> -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:sslivesteam- > [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> My understanding of wheel taper (And I may be full of B.S., but this is what > I have read) is to allow trains to navigate curves without excessive wheel > slip. As centrifugal force causes the wheel set to move to the outside of the > curve the larger diameter of the tread is contacting the rail on the larger > diameter, while the inner wheel is riding on its smaller diameter. This > lessens wheel slip and I presume that on 1=1 scale (full size) that railroads set > minimum curve radius to suit on mainline practice. Basically that is true, but the difference in diameter over a 3 degree taper of a wheel a couple inches in diameter is negligible. And, since most garden lines use brass or nickel silver rail, that would wear long before the wheel tread wore! The amount of wheel slip due to now using wheels of constant diameter wasn't enough for "real railroads" to bother with coned treads anymore. Class 1 roads use a spiral leading into the curve and superelevation to eliminate the wheel slip issues. Look at the steep taper on > a Lionel 027 wheel compared to the slight taper on a fine scale wheel. Tinplate is an entirely different application, as they run on tubular rail, not rail of scale profile. The wheel tread is actually the flange on Lionel trains. Basically if you want to put a 3 degree taper on the wheels for accuracy reasons...fine. But to a beginner building his first steam locomotive doesn't need to worry if his wheel are EXACTLY a three degree taper. In fact....if he builds his locomotive with parallel wheel treads, it will run and track as well as those with a three degree taper. The reason real railroads have eliminated the coned tread of locomotives is traction. The contact are is greater when the wheel is contacting the rail across the whole tread, where as the cone wheel has a very tiny contact area, which gives you a MUCH better chance to slip! For me....I'll take all the traction I can get on my models. Keith > _______________________________________________ SSLiveSteam mailing list Send messages: [email protected] Cancel subscription: http://postfix.45mm.com/mailman/listinfo/sslivesteam Rules: http://www.45mm.com/sslivesteam_guide.html
