rolling road bearings

[mitzimoonbeam]

hi,
Could any one tell me the dia of bearings i would require for a 4mm rolling road, also a supplier if known.
thanks
Phillip

[Jol Wilkinson]

I think the size rather depends on the minimum wheel size you will be running on the rolling road. The smaller the wheel, the smaller the bearings need to be to get them close enough to support the wheel.

Squires supply bearings, as do ModelBearings (part of the ModelFixings company). This type of small bearing is used in R/C helicopters so your local model aircraft shop may stock them.

Jol

[allanferguson]

I have in the past bought bearings (for another purpose) from Simply Bearings Ltd and found them very efficient, and with a huge range. However in the sizes required for a rolling road it wasn't cost efficient to buy the individual bearings, as distinct from buying a complete rolling road.
http://simplybearings.co.uk/shop/index.php

Allan F

[Re6/6]

Phillip, try these people http://www.modelfixings.co.uk/Heli%20cylindrical.htm . Prices seem quite reasonable. My rolling road has 2mm I.D & 6MM O.D bearings.

[mitzimoonbeam]

hi,
Thanks for the replies, I have ordererd the bearings 6x2x3 now just need to find some ally angle, a good result for my first post!
thanks
Phillip

[Paul Willis]

hi,
Thanks for the replies, I have ordererd the bearings 6x2x3 now just need to find some ally angle, a good result for my first post!
thanks
Phillip

Hi Philip,

Daft as it may sound, try your local Wickes or <spit> B&Q first. Both of them, in my area, have those racks of various rods, angles and strip in steel, aluminium and so on in the general hardware section.

I've used them before to get some ally angle for making fiddle yard cassettes. I can't guarantee that they will have the size that you want but it may be a quick and easy solution before looking somewhere specialist like http://www.eileensemporium.com/.

HTH
Flymo

[Alan Turner]

Yes B&Q for the angle.

If you have a model shop that deals with model RC cars try them for bearings, as small roller bearings are used in the cars and are sold separately.

regards

Alan

[mitzimoonbeam]

hI,
I never thought of B and Q for metal so I will be having a root round at my local store, although I have not arrived at a design for the road I have now bought 16 bearings off the internet, as for model shops they seem to get further away every time you want something, and not having done any railway modelling for a lot of years find myself starting from scratch, (my new found enthusism being stoked by my 5 year old grandsons obsession with trains, and without prompting from myself i might add.)
So thats oo on a board for Charlie and the use of a bedroom for me
thanks
Phillip

[Paul Willis]

... as for model shops they seem to get further away every time you want something, and not having done any railway modelling for a lot of years find myself starting from scratch

Hi Philip,

You'll find that model shops have indeed changed significantly in the last twenty years, both in the much-reduced number, and in the range of products that they stock. You can no longer do what I used to do and cycle to one after school for a Ratio kit and a sheet of 20 thou plasticard...

However in many respects the situation is much, much better. Firstly, a lot of very good internet suppliers exist. I've already mentioned Eileen's, where Derek Russan is also a Society member and very aware of our needs as modellers. Also a lot of small suppliers like High Level Kits http://www.highlevelkits.co.uk/ and Great Central Models http://greatcentralmodels.co.uk/ offer products and ranges off the internet that would be almost impossible to find in an old-style model shop. It may mean paying postage, but if you compare that to the price of petrol today, that may even be cheaper!

The second advantage is the growth of the specialist exhibitions like Scaleforum, ExpoEM and Railex. These bring together almost every finescale supplier that you could wish for - I think that this year's Scaleforum had 47 traders in total - in one place and offers the perfect opportunity to browse and stock up with products.

If you feel that you don't know where to find something, you can always ask here, and someone will probably know where it exists...

HTH
Flymo

[David B]

Flymo said:
The second advantage is the growth of the specialist exhibitions like Scaleforum, ExpoEM and Railex. These bring together almost every finescale supplier that you could wish for - I think that this year's Scaleforum had 47 traders in total - in one place and offers the perfect opportunity to browse and stock up with products.

A selection of those traders can be seen on the 2011 Scaleforum Retrospective. A copy of the S4um Guide with all the traders listed can be downloaded from the top of the page.

Another useful place to look for suppliers is the UK Model Shop Directory

David

[mitzimoonbeam]

Hi,
I have to agree things in have changed greatly over the last 10/15 years since I last dabbled in s4, sure the number of shops has reduced but that has been tempered by the rise of the internet, a good example is this site which i must say is quite exceptional.
Got to agree about the postal costs being cheaper than the cost of fuel in most cases, a good example of the internet being the bearings I ordered at 4pm weds being deposited in my post box at 12am thurs.
I could not fail to be impressed as i perused this site by the new chassis kits on offer (although it took me some time to work out what C B S meant!)
I am also looking forward to attending one or two of the shows, s4 north being nearest to me.
Phillip