the blind drivers do more work than their full size locomotives. 

Granted the full size blind drivers can, and generally are wider, so the locomotive slides on them, or have a very small flange on them, and would develop the same over time and as a result of wear on the tires. 

The Bachmann Spectrum mogul has a attachment to stop sideways travel on the center and blind driver - most of us remove it to allow the driver to slide more than it would allow. 

You could replace them, but then (very) large radius curves are going to be mandatory; dependent on the wheelbase of the coupled wheels, does your prototype locomotive have flanges on all wheels? 

My garden (I live in the UK) does not have the space for large radius carves alas. 

The prime difficulty may be getting wheels to match your prototype. 

Yours Peter.


----------



## Scottychaos (Jan 2, 2008)

I did it on two Big Hauler (Annie) blocks for a 2-6-6-2 project I was working on years back:







Blocks run fine on 8-foot diameter curves..wouldn't try them on anything less however..
but it can be done, and it looks much better IMO!

Of course the blind center driver on the Big Hauler *is* prototypical as it is..
the prototype loco (Tweetsie #12) does have blind center drivers..
but if you are using the block to model something else, then all-flanged drivers can make sense..

Scot


----------



## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

The original LGB mogul did not have enough lateral play in the center driver. While they would go around R 1 and R 2 curves it very quickly wore out the motor blocks. They spent a lot of time and money swapping out motor blocks that failed. I know because after about six months of heavy service my mogul stopped running and I sent it in for replacement. I would not replace a blind driver with a flanged one unless you know for sure that there is enough lateral play on that axle. Chuck


----------



## Sampug394 (Dec 30, 2010)

The idea behind my post was mainly for appearances sake, but if such a wheel change were to take place, I would imagine the person doing the conversion would be fully aware of their layout's curvature and obviously would not try to run the locomotive on R1/R2 curves. I refuse to operate my LGB moguls on anything less than R3, very rarely R2 curves. The smallest on my garden railroad are a few places of LGB 1600s, and one full half circle 8ft in diameter. The rest are Aristo 10 footers that the moguls and stainzes are quite content with.


----------



## BarrysBigTrains (Sep 4, 2008)

The narrow gauge locos from Bachmann for example are correct to the prototype, The E.T.& W.N.C. is the prototype for the Big Hauler and it has blind drivers on the second axle, also the firebox does go that far back (in my ignorance 20 years ago I made these changes and have changed them back to be more correct to the prototypes). 

Trying to make a Std. Ga. loco from a narrow gauge can be fun trying, but seldom very successful and some have succeeded. 

Barry


----------

