To LUGNET HomepageTo LUGNET News HomepageTo LUGNET Guide Homepage
 Help on Searching
 
Post new message to lugnet.trainsOpen lugnet.trains in your NNTP NewsreaderTo LUGNET News Traffic PageSign In (Members)
 Trains / 19373
19372  |  19374
Subject: 
Re: Train Wheel Friction?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.trains
Date: 
Tue, 25 Feb 2003 17:54:44 GMT
Viewed: 
1443 times
  
"Paul S. D'Urbano" <durbano@optonline.net> wrote:

In lugnet.trains, Mark Riley writes:

I've been using a hobby knife to remove a small bit of plastic where the
wheels rub the block as mentioned in this thread:

http://news.lugnet.com/trains/?n=18127

This mod is easy to perform and allows the wheels to run very smooth
and noiselessly.


I while back I went out and bought a jeweler's file for the same reason.
I still haven't had the nerve to use it yet.  I tend to lean towards being • a
purist so deliberately disfiguring my LEGO gives me the creeps.  I plan to
wait for a situation where I'm so frustrated that I can't take it anymore.
So far the trains run good enough so I'm happy.

I tried a Dremel tool, a small file and a hobby knife (in that
order).  Of those, the knife produced the best results by far.
Not only is it quicker, but there is little or no collateral damage
to the block.  Also, for some reason I've found the light gray
blocks are easier to cut (like butter) than the black blocks.

Maybe I'm a wimp, but I feel a little uneasy about doing this.

I justified the mod to myself by saying that the block is a "working"
component and what I'm doing is akin to applying grease to a
bearing (if you follow me).  Also, you can't even see anything amiss
unless you turn your train car upside down and look closely at the
wheel block.

I think my Metroliner is the best case for complaint but there is
nothing noticably wrong with the wheels by visual inspection.

My test is to hold the wheel assembly upside down and spin the
wheels.  Almost all of my wheel sets exhibited an obvious
plastic-on-plastic rubbing sound.  After the mod, they spin
noiselessly.  This was enough for me to set aside any
squeamishness I had and perform the mod on the rest of my
wheel sets.

Thanks for the reply,

Mark



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Train Wheel Friction?
 
(...) My modest LEGO train collection consists of one MOT kit, one Santa Fe Kit (full train, not starter), and one Metroliner kit. These are all sets with the "new" wheelsets. For the most part I think I lucked out with the MOT and Santa Fe. Both (...) (21 years ago, 21-Feb-03, to lugnet.trains, lugnet.lego.direct)

7 Messages in This Thread:




Entire Thread on One Page:
Nested:  All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:  All | Brief | Compact
    

Custom Search

©2005 LUGNET. All rights reserved. - hosted by steinbruch.info GbR