Masokits Track Defect Detection Vehicle

[Steve Carter]

Has anyone built one of these please?

The kit requires a set of perfectly round and concentric wheels (of course ) on 2mm diameter axles.

I immediately thought of a set of wagon wheels, either Exactoscale * or Ultrascale, but anyone’s recommendations/experiences would be much appreciated please.

* whoops, just realised that Exactoscale axles are 1mm

Many thanks

Steve

[Jol Wilkinson]

Steve,

the Exactoscale wagon or carriage wheels have a short 2mm OD, 1mm ID "stub" in the wheel centre that projects inwards by about 1.7mm. The 1mm axle with the moulded plastic centre "casing tube" is fitted into this stub.

This stub might be long enough to provide a running fit in the AG bearings but there would have to be very little side play.

AG and Ultrascale wheels run on 2mm OD axles. Although I have never used Ultrascale wagon wheels, I believe they are regarded as being more concentric, etc.

Jol

[grovenor-2685]

I think you stand a better chance of concentricity with steam era/Branchlines wheelsets rather than any plastic centered type. They do 3ft disc wheels.
Rgds

[Rod Cameron]

I've built one of these Steve.

IMG_3684.JPG (120.33 KiB) Viewed 5044 times

I used 14mm coach wheels, either from Gibson or MSE (which I think are the same?). In any event I carefully selected a pair that were concentric and wobble-free.

Useful piece of kit, although it can make you paranoid even on 'perfectly true' track! Good for detecting gradual changes as well as obvious steps.

[Steve Carter]

Thanks for the helpful reply’s.
I think I will go with Rod and use coach wheels.

Steve

[Philip Hall]

Ultrascale every time for me if I need absolute concentricity. Mind you, you should always need absolute concentricity! Black Beetle NS ones are very good but I have had the occasional eccentric specimen. AG are also good but you do get the odd one, just check.

Philip

[Tim V]

I have one, like Rod I used carefully selected wheels.

If they are not quite round, you do get used to the wheel wobble, but it is what else the wagon detects you are interested in.

[martin goodall]

I have also built one of these, but I didn't find any significant track variations when I ran it around the layout.

I don't think my track is that perfect (!), so I assumed either that I had not assembled it correctly, or that I was somehow missing something.

It has been stored unused in a drawer ever since.