Sourcing white wheels for wagons

[F2Andy]

A lot of wagons have white wheels on the side that I assume are for the brakes.

You can see them on the far end of the PWAs here:
https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ukfvan

These tank wagons:
https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/boctank

These hoppers:
https://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/ameypga

They tend to be relatively clean, whatever the state of the wagon, and being white are quite prominent, so there ansence feels obvious (to me!). A lot of models have them already present, but not all, and I have few kits etc. that would really benefit from them, but I have not been able to find them anywhere.

Does anyone know a good source?

[crewearpley40]

Maybe there for assisting with discharging but @njee20  or / and @red_death mike maybe able to answer this. Have you tried br lines ?

[Steven B]

They're for applying the wagon's hand brake.

N Brass Loco sell an etch of them in various sizes. You'll need to paint them though.

Steven B

[crewearpley40]

I did think of that. Thanks steven

[F2Andy]

They're for applying the wagon's hand brake.

N Brass Loco sell an etch of them in various sizes. You'll need to paint them though.

I looked on the N Brass Loco ten minutes before posting, and could not find them. You have prompted me to look more carefully,  and I have now found them. Thanks.

[F2Andy]

Maybe there for assisting with discharging ...

That was my first guess, but they are on pallet vans, etc. as well.

[njee20]

Yep, as said they're handbrake wheels. Sometimes bogie mounted, sometimes body mounted. Some are solid, some are spoked. They'll be on both sides at one end of a wagon.

[woodbury22uk]

Just a word of caution from the real world. Back in about 1990 I received a phone call one evening to advise that one of our Polybulks full of China clay had shed its load at Acton. After a bit of questioning it turned out that the guard on the train had been securing the parking brakes prior to a locomotive change. By mistake he managed to turn the big wheel that operated the discharge gate instead of the parking brake wheel. The load flowed rather too quickly for him to be able to turn the wheel back and he could not stop a few tonnes ending up on the track and jamming the wagon in place.

[F2Andy]

Yep, as said they're handbrake wheels. Sometimes bogie mounted, sometimes body mounted. Some are solid, some are spoked. They'll be on both sides at one end of a wagon.

Would the wheels on each side be connected to a single "axle" running through the width of the wagon?

[woodbury22uk]

Yep, as said they're handbrake wheels. Sometimes bogie mounted, sometimes body mounted. Some are solid, some are spoked. They'll be on both sides at one end of a wagon.

Would the wheels on each side be connected to a single "axle" running through the width of the wagon?

Sometimes "yes on an axle", but others the shaft turns a gear train that turns a through shaft.