Some time ago we had discussion of scale wheelsets for the Lionel SD70, and I don't remember it coming to a conclusion. Maybe I missed it. But I mentioned my concern, since I have two SD70s, to a correspondent not in this group and he said he had got his. He gave me a part number. He aslo described what he had to go thru to get his. It went something like this.
quote Regarding scale wheels for the SD70, it was a most lengthy and frustrating saga. Many emails to CONTACT US and many more to Talk To Us resulted in numerous email exchanges with a wide variety of responses. Some responses said they will come eventually, but without a date. Some said "call back in two weeks". I waited one month and the next response was "call back in two weeks" (repeated). One response said words to the effect of: "We have a huge pile of stuff here, but have not yet entered the information into the computer system." Then I received an email which said "there will not ever be any scale wheels for the SD70". One email suggested I try the U33C wheels since they might work. Another email asked me for a photo of scale wheels so they would know what to look for. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .But it eventually became obvious this was not going to answer my original question of how to obtain scale wheels. I was about to give up hope, when the light bulb went ON. I wrote a lengthy complaint email to a responsible manager at Lionel and received a personal phone call from him within two minutes after hitting the SEND button on my computer. We discussed the problem and he promised to get back to me within a day or two. He did just that, gave me the part number, I ordered the [wheelsets], and Lionel sent a confirming email that the parts have been sent. It took all of five minutes once I had the correct part number. Huge thanks to Mike Reagan at Lionel. My SD70 will soon be running on my scale layout. I am a happy camper.. . . . . . . . . . I have a tendency to "test the system" when dealing with large corporations. In this instance, the test clearly showed there is an internal communication problem within Lionel. A wide variety of people each had different perceptions of reality. The scale wheels were gathering dust in the warehouse the entire time. It also showed that Lionel is very responsive to problems and is able to take prompt corrective action. I believe Lionel does care about these situations and will improve communication as a result. My fingers are crossed. . . . . . . Call Lionel's Customer Service [ 586 / 949 - 4100 ] and place an order for: # 6409879625, SCALE WHEELSETS / 40" / 6PC SET / A/F SD70Ace, $29.95 Six wheelsets for $30 is not a bad price. Each axle has two wheels, one gear and two bearings. Unscrew the retention plate, remove the AF wheels, insert the scale wheels and replace the retention plate. No problems at all. . . . . . . . .I would suggest folks order these wheels while the supply lasts. Once gone, there is no telling what might happen next. endquote I took the above advice and got mine. Tom Hawley -- Lansing Michigan
