Does anyone have a procedure for this? For steam, can the front and rear wheels be re gauged while in the trucks? ow is this done? Same for the tender? The same for diesels. DMK
If you don't have one, I'd first get an NMRA Standards Gage. The wheel indents on the left side are perfect for this. It's best to remove the wheelsets. I've had some minimal luck sticking a screwdriver behind a wheelset, but you then risk the wheel being cockeyed on the axle and the project devolves quickly from there.
I didn't know they came out with a MARK IVb gauge. Mine is a MARK IV. The only difference I see is they moved the notch for wheel width around the corner to the angled part of the gauge. The MARK IV has it next to the flange notches. Doug
Is there any other tooling used to widen the wheel width or narrow the width? Some of the plastic trucks are very delicate. DMK
Your comment got me curious so I checked mine. I must have purchased it 10 or more years ago. The envelope says "Mark IV" but when I took the gauge out it is a Mark IVb model. So if you are only checking the envelope, don't assume it's a the same inside. I was (pleasantly) surprised too.
Moose has been wondering about best tools to use to re-gauge metal axles as well. Quick web search found the two below as examples. Anybody try tools like this or any other such tools?
Their website states that the wheel spacer model is suitable for HO, N & TT. Moose sees other tools on their website that might be more suitable. Moose off to breakfast and cannot check in more depth at the mo'! https://www.fohrmann.com/en/railway-modeling-tools/wheels-axles/
Interesting -- actually, frustrating -- thing about n scale (or n gauge) locomotives and rolling stock: Moose discovered that British outline items tend to be of narrow gauge than non-British items. Was trying to run some British GF & Dapol items a few months ago and discovered that some of them do not always play nice on Moose's Atlas code 55 turnouts, rerailers and the like. Was going to try to re-gauge the offenders until discovered this might be a more wide-spread issue with British stuff...
I don't remember exactly when I bought mine (I am too young to remember ) but the envelope says "Mark III" on it. However, the actual gauge says "Mark IV". I don't think any of us need to be embarrassed. I think the NMRA needs to be embarrassed. And, as far as tools, I have always been able remove the wheel pair, hold the axle with a needle nose pliers, and twist one or the other wheels to gauge them on cars and get a small screwdriver between the frame and wheel to gauge locomotives. I have never had a plastic wheelset, such as MTs, be out of gauge. Doug
Moose did when first discovered this unfortunate situation. The fine folks over there explained that the issue might be caused by GF and Dapol following European NEM standards for back-to-back wheel gauge which is aperently slightly narrower than NMRA standards. Apperently this has proven to be an issue when British items are run on both Atlas and Micro-Engineering track. See link: https://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=53952.msg711062#msg711062
I made the ones above and below on the 3D printer after seeing some that J Strarbuck had made. More info on my site and a link to the print files if you want to make a set of these ( HERE ). Sumner