Only if the wheels are bad, out of gauge, or stiff.
The Penn Western is a modern era, freight only layout. I change almost all freight car trucks to my standard - Athearn Genesis 70 and 100 ton with 0.088" wheelsets and rotating bearings. Biggest problem is non-standard bolsters. Height is off, bolster pin is too large, or bolster surface is a proprietary shape. Takes a while to do. Chinese engineering? May change the end trucks on a double stack articulated car, but not the intermediate 38" trucks. The narrow wheelsets work just fine on both handlaid and Shinohara code 70 track.
I model the pre-USRA period, so Roundhouse Old Timer freight cars make up a large portion of my rolling stock. These typically come with plastic arch bar trucks and wheels, and I always replace the plastic wheels with metal, usually Kadee code 110.
As the Pre-USRA period was a time when there were many types of trucks available, usually variations of archbar and fox trucks; for variety, on a few cars, I'll swap out the Roundhouse trucks with other versions sold by Bethlehem Car Works.
Jim
I don't go looking for problem. As long as the factory trucks work they will stay. Now wheelsets and couplers get changed to metal wheels and usually Kadee 148 Coupler.
Joe Staten Island West
I replace all rigid trucks with sprung ones, mainly Kadees. In my experience they provide better tracking.
When I start building my last layout, I'll be experimenting with narrower wheelsets, which should roll through my Fasttracks turnouts just fine.
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
BMMECNYC I replace all sprung trucks (with actual springs) with non-sprung trucks. I am working on a model of a Boston and Maine commuter coach using a Branchline coach as a starting point, for this I need different trucks (replacing Branchline with Walthers Pullman standard 8' truck). There is an American Model Builders bolster modification kit that allows you to do this. My PWRS covered hoppers came with code 88 wheel sets, no issues running over NMRA compliant track.
I replace all sprung trucks (with actual springs) with non-sprung trucks. I am working on a model of a Boston and Maine commuter coach using a Branchline coach as a starting point, for this I need different trucks (replacing Branchline with Walthers Pullman standard 8' truck). There is an American Model Builders bolster modification kit that allows you to do this.
My PWRS covered hoppers came with code 88 wheel sets, no issues running over NMRA compliant track.
You can send me your sprung trucks...........
Sheldon
I was using KD to replace plastic wheels, but changed to Intermountain (same as Reboxx, I think) after reading many discussions.
For all resin freightcar kits, and to replace all OEM trucks I didn't like, I use Tahoe trucks. They have maybe the best variety of correct choices for 1900-1960, and are sized for Intermountain wheel axles. Don't often seem to need the truck tuner (and never oil) for free-spinning.
Don't care for metal axles in metal trucks, like Walthers uses for passenger cars; seem to be difficult sometimes to get to run really free, and maybe squeak unless oiled. I replaced Walthers six-wheel trucks with Branchline with way better results and no need for oil.
Hal
I have only replaced the trucks on one car ever. This McKean center beam had the worst stock wheels ever. I guess they thought that everyone would replace the wheels by default. I just replaced the trucks too while I was at it with Walthers roller bearing trucks w 33 metal wheels 933-1007 which I paid $2.76 in 1990s dollars. I have several Tyco and other toy brand cars from my first train set turned layout. They still have their original trucks from the 1970s. However the talgo couplers have been cut off and replaced with body mounted Kadee #5 couplers which I mounted on a styrene shim to make the correct height. Currently I am about to replace the wheels on some freight cars which came with the wrong height wheels. I’m just going to replace the wheels, not the trucks. It’s too expensive. Apparently Walthers center beams have 33” wheels but they are supposed to have 36” wheels, or so I’ve heard. I know the couplers are the wrong height so that makes sense. Also Walther enclosed auto carrier kits have 33” wheels but I think they are supposed to have 28” wheels.
Well, I have almost from the beginning 55+ years ago replaced my wheelsets with Kadees. I have used some InterMountain sets but prefer Kadee.
My trucks are generally stock. If I do replace them I prefer, DUH, Kadee but I've used Tichy, Tahoe, Central Valley and still have quite a few old sprung Varney and Athern. Using a Micro Mark axle tuner helps a lot.
Roger Huber
Deer Creek Locomotive Works
dknelson I have two cars with semi scale wheels. It will be interesting to see if I have problems with them. I suppose it is possible that since they will almost always be coupled to cars having the more normal NMRA standards wheels that the cars with semi-scale wheels will be pulled through any problem areas and work just fine, whereas an entire layout of semi scale wheeled cars might have more problems. Yet a good buddy has nearly a 50/50 mix of semi scale and NMRA wheels on this layouts and even in his Atlas turnout-equipped staging yard (the rest of the layout is handlaid) he reports few if any problems. Remember, wheels narrower than NMRA standards have been present ever since the days of brass locomotives, and as Linn Westcott once said in an editorial about wheels, in theory this should be causing all sorts of problems -- but is anyone actually having those problems? Dave Nelson
I have two cars with semi scale wheels. It will be interesting to see if I have problems with them. I suppose it is possible that since they will almost always be coupled to cars having the more normal NMRA standards wheels that the cars with semi-scale wheels will be pulled through any problem areas and work just fine, whereas an entire layout of semi scale wheeled cars might have more problems. Yet a good buddy has nearly a 50/50 mix of semi scale and NMRA wheels on this layouts and even in his Atlas turnout-equipped staging yard (the rest of the layout is handlaid) he reports few if any problems.
Remember, wheels narrower than NMRA standards have been present ever since the days of brass locomotives, and as Linn Westcott once said in an editorial about wheels, in theory this should be causing all sorts of problems -- but is anyone actually having those problems?
Dave Nelson
Agreed,
A derailment is one level of "problem", cars rocking as they go through turnouts is another level of "problem" ............
wjstix I'm changing wheelsets but not trucks. I want to eventually have all my cars equipped with semi-scale wheels. First priority is changing the older cars that came with plastic wheels, then I'll replace the wider-wheel metal wheelsets. Only cars I've had to change trucks on are the Walthers "Minnesota" ore cars. I replaced them with Proto trucks (starting back when Proto was still Life-Like) as they're much freer rolling than the Walthers trucks that come with the ore cars.
I'm changing wheelsets but not trucks. I want to eventually have all my cars equipped with semi-scale wheels. First priority is changing the older cars that came with plastic wheels, then I'll replace the wider-wheel metal wheelsets. Only cars I've had to change trucks on are the Walthers "Minnesota" ore cars. I replaced them with Proto trucks (starting back when Proto was still Life-Like) as they're much freer rolling than the Walthers trucks that come with the ore cars.
Personally I will not use semi scale wheels.
First, they are simply not smooth rolling through most manufactured turnouts or other NMRA standard turnouts/crossings.
Second they leave a big unprotypical gap between the side frame and the wheel. Without narrowing the trucks, you are just trading one out of scale appearance for another.
While oversized, the existing wheel side frame relationship of trucks with 110 wheels is more in proportion.
I don't use semi scale couplers either, they don't have enough side to side gathering range for NMRA track/truck side play and they require extra force when coupling to regular Kadee couplers.
Just my view,
dinwittyLong trains really need free rolling wheels unless you have a Bowser big boy.
Or two Hobbytown RS-3s. Of course three Atlas RS-3 or GP7s can pull a long train..
My Athearn trucks with plastic wheels was smooth rollers until the gook started to build up.Metal wheels stopped that problem.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
dinwitty8-D Clean dirt out of the axles with alcohol,
.
I am not familiar with this term. What is an 8-D cleanout?
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Seems a simple matter to replace a truck. It often is with standard gauge cars.In narrowgauge, where you often have to pick your own truck with at best a suggestion from the kit mfg, it can be a project in itself. The truck, the way it mounts and the relationship between it and coupler mounting height all hvae to be taken account of.
If you do change a truck from what the mfg provides, take into account these physical specs for best rersults when substituting.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
I have vintage rolling stock and the trucks have zinc 'rot.' The trucks roll like something from the Flinstones before the truck sides and wheels fall off.
I bought the Kato Barber S-2 that are based on the American Steel Foundries A-3 freight car truck. The wheel bearing cap spins with the wheel.
You have to be eight years or older to buy these!
PS talgo-style couplers are outlawed at the club, as we run long trains and they can derail when the slack comes in -- the couplers shove the wheels right off the tracks.
At our club (www.pmrrc.org) we require metal wheels and body-mounted couplers, but there's no requirement to change the trucks. New axles on old plastic trucks generally work just fine. We require our cars to be at NMRA weight and roll down a 2% incline unassisted. Occaisionally the plastic trucks will require a go-round with an axle reamer, but most "stock" trucks work fine for years on end -- and keep in mind we have a 28-scale-mile mainline, so our cars see a lot of wear and tear. The combination of simple plastic sideframes and good-quality metal axles and wheels seems to work just fine.
The only trucks with couplers I have are for use with the Timesaver, so they couple better on tight S curves. Otherwise, I never buy such cars in the first place.
Dave
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
I just change out wheels sets from plastic to metal or if the cars come equipped with metal wheels they stay.
On my HO rolling stock I usually only replace the trucks if theyare in bad shape or incorrect for the car.I do install metal wheel sets and check to see of they are free wheeling.If they are not I get out the truck reamer and clean them up.I also body mount KaDees on all of my rolling stock.
Funny thing is I have several LifLike cars that are so free wheeling that I have to hold on to orthey will do is free wheel till the find something to stop them from rolling.
grinnellMy rolling stock needs to be "free-rolling"
The most free rolling trucks I have ever found are the Kato number 31-602 Barber S-2 trucks. These things roll like a ball bearing on glass. The problems with Kato trucks is that they only offer a couple of different truck styles and they are not sprung. Switching to all sprung trucks brought freight derailments to zero. That is why there are no Kato trucks in my fleet.
There was a time when Central Valley trucks were considered top of the line. The old Athearn metal sprung trucks were pretty good in that era, too. Introduction of the RP25 wheel contour was also a great step forward. The Lindberg Delrin truck came along and really set a new standard for rolling quality. Since then, lots of others have come along, notably Kadee, which became the new standard starting around the 1960's or 70's.
Truck-mounted couplers are a no-go except in a very few, very limited applications.
Nowadays excellent truck/wheelset combinations can be had from a number of sources, and I use just about all of them. My preference is to use the most accurate truck I can find for a particular car, but that's not always possible. Unfortunately, there are still a few types that just can't be found. My roster is big enough that I can't afford to re-equip everything, but I prefer metal wheelsets. Sprung trucks were in vogue for a long time, but good rigid trucks with better looking springs are now coming to be preferred because they look better and perform just as well. While springs are not required, I agree with Sheldon that some form of equalization is a plus.
I have cars that give fine performance with trucks from Accurail, Athearn, Bowser, Central Valley (yes, still), Intermountain, Kadee, Lindberg, Red Caboose, Tahoe, Tichy, and a raft of others including brass. For improved performance, I have had to change out trucks on some of the older brass models. In some cases, this has meant replacing a truck that was a thing of real beauty, but a functional disaster.
Tom
I don't replace trucks, wheels or couplers unless there is a problem interfering with operation.
Most of my fleet of about 1000 freight cars ride on Kadee sprung metal trucks that have been refitted with Intermountain code 110 wheel sets. Because this is a metal axle in a metal sideframe, I do use a very small drop of oil when the wheelsets are installed - it has never caused a problem.
Reason, free rolling and better tracking. Metal trucks provide a small amount of additional weight down low where it counts. This allows pulling long trains with cars somewhat lighter than NMRA Recommended Practice.
By long trains I mean 50 cars and longer.
Do I replace every set of trucks? - no, some original trucks are deemed acceptable.
Are all the trucks I use Kadee? - no, I also have Lindberg, Varney and others.
Only a few cars retain their original rigid frame trucks, my experiance shows equalized trucks do track better.
My rolling stock needs to be "free-rolling" because I need to be able to pull trains up a 1.5% grade out of hidden staging yards with a single steam locomotive. (The visible 2.2 percent grades are a helper district.) After alot of testing I standardized on Accurail trucks (aided by the Micro-Mark truck tuner tool) and Intermountain wheel sets for almost all my freight cars. I try to have all cars be able to break friction and roll by themselves down a 0.5 percent grade. The Proto 2000 wheels and trucks are free-rolling enough that they don't get replaced, but they are more expensive and don't get used as replacement trucks and wheels. I've found that my most economical solution was to buy the Accurail trucks in 50-pair lots and the Intermountain wheel sets in boxes of 100.
Grinnell