Feuer Zug Posted June 17, 2020 (edited) BrickTracks recently announced their creation of replacement train wheels for cars. They claimed they were compatible with the now obsolete LEGO metal axles and bogie assembly pieces (part 287826 bearing element 3x6 - hereby refered to as the "wheelset element"). Not only that, but BrickTracks advertised them as having superior holding power on axles as well as a stud at the end of each wheel. As I was looking to expand my fleet of rolling stock, I ordered a bag of 100 of the new wheels in black and a pack of 50 axles. They came in and I've had a chance to test them and see if BrickTracks walks the walk. The first test I conducted was fitting one of the new wheels on the axle. This took some effort as they fit snugly. In fact, to properly get them fully on and aligned, I had to put both wheels on and press on the studs together. Getting the wheel off took considerable effort. In this regard, the claim is verified. Next, I took a bogie assembly from a stock LEGO train and pulled the axle out. Easily popping off a wheel, I tested the BrickTracks wheel on the LEGO axle. The effect was the same, it took effort to install and remove. My next test was to install the new axle and wheels in the bearing element, which it did without any problems. The BrickTracks wheels and axle fit in the LEGO wheelset element. The stud can't be used, but does not contact the sides (note the pink round plate as seen in the picture). This is a quick and rough bogie setup I used for testing. Note the blue round plates attached to the stud ends. MR52 ZZ roller bearing are press fit inside the technic bricks. Here we see the new bogie in use on the first Canadian styled covered hopper. The blue round plates make it easy to see the difference in this setup. The second hopper uses the LEGO wheelset elements. The BrickTracks axles do not spin nearly as freely as the LEGO ones in the wheelset element. I think they about equal in friction to the new plastic wheel sets from LEGO. That said, I didn't buy these to fit in the wheelset element. Another area where I found the new wheels lacking is in the clutch power of the stud. I would say 15% - 20% were slightly undersized and anything attached to the stud fell off after a lap or two around the test track. The biggest test for me was running the new axles in the MR52 ZZ roller bearings I have. As they are exactly the same dimensions as the regular LEGO axles, I was able to easily insert them in the MR52 ZZ bearings. On the tracks, the level of friction seemed consistent with LEGO wheels and axles installed in the roller bearings. Doing push tests with the two covered hoppers with LEGO and BrickTracks axles and wheels mounted in MR52 ZZ bearings and LEGO axles in the wheelset element showed the roller bearing were of equal effect and better than the wheelset element. Overall, I am satisfied with the quality of the BrickTracks train wheels when installed in MR52 ZZ bearings. And no, I'm not getting paid or anything for this review. Just putting it out there so people know what's available and can make an informed decision. BrickTracks also offers the wheels in red. - edited to reduce confusion as noted by the first 2 replies in this post. Edited June 17, 2020 by Feuer Zug Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
legoman666 Posted June 17, 2020 Very confusing reading this when you refer to the lego wheel holder as a bearing and are also talking about ball bearings in the same paragraph. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jeffinslaw Posted June 17, 2020 34 minutes ago, legoman666 said: Very confusing reading this when you refer to the lego wheel holder as a bearing and are also talking about ball bearings in the same paragraph. I second this. Perhaps OP could edit their review to use "LEGO wheelset" instead of bearing? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Feuer Zug Posted June 17, 2020 1 hour ago, legoman666 said: Very confusing reading this when you refer to the lego wheel holder as a bearing and are also talking about ball bearings in the same paragraph. 52 minutes ago, Jeffinslaw said: I second this. Perhaps OP could edit their review to use "LEGO wheelset" instead of bearing? I have edited the initial post to clarify the information. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
