USA trains passenger car wheel upgrade

[steveavaughn]

Hello!
I have USA trains aluminum Sante Fe passenger cars. The wheelsets are awful. They have a brush on the wheels for lighting pick up.
They are constantly squeaking. I have used electrically conductive oil but to no avail. I have many sets of new LGB ball bearing Wheels with electric pickups on them. Can I put those on? Thank you!

 

[Gizzy]

Where is the squeak?

Axle bearings I assume. Try a little grease on the stubs where they locate in the bogies.

If the LGB wheels are of the same diameter as the originals, then try them.

You've nothing to loose....

 

[John Fedak]

Go battery! Install a rechargeable 14.8 or 18.5v Lipo battery, DPDT switch and charging port into the lead car (baggage). Remove all of the wheel pickups and run a wire bus with connectors on either end of the individual cars down the length of your train. On Amazon you can buy buck transformers for a couple of dollars each to adjust the voltage in each car individually if you want to adjust the brightness.

 

[dunnyrail]

Hello!
I have USA trains aluminum Sante Fe passenger cars. The wheelsets are awful. They have a brush on the wheels for lighting pick up.
They are constantly squeaking. I have used electrically conductive oil but to no avail. I have many sets of new LGB ball bearing Wheels with electric pickups on them. Can I put those on? Thank you!

Many moons ago in a bookzine it was suggested tyat the blue LGB smoke fluid can be used to remove an irritating squeak in simikar circumstances to yours. If you have some worth a try.