Replacement Wheelsets And Their Measurements
From time to time you might need to replace some wheelsets or perhaps you want to migrate a goods wagon or coach from AC to DC. You will need a matching wheelset for your wagon.
There are no standard wheelsets on European model railways and every manufacturer use their own size of axles and wheels. This post is a quick one, but it sums of the measures of the wheelsets from the manufacturers that I use the most. You can use the post as a reference when ordering wheelsets from third party manufacturers.
The most common wheel sets in no particular order:
Roco
Roco uses two types of wheel sets.
Wheel: 9 mm
Axle: 24,75 mm
Wheel: 11
mm (Standard wheel set on most goods wagons and coaches)
Axle: 24,75
Märklin and Trix
Märklin has DC wheel sets for most of their goods wagons and coaches.
Wheel: 10,4 mm (Standard on most goods wagons and
coaches)
Axle: 24,4 mm
Some wagons (e.g. the Torpedo Laddle Wagon) use 9 mm wheel sets.
Wheel: 9 mm
Axle: 24,4 mm
Mehano
Mehano goods wagons uses the following wheel set.
Wheel: 10,4 mm
Axle: 25,4 mm
PIKO
PIKO uses a variety of wheel sets.
Wheel: 10,5 mm (Goods wagons)
Axle: 24,4 mm
Wheel: 11,5 mm (Passenger coaches, 303 mm)
Axle: 24,4 mm
Third Party Manufacturers
Some times it can be hard to get replacement wheelsets. Especially if the manfacturer is long gone (like Mehano is). Fortunately there are third party manufacturers that produce replacement wheelsets and at a very fair price.
I highly recommend Modellbahn-Radsatz.de, I use them whenever I need replacement wheel sets. I also buy from the manufacturers themselves, but original wheel sets are often very expensive and for no obvious reason.
A tip: Remember that Märklin offers free DC wheelsets when buying a coach or goods wagon. Just ask your dealer and they will happily replace the wheelsets for you.
Happy modelling