I have several AMFLEET Coaches that do not roll freely, in fact they stop on 2.5% downhill grade. I've lubricated them with the suggested lubricant LaBelle #107 but with little improvement in rolling resistance. What other course of action is there?
Keep running them. I have about a dozen Amfleets and, yes, I nicknamed them lead sleds due to their inboard bearing design.
I have used a thinner lubricant, CRC 2-26, which seemed to help. With continuous running they seemed to improve a little and today they roll quite a bit better than when I first got them maybe four years ago.
Keep in mind that the axle retainers are pretty fragile and some are broken in shipping. Walthers sent me replacement trucks for two of mine. You can check the metal pickup plate, too. Sometimes the bearing isn't quite seated into it and this restricts lateral motion and adds a little more drag.
Good Luck, Ed
Thanks, I did have a broken truck too, however mine were over a year old when I first attempted to run them.
I bought a couple pair to re-truck some Horizon cars.
One thing to watch for is the plastic axle center rubbing the truck sideframes. I've had to sand down the axle ends so that they would not touch the frames. I stuck a piece of sanding film between the axle and the frame and ran it back and forth (after taking the truck off the car, of course) until it was okay.
Also, check the truck for square. Put it on a sheet of glass and see if it rocks. One can loosen the screws and shim if necessary. Having both axles true with their bearings and each other helps a lot in reducing rolling resistance.
Paul3I've had to sand down the axle ends so that they would not touch the frames.
The axle moldings are pretty crude. I just looked at a few of mine and the plastic is split where the metal presses in. I'll have to keep watch for replacements.
Regards, Ed