What are sprung trucks?

[skippygp123]

Can someone please explain to me exactly what sprung trucks are?  Thanks

[ARTHILL]

Trucks are the wheel sets that carry a car of any sort. A sprung truck has springs, like a car. Almost all prototype railroads used sprung trucks. All HO trucks simulate springs, and some have real springs.

For me, sprung trucks mean HO truck sets with real springs. They do hold the track a little better.

[loathar]

Junk.

[NeO6874]

I think thats a bit of a harsh judgement...

 

I have 3 or 4 pairs of the Kadee trucks, and other than the annoying "auto-centering" pin thing (which took forever to get just right) I think they're very well made. I'm probably never going to replace all of my rolling stock trucks with them (too expensive...), but they make the cars they're on look all the better.  If I keep up with buying the KD trucks, they're only going to go onto the higher-end kits I have... just to give them that extra "something".

 

Arthill hit the nail on the head with his description - the plastic trucks are 1 piece molded assemblies, and the sprung trucks are 3 piece assemblies (excluding the springs) that will twist/move over the track's bad spots, although I don't know how much they actually will move.  The trucks I have move maybe 1/64" (if that) when I place the car on the track.

[selector]

Junk.

Judging only by one logging skeleton car that had them, .  That thing wouldn't stay on the rails.  Looked great, hands down, but I removed them.  In the end, they have to actually work.

If someone could tell me what the problem may have been, I would like to know.  One modeler said they were twisted, and wouldn't straigthen.

[orsonroy]

Junk.

Judging only by one logging skeleton car that had them, .  That thing wouldn't stay on the rails.  Looked great, hands down, but I removed them.  In the end, they have to actually work.

If someone could tell me what the problem may have been, I would like to know.  One modeler said they were twisted, and wouldn't straigthen.

Mostly, the problem is that HO scale cars don't weigh enough to truly take advantage of the equalization properties of sprung trucks. In the larger scales (S and up), cars weigh more, so actually compress the springs to an extent, which in turn makes the equalization worthwhile.

In addition, sprung trucks look worse than solid, one piece trucks. The HO scale springs are MUCH too airy to look realistic. Look at a real truck: you can't see daylight between the coils.

I've had nothing but problems with sprung and/or equalized trucks, and replace them at the first opportunity with one piece trucks. So long as the bolster screws are tightened properly (three point suspension), they work MUCH better than sprung ones.

[loathar]

My only experience is with the HO scale and I stand by my junk post. I didn't even think they looked good. The detail on the castings was very bad. (plastic looked sharper) The wire the springs are made from is too fine and makes them look very un prototypical. The springs are next to impossible to install. If you get them installed, the springs lean at funny angles. They don't work right unless you put 4 times the weight in the car. They don't self level worth a darn giving your cars a "lean". This also causes a lot more derailments. If you do any weathering on them, it gets in the mechanism and makes them stick. The ones I bought didn't roll worth a darn. The metal they're made from oxidizes really bad. Maybe they work better in the larger scales but not in HO.

I think Kadee makes some fine products, but stay away from these things.                  (sorry. I was trying to avoid typing all that out by simply stating what they are in one word...junk)

[inch53]

I've got several old cars with sprung trucks and have no problem with them, kind like the way they look too

[gilligan]

I've got several old cars with sprung trucks and have no problem with them, kind like the way they look too

I have one car with the kd sprung trucks on an Athearn blue box gondola kit with no weight added.  It has worked flawlessly.

[el-capitan]

I'm in oscale and the sprung trucks I use improve smooth running drastically. If I had the money I would change all of my cars to sprung trucks. And while I am on the subject, I will never buy a steam engine that does not have sprung drivers.

[rrebell]

Sprung trucks like everything else come in different qualitys, I don't like the plastic ones and give those away, love the kadee but only have the archbar, some love central valley, and then there are kilgor (I mispelled this name i'm sure) which really have the equalization even with low weight cars, then silver streak with real leaf springs, american beauty (passenger trucks for more modern cars) ect. So if you are throwing away metal sprung trucks you can throw them my way!!!!

[tomikawaTT]

Once upon a time I had some Varney sprung trucks under some HO cars - which ended up in storage while I went off to play war in far-distant places.

When I came back I had some loose wheel sets, a nice collection of springs too heavy for Kadee couplers and a spoonful or so of zamac dust. 

I also once had a four wheeled car with working (?) leaf springs, made of some kind of flexible plastic.  After a while, they stopped being flexible.  A little later, one shattered like glass - and created a very prototypical derailment scene! 

Since then I've been content with trucks that equalize by pivoting around a screw (head inside bolster, threads into the solid sideframe - standard Japanese practice,) or don't equalize at all.  Thanks to careful trackwork, that satisfies my simple needs. 

So, IMHO, trucks sprung with real coil springs are a violation of the KISS principle.

Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with unsprung wheels)

[selector]

Loathar, I found the same thing as you; I had to place my hand over the car and press down hard to compress all spings before it would stay on the track.  But unrealistic springs or not, I still think it was a nice looking set of trucks. 

[snagletooth]

Junk.

Judging only by one logging skeleton car that had them, .  That thing wouldn't stay on the rails.  Looked great, hands down, but I removed them.  In the end, they have to actually work.

If someone could tell me what the problem may have been, I would like to know.  One modeler said they were twisted, and wouldn't straigthen.

I belonge dto a club that had them on some
 older cars. they work fine new (basically Kadee coupler springs) but they did get old. just like the prototype. you've got to replace them often.

[Pruitt]

Like most model railroading items, if you don't know how to properly install the product or buy poor quality versions of the product, you'll have problems. Every freight car I have gets Kadee sprung trucks before it hits the layout. Although they don't provide much equalization (because of the light weight of the cars, as others have said above), they certainly provide more than a rigid frame truck can, and unless your trackwork is extremely poor, they will help the car stay on the track over minor bumps and dips in the rail. Also, the metal sprung trucks lower the center of gravity of the car significantly, reducing stringlining and making the car in general more stable on the rails. That helps significantly with our way-too-sharp curves.

I have a few cars with Old Pullman trucks, and those things roll about as easily as a flat tire (they're slated for replacement). But the Kadees roll as easily as most trucks that come with the rolling stock, and follow the rails extremely well. They add a bit to the cost of the car, but I can't remember the last time I had a derailment that I didn't cause by a mis-throuwn switch or some such. Well worth the cost!

[bogp40]

Central Valley has made some of the best all around sprung trucks, but even these have their share of problems. As already mentioned, the HO rolling stock doesn't weigh enough to take advantage of the springs to equalize the load accross all wheels.

Some trucks will work flawlessly even on a very light piece. You can fiddle and file , stretch springs and only make them worse for the majority of the trucks that just won't work properly.

"Junk" is a bit harsh, however, if I had tried only a couple pairs I would probably think the same. A few older brass piece that I have will not track and even run w/o shorting. Great static displays though.

The main trouble appears to be, that w/o sufficient weight the moving parts don't always return to static level position, poor fit and burrs at the sideframe/ bolster can interfere with the operation. Cars tend to not be that stable. They can sometimes appear cocked and bobble. The unequal pressure on the wheels are just looking for that point to pick or other bad trackwork to derail. Adding extra/ extra weight can usually compensate for this, but usually will cause further or more excessive wobble or bobble.

Hmmm--Maybe "junk" isn't so harsh afterall.....................

[OzarkBelt]

to be honest, i would by what ever is cheapest. =) i have a tiny budget!

[loathar]

Quote-Hmmm--Maybe "junk" isn't so harsh afterall.....................

They do look good when you take them apart, rust them all up and put them on a junk pile next to a car repair facility.

[Pruitt]

Quote-Hmmm--Maybe "junk" isn't so harsh afterall.....................

They do look good when you take them apart, rust them all up and put them on a junk pile next to a car repair facility.

Makes for an expensive junk pile, though...

[loathar]

I went out and gave mine another look today. The only pair I have that I didn't replace is a plastic set. Don't know what brand? But they actually work and look pretty good.