Best Quality HO Steam

[Espeefan]

It's a destabilizing of the alloy. In extreme cases a casting will eventually crumble to dust. I have some old Central Valley freight and passneger trucks that did this. Though more common with older castings, I think what we're seeing with these wheels is a problem with the material and/or plating process. Something isn't right with this batch of wheels.

 

[stationmaster]

Maybe I should have clarified myself a bit more. I was referring to zink pest. It's a crystalline corrosion type problem found in some of the products in the hobby. Specifically the products made of zinc alloy....wheels are a good example as well as the bodies and frames of some engines. Some refer to it as "zinc pest".

Marklin, some years back, had a horrible problem with "zinc pest". This link better describe the problem.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_pest

Bob

 

[Cjcrescent]

It's a destabilizing of the alloy. In extreme cases a casting will eventually crumble to dust. I have some old Central Valley freight and passneger trucks that did this. Though more common with older castings, I think what we're seeing with these wheels is a problem with the material and/or plating process. Something isn't right with this batch of wheels.

Don't know if you ever heard about that Arbor Models Allegheny I had. Spent almost 9months building it, and then it started disintergrating on me. Anyway those castings were so poor that they went to dust in a real short time. Only pieces left are the air tanks that mounted on top of the boiler.

Bob;

'Round here its always been known as "The Disease".
Although it was a lot more common years ago, you still come across some models that have it. I lost an Alloy Forms truck to it just last year.

 

[stationmaster]

Carey, it's known as "the plague" in these parts. In any event, it's a "killer" with no known cure.

Bob