Latest ScaleSeven Group News

ScaleSeven Wheels - turning services for Members

The Scale 7 Committee is well aware of the importance of wheel turning to S7G members, especially on the eve of the arrival of Ready-to-Run 33mm S7 gauge track.

With the well-earned retirement of Colin Dowling after many years high quality wheel turning service to S7G members, the S7G Committee has taken immediate steps to find some people who would be willing take over Colin’s mantle. We are concerned to offer members as quickly as possible a choice of wheel turner depending on individual requirements. These vary from turning down wheels in O gauge proprietary locomotives and rolling stock to making complete locomotive wheel sets for locomotive kits and premium quality brass model locomotives.

For Slaters wheels we are pleased to announce that David White proprietor of Slaters Plastikard, subject to satisfactory completion of turning trials, is offering to turn his O gauge wheels to S7 specifications. Until further notice we request that all requests by S7G members for this service be channelled through the S7 Stores. Please contact Paul Stokes for this requirement. His contact details are in the Newsletter.

Through Masterpiece Models we have a proposal from a professional model maker in Stourbridge Dan Haynes who is offering to turn wheels for us in S7. Dan will be testing his skills on some Slaters wheels but may be able to undertake turning other wheel types including O gauge ready-to-run rolling stock and locomotives. As soon as Dan has carried out the planned test work, and dependant on his final judgement of the output quality, we will publish his contact details.

Our Technical Officer David Nicholson is able and willing to re-gauge and to turn proprietary wheels where necessary on O gauge model RTR locomotives such as Minerva, Dapol and Heljan etc. converting them to S7. He will also re-gauge rolling stock. If you have this type of requirement please contact David for information of what he is able to offer. Again, David's contact details are in the Newsletter.

If you wish to have Mark Wood cast iron (premium top quality with fully shaped spokes) wheels turned to Scale 7, please contact Mark Wood who has a wheel turner contact who is familiar with turning his wheels. If you want the best wheel quality wheels for your locomotive kit, please do consider buying Mark Wood’s wheels, they are superb!

Paul Stokes, our Stores Office, is a professional toolmaker of many years’ experience with comprehensive lathe and milling machine facilities. Paul is currently preparing to make a set of formers so that he can undertake wheel turning to S7 standards. If you are interested in using Paul’s future services please contact him directly.

Finally, Masterpiece Models has a range of lathes and milling machines with turned wheel blocks located in the UK, but no operator to work them at present. If we can find the appropriately skilled person(s) to work the machinery, we will also offer a wheel turning service.

Turning O gauge wheels on brass high quality locomotives (Masterpiece, Lee Marsh etc.) is more problematic as dismantling and reassembly of these locomotives especially if they have detailed working inside motion is not easy. It is close to impossible to remove the wheels on crank axles without replacing the cranks and webs which is an expensive and difficult operation. For the time being we have no one is able to undertake this complex work. However, we are working on a possible solution for outside cylinder locomotives without inside cylinder motion. If successful, conversion of O gauge locomotives such as Masterpiece Britannia and Clan and Lee Marsh’s 9F to S7 may become possibilities. Unfortunately, very few of these models were originally made in S7 with no further spare S7 wheelsets. There is now quite a queue of these locomotives awaiting conversion to S7.

In closing we ought to mention that for quicker conversion of rolling stock, S7 members could consider using with Slaters or Peartree Engineering ready made S7 wheelsets both which are excellent products.

The S7G Committee will keep members up to date with developments here when and as they occur.

John Borkowski - Chairman

20 February 2025

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