Hi guys,

As my postcount and next question tell you, I'm a total newbie when it comes to bicycle mechanics.

So, I have just taken out the rear wheel (with hubgear) of my old second hand bike because it was damaged beyond repair. I have now bought an almost identical replacement wheel, also with a 3-gear hub (Sturmey-Archer).
I tried to put it back into position but this just drives me crazy. It seems as if my chain is shorter than before (however I use the gear wheel of the old bike, so nothing has changed) because I can't get the rear wheel axle to the end of the (semi-horizontal)dropout and thus making it very hard to position the wheel straight.

So my basic question is: do I have to get this axle to the end of the dropout?
If yes, how?
If no, how do I make sure that my wheel is positioned straight?

Oh, also the wheel has no quick-removal levers, it only uses bolts to tighten. If any other info is needed, I'll be glad to do so. Sorry if there are terminology mistakes, I'm not a native speaker...