changing or upgrading to metal wheels

[Fluesheet]

glad you gentleman started this thread . i to am planning on replacing all of my couplers and wheel sets in all of my rolling stock . im planning on usng 36 inch metal wheel sets. the question i have is what brand of metal wheel sets do you recommend? i was looking at the proto 2000 wheelsets today, but wasnt sure if there was anything out that is better than the protos. thanks very much for the help.
todd

I've never purchased Proto 2000 wheelsets alone, but I've found the ones that are in Proto's trucks have a high percentage of slightly warped (plastic) axles. That said, they are my best rolling trucks by a couple of feet and are good looking wheel faces as well, with a high level of sharp detail cast into the wheel faces. The axles and therefore the journals are plastic, axle lengths are 1.10"

My current favorites are Intermountain - they are nicely made, have metal axles with needle journals and roll well in about any truck you put them in. Currently I have both RP-25 and "semi-scale" examples in my modeling box - the former have 1.10" axles, the latter are 1.05". I've found both work fine in most trucks, though they border on sloppy in some examples (1.05" in Red Caboose trucks, for instance).

Branchline Trains semi-scale wheelsets are functionally identical to Intermountain (same axle lengths, needle point journals), but the face of the wheel is not as pleasing to me - it's too flat. Intermountain's are more "dish" shaped.

Kadee's have plastic axles, but I've never had a problem with warpage. Straight as an arrow. They have the longest axle lengths in my box - 1.15". I had some rolling problems with some cars and finally traced it down to a bad combination of tight trucks and long Kadee axles. They roll decently in Accurail trucks (my "control" truck), but roll best in Red Caboose equalized trucks, which are the loosest trucks I own. These wheelsets are the best looking out of the box, blackened, nice shape to the wheel face and good wheelface detail (not quite as sharp as Proto 2000, but at least it's there!).

I have a set of Red Caboose wheelsets with .992" axles - too loose for any trucks I currently own. They'll fall right out of my (ironically) Red Caboose equalized trucks!

Overall, the best performers (that I have experience with) in the widest variety of trucks have been Branchline or Intermountain wheels with 1.10" axles. I second the recommendation for the journal turning tool, as long as you keep in mind that it won't solve an over-long axle in an over-tight truck.

BTW, these were all 33" wheels, which are appropriate for my steam era freight cars.

Matt

Note: I did a big "roll" test a month or so ago with the intention of posting the results - the above has worked out to be the spoiler!