Hi everyone,
"I bought some wheel castings from Little Engines some years ago for my 1/4"
scale 4-6-4 that are a ZA alloy, probably ZA-12. The stuff melts at a much
lower temperature than good gray iron (around 1800 degrees, vs. 2800
degrees), making it less expensive for foundry operations. The castings
cool much faster than iron, so they can be shaken out of the casting sand
much sooner, cutting down on production time. ZA alloys are also much
softer than iron, making the machining of the parts easier."
I know the Z, HO and Gauge 1 wheels for Marklin used to be cast in Peterborough
Ontario Canada,
and are now cast in Welshpool Wales by the same company. They are cast in a zinc
alloy and as far as I know
don't require any machining after casting - cast to the required tolerances and
finished specs. Seems like
the most cost effective route to me. The zinc can also be cast onto different
materials. i.e. cast the wheel
onto stainless or iron axles - even better cast laser cut hardened bearings into the
wheels to eliminate
drive rod and axle wear.. hmmm.. the things we could do if only we had computer driven
machinery..
Where's that lottery ticket : )
Cheers Ferdinand
"The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of a fast approaching Live Steam
train. "
