02-26-2012, 09:53 AM
Naturally, this is a very subjective area, and different guys have different preferences. I've found that over the past 25 years, my preference has gone to Accurail as often as not, and they have plastic wheels whose rolling properties are mediocre. So replacing with metal does pay dividends, at least on my layout, and as I see things. I do paint the wheel faces on all my metal wheels, except for Kadee. The blackening wears off the Kadee treads in operation, so I don't bother to polish them.
Regarding Kadee axles, it depends on which products and what time of day. The Kadee wheelsets you buy off the rack at the hobby shop have the metal wheels and the axle ends molded as one piece, joined by a plastic center axle piece, so what touches the journal is in fact metal. Kadee RTR freight cars, though, have all-plastic wheels, one reason I don't favor them. Why pay $30 for plastic wheels? And the trucks on the Kadee log car kits often have older style brass axles all the way through the wheels.
Regarding Kadee axles, it depends on which products and what time of day. The Kadee wheelsets you buy off the rack at the hobby shop have the metal wheels and the axle ends molded as one piece, joined by a plastic center axle piece, so what touches the journal is in fact metal. Kadee RTR freight cars, though, have all-plastic wheels, one reason I don't favor them. Why pay $30 for plastic wheels? And the trucks on the Kadee log car kits often have older style brass axles all the way through the wheels.