Axle length

[Tony Clarke]

Is there a standard axle length for 009 goods stock wheels?  I have a pack of Parkside Dundas N scale wheels which state the axle length is the same as Peco and Graham Farish. The axles are 14.9mm long. I have some other axles from redundant stock that are 14.1mm long. Which is the common standard? I suspect the Parkside Dundas ones are the correct popular length.

[B.Meldon]

Sadly there is no common standard axle length.
Each manufacture has their own.

When i get a chance I will measure a few and post the results on here.

[Tony Clarke]

Thank you, that will be interesting

[JulienW]

One of the issues I feel is that there is no 'universal' standard when it comes to Worldwide N-scale, even the scales uses are different depending on whether you are in the U.K., Europe, US or Japan!

Having some idea of the range of lengths would be useful Brian, particularly in relation to the Dundas wheels we are used to.

[B.Meldon]

I have now measured the length of various axles I have in 009/H0e items of rolling stock:
Axle Lengths, pin-point to pin-point, are:

Roco H0e bogies, Dundas (WD bogies) and Jouef H0e: 13.8mm

Roco 4w trucks and Egger 4w trucks: 14mm

New Minitrains bogies: 14.1mm

Tomytec: 14.4mm

Peco plastic wheels: 14.5mm

Egger bogies and wagons, Lima and Liliput: 14.8mm

Minitrix: 14.9mm

Roco bogies, Piko, Technomodel 15.1mm

Bemo 15.1mm (or 18.5mm if in H0m vehicles.)

As you can see there is over 1mm difference in some cases!
It is also clear that even withing the individual ranges manufactures do not stick with the same axle length!

It also should be noted that the angle of the pin point and the axle diameter will also make a difference as to if one axle will fit into another manufactures axle boxes and these are also different in almost all the above cases!

As I said there is no standard and in many cases if you want to fit one make in another you just have to try and see if they fit and work!

For example I think the Graham Farrish wheels will go in the Peco 009 items.

[Graeme Dunbar]

I have squeezed the axle boxes towards each other between thumb and finger (very carefully!!) to "ease" or "seat" the axles if they are a bit tight in the bearings. That doesn't help if brass bearing inserts have been used though.

[Tony Clarke]

That is an amazing selection of lengths. It seems that the best solution is to use the wheels that are included with a kit but it is rather hit and miss if the kit does not include wheels.

[Tom Haythornthwaite]

Brian wrote "For example I think the Graham Farrish wheels will go in the Peco 009 items."

Broadly speaking, yes, though I find they fit a bit tightly in the Peco 'GR-106 OO-9 L and B Wagon Bogie', while rolling very smoothly in the coach bogies and four-wheel wagons.

[B.Meldon]

Brian wrote "For example I think the Graham Farrish wheels will go in the Peco 009 items."

Broadly speaking, yes, though I find they fit a bit tightly in the Peco 'GR-106 OO-9 L and B Wagon Bogie', while rolling very smoothly in the coach bogies and four-wheel wagons.

So clearly Peco are another manufacture that has different standards in different products within their own range! This is quite common and makes maters even more difficult for us when changing axles.