Scale to Hi-rail

That will require a lot of precision wheel pulling from axles and wheel pushing onto axles. You risk ending up with a $1500 shelf queen that is inoperable if you get it wrong and damage any of axles.  And that is if you can get the wheels made.  You may be able to get NWSL to do it, but myself and several other guys have been waiting 3 years for a custom wheel order from them that met the minimum of 100 wheels.

It would be a whole lot cheaper, quicker and less risky to replace one loop of the layout with Lionel FasTrack and connect it to the Gilbert track with 649858 Transition Track pieces.

Chuck, maybe your NWSL order is stuck behind their search for the "lost" P-64 wheel cutter. I have been told that while they catalog P-64 wheels they can only provide Code 88 wheels.

You mean  High rail to scale?  or AF to scale?

Chuck,

I know it won't be easy.   I have owned it for almost a year and continue to just think about it and try to gather information.

Shelf queen is what I have now, and it may have to stay that way.  I am surprised to hear of your experience with NWSL, and not in a good way.

Thank you,

Aflyer

Amflyer,

I am not sure about quicker or cheaper on converting a loop to Fast Track, but you are probably right about less risky.

Thank you,

Aflyer

Dave,

No I mean Scale to Hi-rail, the train is now Scale, and I run Flyer tubular track.

Thank you,

Aflyer

@Aflyer posted:

Dave,

No I mean Scale to Hi-rail, the train is now Scale, and I run Flyer tubular track.

Thank you,

Aflyer

Ok now that makes sense. I was in S for close to 20 years and had flyer , High rail and scale, and eventually went full scale.   If you want to run every thing you can go with code 148 rail and closed frog swishes One of the s gauge clubs out east shows the closed frog switches in some detail, dont get sucked into the track with the plastic roadbed take a look at what highrailers have been doing for the last 40 years,   here is the link for the switches Building a Closed Frog Switch - Bristol S Gauge Railroaders (clubexpress.com)

Dave,

Thank you for the link, those photos some beautiful work.  I have about 90' of old flyer track in each of two loops at this point it would be a major project and expense to change it out.  This is track plan.

George, have you tried running the set on the current layout? I have American models scale items with their code110 scale wheels. Those cars and engines will run on Gilbert track if the track is "perfect." I do not have any River Raisin items but I doubt they used code88 wheels, most likely they are code 110.

The potential problem I see is the length of the cars between the pivot points. What would be a kingpin on a normal passenger car is actually under the car joints. Therefor, if the distance between the car joints (length of the car) is longer than 9.5" the center of the cars will hit the switch lantern box on Gilbert turnouts when going through the diverging leg.

I see you dilemma.  If you havent worked on Brass  I wouldnt try changing the wheels, in fact its not the flanges that are an Issue it the length of the cars.  I see you have your layout , in a second story room.  Are all 3 sides , ( of the fold in the dog bone), up against a wall?

Dave,

Yes, all three legs do have the benchwork to the walls. Why do you ask?

I am not committed to converting the train to  high rail wheels.

And after reading everyones responses I am beginning to wonder if I could change the track on the upper loop.

Thanks.

Aflyer

@AmFlyer posted:

George, have you tried running the set on the current layout? I have American models scale items with their code110 scale wheels. Those cars and engines will run on Gilbert track if the track is "perfect." I do not have any River Raisin items but I doubt they used code88 wheels, most likely they are code 110.

The potential problem I see is the length of the cars between the pivot points. What would be a kingpin on a normal passenger car is actually under the car joints. Therefor, if the distance between the car joints (length of the car) is longer than 9.5" the center of the cars will hit the switch lantern box on Gilbert turnouts when going through the diverging leg.

Tom,

Hi,  I had only put this train on the track one time and because the wheels were so small and the flanges were so small I only ran it about 3' on a straight piece of track. I just tried it again.   I did just the locomotive and it will not negotiate the 54" diameter curves I have. The trucks do not have enough rotation to negotiate the 54" Curve.  I measured the distance between the centers of the front and rear trucks on the locomotive, and it is 12".

I think this will be an expensive display model.

Thank you for your input,

Aflyer

Before you give up check out this thread on the River Raisin Flying Yankee.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/s-gauge-flying-yankee.set

The above link seems to not work. The OP is Roundhouse Bill, it was posted 5/1/2017

@AmFlyer posted:

Before you give up check out this thread on the River Raisin Flying Yankee.

https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/s-gauge-flying-yankee.set

@AmFlyer posted:

The above link seems to not work. The OP is Roundhouse Bill, it was posted 5/1/2017

S Gauge Flying Yankee Set (corrected link)

@Aflyer posted:

Dave,

Yes, all three legs do have the benchwork to the walls. Why do you ask?

I am not committed to converting the train to  high rail wheels.

And after reading everyones responses I am beginning to wonder if I could change the track on the upper loop.

Thanks.

Aflyer

I wasn't sure , but was hoping you could add another 6" around the table to give you room for a loop of scale or code 148 track with a wider radius loop that could come across at the open end of dog bone ( a miss sharpened oval ) please go with a   proven track system not that  over priced crap that flyonel produces)

@Dave Koehler posted:

I wasn't sure , but was hoping you could add another 6" around the table to give you room for a loop of scale or code 148 track with a wider radius loop that could come across at the open end of dog bone ( a miss sharpened oval ) please go with a   proven track system not that  over priced crap that flyonel produces)

Dave,

Thank you for that idea, but I thin k I need a bigger room, LOL. I think I just have a beautiful Display model, unless I can find a Hi-rail version, then I will have a for sale mole.

George

@Training Wheels posted:

S Gauge Flying Yankee Set (corrected link)

Training wheels,

Thank you for that link.  I had searched and somehow never found that thread.  Very interesting reading

George

I have been using S Helper Service track with American Models scale passenger cars.  I have had no problems with their track.  I had trouble using AM scale wheels on the original American Flyer track.  Using S Show Case 138 code track and switches solved my derailment problems that I was having with original flyer track.  I would not go back to the original flyer track.  When I can find S-Helper Service track usually purchase it.  I keep a small amount of track for expansion. My layout was considered hi-rail by Ron Bashista.  American Models also makes S Scale track Code 148 or (.148) you might consider.

To be considered S scale the track would be Code 100 or smaller. After the Showcase line was sold to MTH, a lot of the same track was made but branded as MTH. The packages are red/blue. Picture below.

Scale Trains purchased the Showcase Line I.P. From MTH and plans to put the track back into production. Unfortunately no target date has been provided, it is likely a year or two into the future. Fox Valley Models is doing another run of their flex and #5 turnouts but all has gone silent on timing.

@Aflyer posted:

Dave,

Thank you for that idea, but I thin k I need a bigger room, LOL. I think I just have a beautiful Display model, unless I can find a Hi-rail version, then I will have a for sale mole.

George

we all need bigger rooms