Piko Wheels - Can you get plated ones?

dunnyrail

dunnyrail

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Inevitable problem with my Piko Kamel also the 218. Both are now 3 or so years old. Neither have had much running but the wheels are always crudy. This effects the Sound in an adverse way in that the Loco just kind of dithers and stops starts with sound chip being most confused.

I have heard that Piko do replacement wheels that are Plated. But big but, trying to be sure that one is getting the right thing is pretty tricky.

On the face of it these Ref 36075 should be what I want however on clicking more details, they tell you nothing.

http://www.piko-shop.de/index.php?vw_type=warengruppe&vw_id=18

Does anyone know if these are indeed plated, on the face of it they look to be But? I am not really prepared to spend £13 x 4 to find that they are no better than what in have.

Anyone any experience of Piko 218 or Kamel Wheel replacement or knowledge to pass on please?
JonD
 
Arrrggg,
On one of the many Threads about Kamels someone posted the Piko Part Ref Number for the PLATED replacement Bogies. Thought that I had Bookmarked it but apparently not. Anyone remember where the thread is please?
JonD
 
Here it is: https://www.gscalecentral.net/kit-building-bashing-scratch-build/building-a-power-bogie/msg340281/#msg340281

Just checked out the Piko db and it says:

36101 G Antriebseinheit komplett für BR 218

36105 G Antriebseinheit BR 218 und V100 + Kugellager (funny, in the shop it is shown as for steam engine...)

So, Willem is correct in his post and you want the 36105. 73 EUR from Piko.

I wonder whether the holes in the gear box could be drilled out to fit 2 new axles? You would save 40 EUR per bogie.

http://www.piko-shop.de/index.php?vw_type=artikel&vw_id=13321
http://www.piko-shop.de/index.php?vw_type=artikel&vw_id=13322 (You can see the ball bearings, so they are the plated ones, apparently.)
 
as peter has alluded to - the plated wheels do not retro fit into old bogies. the mew plated wheels have bearings attached and these need bigger gaps in the plastic bogie frames. Have not yet heard of anyone brave enough to cut/drill bigger holes but I am interested in results.

it is a bit odd, by releasing new bogies to an improved design virtually admits that the previous ones were less than perfect. I wonder if trading standards would expect them to replace FOC
 
Since the bogies need to be replaced there is nothing to lose, is there? I'd have a go.

When I first read about this problem here my first thought was that this needs fixing under warranty. Here in NZ you would have a case even years after you bought it: it is not fit for the intended purpose. Other countries have different laws.

Warning: the light red BR 204 still has the old wheels listed as spare parts and no bogie. Unless that is a mistake I read that to mean that Piko's factory stock of this model still has the faulty bogies. Now I'm glad I bought the blue one!
 
As there's so much confusion about old/new style wheels (and indeed PIKO does not always show the correct info themselves, very frustrating), I've been working on a page about the various PIKO motorblocks recently, see: http://www.gscalenews.com/information/piko-g-motor-block-designs

That page is still a work in progress, which definitely needs some attention to hopefully provide a complete overview...
 
Beddhist said:
Here it is: https://www.gscalecentral.net/kit-building-bashing-scratch-build/building-a-power-bogie/msg340281/#msg340281

So, Willem is correct in his post and you want the 36105. 73 EUR from Piko.
Click to expand...
That post refers to the BR 218,

this post is where I wrote about the Harz Camel: https://www.gscalecentral.net/kit-building-bashing-scratch-build/building-a-power-bogie/msg340485/#msg340485
 
Many thanks DR, that Reply 17 on your Building a Power Bogie was what I was looking for. Man many thanks for the reminders. Well Bookmarked on the iPad now!!!
JonD
 
I also wondered about the confusion over the various translations regarding Piko wheel material, so asked the question outright..
This is the answer I got:

Hi Phil:



The PIKO BR24, like it's cousin the BR64, has stainless steel "tires" (tyres for you in the UK) with injection molded plastic wheel centers. So there is no "finish", just the material itself.



I quite sure aluminum has never been used for wheels on PIKO G-Scale locos, although I could understand the color of the alloy material being confused with aluminum. Most other PIKO locos have switched over the past couple years to a hard nickel-plated finish over the alloy wheel material. For reasons of economy, most starter set locos still use the unplated alloy wheels. Those work okay, as long as both the wheel and the rail are kept very clean, which may be more effort than most people want to put forth.



Best regards,




Jonathan Meador

PIKO America, LLC

4610 Alvarado Canyon Rd. #5

San Diego CA 92120 USA

Phone 619-280-2800

Fax 619-280-2843

www.piko-america.com
 
So it appears that some loco's have 'alloy' (NOT aluminium) wheels, and may, or may not, have a nickel plating over this..
But the inference is that he more expensive items have stainless steel tyres, on a plastics centre.
 
If it looks and feels like aluminium, but isn't then it must be a zinc alloy.

Good to know the starter set locos still have these, so people can avoid them on ebay, where breaking apart sets seems to be big business.
 
Have read the latest missive by DR in GScake News as linked, as this has very recently been updated it looks to tell the complete story. But fir satisfactory running it looks like I will need to wait for the Generation 7 Bogies to become available for my 218 and Kamel. Looks like the Tam Valley Battery Conversion is getting closer!
JonD
 
I had a look at my wheels today and they seem to be solid metal, shiny surface with the outsides painted grey.
 
I put the Massoth Power cap Maxi in my digitised Kamel and it made a world of difference to its running on crappy wheels. Recommended.
 
Finally got a resolution to this issue when 2 Piko Power Bogies (ref PK37542-35) got delivered to me Today, well yesterday actually but I was out and next door kindly accepted them. As nothing much was planned today I fitted them this afternoon. All is now well with many thanks to Jonathan G Bits (Resin D'Etre Ltd) who supplied the two Bogies for £90 including postage.

Pics new Bogie with close up of shiny new plated wheels.
image.jpeg image.jpeg
Below the 2 old Bogies now littering my Bits Box. Note the scruffy dirty wheels that were the orrible first type that Piko used and the Loco had hardly any running. Probably be OK for a Battery Powered Loco though.
image.jpeg
JonD
 
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Oh, by the way one question please. Have you open the gearbox? If yes, can you tell me somesthin about the middle axle? Is it nessesary to have it in? Does it have a gear-wheel?
I'm asking that, because the both outer axles having the right distance for a tram I want to build.

Greeting from Wuppertal

Peter
 
Danke nach Belgien.
Thanks for the answer.
Peter
 
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