[Accrs-ho] Club Rules - NWSL wheels

[Dean & Margaret Lewis]

Bill,

Back in the late 90's or early 2000's, we noted that Athearn Locos used 
wheels that were made from powdered metal.   They were porous and picked 
up dirt quickly and continually needed cleaning.   Needless to say, that 
was not good for shows.

We also found that plastic wheels on cars did the same thing.   We voted 
at some meeting to require metal wheels on cars (and we all got together 
and ordered thousands of Intermountain wheel sets).  At the same time, 
we also required replacing the Athearn wheels with NWSL axle sets.   
Performance of all equipment improved drastically.  Of course we had 
already standardized on Kadee couplers.   There are other Kadee style 
couplers available today, but only the metal type work on the layout 
(with a knuckle spring) for all but the shortest trains.  The plastic 
type with the little leaf need replaced on the cars.

Currently, Athearn as well as the other major loco producers do not use 
the powered metal (compressed under high pressure to make the wheel) and 
they use nickle silver wheels on the locos.   All major manufactures use 
metal wheels on cars that are produced today.

Wheel sets can be purchased from Intermountain, Kadee, BeeJay, etc that 
are metal if you have older cars.   I haven't seen a plastic wheel car, 
on the layout, in years as everyone has changed them over to metal and 
Intermountain wheel sets are probably the highest usage with Kadee being 
second.

The old Athearn "Blue Box" locos are the ones that require change over 
to NWSL.   It sure inproves performance.

Dean



On 11/13/2014 2:13 PM, Barbara/William Wills wrote:
> Members:Who, where and when did these rules start? When did someone say that I had to use
> NWSL wheels 0n my locomotives?
> Several of us over the years have tried to install a decent freight yard on the layout;
> all to no avail. there was no way to install a long enough switch lead that was straight
> and allow no interference to a main line. Bill Wills
>
> -----Original Message-----
>    
>> From: Dean&  Margaret Lewis<lewis2 at earthlink.net>
>> Sent: Nov 12, 2014 5:14 PM
>> To: ACCRS - HO<accrs-ho at mail.accrs.org>
>> Subject: [Accrs-ho] Club Rules
>>
>> Members,
>>
>> At the last meeting, Ed was mentioning that he had asked some members to
>> look at different uses of equipment and operation on the layout.   Some
>> time ago, he asked me to work on some "Rules of Operation" for the HO group.
>>
>> I have attached two different files containing rules.  One is just a
>> random number of rules that date back to years when I was Trainmaster
>> and before.   I have updated some of them and tried to bring them in
>> line with our current status.
>>
>> The one headed "Conceptual HO Rules and Guidelines" is a work in
>> progress of combining these random rules into a complete handbook
>>
>> I am offering these as a "springboard" to developing a "Handbook of HO
>> club rules of operation" for current and new members.   I think by
>> having these rules, it can eliminate some of the problems and conflicts
>> we have had the last couple of years in our operation.
>>
>> Review them.   They certainly are open for discussion and modification,
>> acceptance, rejection, etc.
>>
>> Dean
>>      
>
>
>