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Re-wheeling Hornby Dublo Bolster Wagons


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Hello All.  I have four Dublo M720550 cast metal "Bogie Bolster" wagons and two "Weltrol MV" low-loaders and would like to know if changing the wheels and axles is feasible so that they can be run on DC. Or am I wasting my time ?

They are all in good condition and are nice heavy models so it would seem a pity to just throw them away. I have manged to remove 1 axle +wheels without breaking anything, though it was a tight fit. The axle has blunt ends, not pointed.

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Some of the best wheels for replacing Hornby Dublo 3 rail wheels are those made by Wrenn.

 

They made plain ended axle wheels with metal tyres.

 

There are also the old Hornby Dublo 2 rail plastic wheels.

 

The hard part is accessing the tabs on the axle retainer, which are on the top of the bogies...

 

At least one side needs to be freed, to allow the axles  to be removed,

 

Another hard part may be finding the Wrenn wheels...

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Coincidentaly the latest edition of "DEMU UP DATE" no 93 the magazine of the Diesel and Elecric Modellers United group which arrived last week has an article by Mark Lambert about improving the Hornby Dublo Weltrol. 

The alterations are fairly drastic but the result is remarkable. He removed the bogies altogether and replaced them with Cambrian bogies built from their C69 kit. The metal infil between the well and bogie has been removed so the back of the bogie is visible which is quite a daunting task, but makes a huge difference in appearance.  

He has replaced the buffers, put new hand brake wheels and a vacuum brake pipe on and added a host of small detail, and a good paint job resulting in a splendid scale model.

 

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You

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You need to remove bogie from wagon then you can remove ONE bearing side frame from bogie.

Now fit shouldered pin point bearings to side frames , these fit perfectly in old side frames.

Now shorten new axle to 24.7 mm by cutting in half then  fit 2 halves back together with brass tube with an internal diameter of 2mm ( This is the difficult bit ) not forgetting the correct back to back distance.

 

Do not bend the tabs on the bearing side frame more than needed or they will break off.

The high rolling resistance of plain ended axles are a waste  of time fitting.

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People do still collect and run Hornby Dublo three rail.  In good condition and original boxes these are still quite sought after. In excellent and boxed condition you may have at least £1000 worth there, maybe more.

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