Worlds first Trackmaster 2 full wheel conversion

Do I just need to apply more muscle?

SOME TIME LATER....Cracked it. My method involves a pair of pincers and a stack of washers. Add another washer, give another squeeze, repeat ... and out she pops.



Here we see the green TM2 wheels and axles that I've removed, alongside the blue wheels and axles from a rusty old Thomas that was in the scrapyard.



And here's the result. Possibly the world's second Trackmaster 2 full wheel conversion? OK, there are questions to be asked about the colour of the wheels, but I can take care of that later.



TIP: Don't hammer the 1/2 axle in too far or there won't be enough sticking out to slip the slot in the con-rod over it.

Note also that the old-style wheels are 24mm in diameter while the new-style ones are 22mm, which means he goes 9% faster after the modification than he did before it. Bonus.