New O gauge wheel sets

[Elliot 84A]

I seem to have just found this thread. Is there a website to see what is available including prices

Bob

No website as yet Bob, as for whats available and prices I'm currently doing the wheels on commission only as I don't have enough time as of yet to make stock. As these wheels are machined from solid, if I have the CAD model done I can make a set, if not all I need is drawings to make the model and go from there. Was there a set you specifically wanted?

Elliot

 

[Elliot 84A]

Just received this back from one of the guys doing the test final machining for me. The beauty about doing it this way is you can achieve the perfect end result and still be able to offer bother finescale and S7 options from the same wheel blank and seeing as these are cnc'd like this then the spigot is good to go and you you get a centering pip at the front too, couldn't be easier. Tony's reply was simply "Look great, and turned
like a dream"

 

[Martin Shaw]

Very nice they are too, but without wishing to be provocative, how much?

Regards
Martin

 

[Tim Watson]

Stunningly beautiful wheels. I have always believed in finishing the backs of the wheels, as this gives a lightness to the chassis area that is otherwise usually missing. I also like to see wheels right up close to the frames, rarely seen with the standards most locos are built to.

Tim

 

[Elliot 84A]

Very nice they are too, but without wishing to be provocative, how much?

Regards
Martin

Martin,

The tender wheels are £18 ea, not cheap I know but a dream to machine and the results speak for themselves.

Elliot

 

[adrian]

The tender wheels are £18 ea, not cheap I know

Is that finished/turned or just the CNC'd wheel blank?

 

[Elliot 84A]

Is that finished/turned or just the CNC'd wheel blank?

Adrian,

Thats just for the blank, basically what you'd got from AGH. Only differences are as these are machined the spigot is ready to go plus there's a centre pip machined in the front so set up is a doddle. Coupled with the fact that these are machined from cast iron bar they machine a lot better than castings and you've minimal chance of broken spokes. The last and most important thing is that these are precise reproductions of the real thing taken direct from works drawings and modified to replicate the finished product so you literally can not get a better more accurate profile.

Regards

Elliot

 

[Len Cattley]

Hi Elliot, I take it they are spoked either side as apposed to one side like AGH?

Len

 

[Elliot 84A]

Hi Elliot, I take it they are spoked either side as apposed to one side like AGH?

Len

Len,

These are like AGH ones, I can do two sided but they'd be a lot more expensive. This was a compromise with what I could do for and affordable price to the modeller.

Elliot

 

[adrian]

These are like AGH ones, I can do two sided but they'd be a lot more expensive.

The tender wheels are £18 ea, not cheap I know but a dream to machine and the results speak for themselves.

Congratulations, they do look superb and the surface finish is excellent. My only note of caution is the cost, I understand you have to cover your outlay and have to price accordingly.

However Mark Wood is offering wheel castings profiled front and rear (2-sided) for virtually half the price of a single sided one from yourself. These are front and rear driver and trailing bogie wheels for my V2. The 3' 8" wheel casting is £9.36 so for a complete loco the difference in price is verging on the cost of a professional paint job.

I do prefer the surface finish on your blanks but double the cost more I'm not so sure.

 

[Len Cattley]

Hi Elliot, it's a shame you can't make them the same price as Mark Wood with both sides done.

Len

 

[Elliot 84A]

Congratulations, they do look superb and the surface finish is excellent. My only note of caution is the cost, I understand you have to cover your outlay and have to price accordingly.

However Mark Wood is offering wheel castings profiled front and rear (2-sided) for virtually half the price of a single sided one from yourself. These are front and rear driver and trailing bogie wheels for my V2. The 3' 8" wheel casting is £9.36 so for a complete loco the difference in price is verging on the cost of a professional paint job.

I do prefer the surface finish on your blanks but double the cost more I'm not so sure.

View attachment 83084

Adrian,

Marks wheels are a typical case of you get what you pay for. They're perfectly adequate for what most people require giving the correct spokes and rim diameter but, and this isn't me knocking what he does in the slightest, they're not prototypically correct. When I started this venture I wanted to create something "perfect". This means I don't just go by the works drawing I look at prototypes and tweak the model accordingly. You only have to look at the difference between the spokes on mine compared to Marks and you'll see this.

Ultimately I'm not trying to go up against the likes of Mark or even recreate what Alan used to do, all I want is as close to perfection as is possible and unfortunately this comes at a price.

So I suppose its as simple as if you want almost then you have options, if you want perfect you have mine.

Regards

Elliot

 

[Elliot 84A]

Next couple of samples being trialled at the moment, a 28XX driver and a 45XX driver. The smaller bossed leading and trailing wheels will come next followed by both types of Manor/51XX/43XX etc drivers.

E.

 

[Mike W]

Elliot,

I am no longer a 7mm modeller, but have followed your thread with great interest. Please correct me if I have misunderstood, but I think you are saying that your wheels have a better shape than those from Mark Wood, and are single sided like Alan Harris, due to cost.

So could you not machine one all singing double sided wheel and use that as a pattern for investment casting in iron, which would then be better than Mark’s or Alan’s, but at no more cost? I think you said your wheels are machined from cast iron bar, so the finish should be the same?

Mike

 

[Elliot 84A]

Elliot,

I am no longer a 7mm modeller, but have followed your thread with great interest. Please correct me if I have misunderstood, but I think you are saying that your wheels have a better shape than those from Mark Wood, and are single sided like Alan Harris, due to cost.

So could you not machine one all singing double sided wheel and use that as a pattern for investment casting in iron, which would then be better than Mark’s or Alan’s, but at no more cost? I think you said your wheels are machined from cast iron bar, so the finish should be the same?

Mike

Mike the main problem is that because the spokes on my wheels are so fine due to being of prototypical size, if I did a 2 sided pattern the cast iron would simple not flow adequately. I could go for casting like AGH used to as a one sided affair but the problem is stock in that respect. As I'm being prototypical I'm doing all the different types available, for arguments sake there's 4 different Castle drivers, if I stocked every wheel it would cost me a fortune and I'd have no guarantee I'd be able to sell them. Machining them this way all I need is pre-machined blanks I then CNC to order.

I know these wheels aren't cheap but when you look at what a fully machined set of Alans wheels cost 10 years ago you'd probably end up paying about the same for mine as time wise the post machining is a lot less then if you were machining AGH wheels and you've less chance of broken spokes too as the material structure is inherently better in the bar form too.

Regards

Elliot

 

[Mike W]

Fair enough! thanks Elliot.

Mike

 

[Elliot 84A]

Andy machined up the 45XX & 28XX wheels, said they turned like a dream, about 20 minutes for each one including set up (the larger bore is for insulation just in case you were wondering)

 

[unklian]

Just curious to know why you did not machine a crankpin hole or even a pilot at the CNC phase ?

 

[Elliot 84A]

Just curious to know why you did not machine a crankpin hole or even a pilot at the CNC phase ?

Funny you should ask that, it was discussed on Sunday and all production wheels will have 2 dimples in the front faces, one for centring when machining and another for the crankpin.

E.

 

[Brian McKenzie]

Just curious to know why you did not machine a crankpin hole or even a pilot at the CNC phase ?

Crankpin holes need to be relative to axles bores, the bores being produced later at time of turning the milled spoke blanks.
While both axle and crankpin holes could be added at time of milling, each wheel blank would then need to be 'clocked up' at the bore prior to turning the tread and flange profile - an undesirable complication (unless someone has a tame 'mill-turn' lathe, in which case wheels might be £100 each ).

-Brian McK.