General Discussion (Model Railroader)

 This evening, I began testing a hodgepodge of rolling stock for free wheeling in partial preparation for a grade test I expect to conduct the week after Thanksgiving.  The goal is to see what grades make sense with some small steam and diesel power I've accumulated in anticipation of my newly found space.

 As a compromise between the truly free wheeling stuff that rolls down a 0.5% grade unassisted and the 2% John Armstrong describes as average in his books, I settled on a 1.1% grade as measured with a digital level.  Cars from Roundhouse, Branchline, some Athearn and even Bachmann had no trouble at all rolling down the test grade from a standing position.,

 To my surprise, none of the Walthers cars I have, freight or passenger, moved at all.  I moved the test grade all the way up to 2.7%, which moved some but not all of the Walthers offerings, and then gave up.

 I assume I'm not the first to encounter this because it was such a consistent result.  My question is simple -- in the experience of this board, does a simple wheel replacement get these things moving or does it take replacement of the entire truck.

I assume you are in HO.  First off, you will need to purchase a truck tuning tool from Reboxx or Micromark.  This tool will clean out any burrs in the truck journals.  This will help the Walthers cars especially.

Second, on the Walthers passenger cars you will need to apply a drop of oil to each truck journal.  I use Labelle 107.  Remember a drop will go a long ways.  I have done this with great success. 

Also make sure that your cars at the correct weight.  This can make a difference.

Hope this helps.

I'm with Wholeman, especially on the Walthers passenger car trucks.  They're metal to metal for interior lighting contact in the cars, and even Walthers recommends oil on the truck to journal contacts.  Either a shot of Labelle 107 light oil or even a small shot of powdered graphite will improve the rolling quality of the passenger trucks.  But as Wholeman says, be VERY stingy.  A bit of lubricant will go a long way, but too much will simply give you a mess.   I found that out on a few cars, but after experimentation, I've got a heavyweight fleet that rolls pretty darned well, now. 

Oddly enough, Central Valley used to make passenger car trucks that were metal to metal, and they were the most free-wheeling trucks I've ever seen.  However, they were sprung, which the Walthers are not.  It would be nice if Walthers used sprung trucks under their heavyweight passenger cars, I'd certainly be willing to pay a few extra dollars to have a presumably RTR car that rolled as well as it looks without all the extra hassle.

Oh, well--

Tom

I'm surprised!

I recently acquired some Life-Like cars (2-bay hoppers and cabins) from Walthers.  In a track test they rolled about as easily as my needle-bearing axle in metal pedestal models - on some track that was originally intended to be flat!  On a 2% downgrade they took off like something in a hurry to get out of town.

Maybe mine are just an aberration.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - with kitbashed hoppers of no known parentage)

I'm really surprised at that.  I have 6 or 7 Walthers freight cars (no passenger models), and they roll so well that if you bump them and the couplers don't mate, they stop rolling 5' down the track.

rclarkdc:

I was surprised too!! I've ordered a truck turning tool, and I tried lubricating the trucks on one passenger car and a 50' reefer using a WS lite oil that claims compatibility with plastic. I also loosened the trucks on both cars a bit, and now I've got a standing start downhill at about 1.6% which will do for present purposes. This leads to another question from a novice. Is there any reason not to put a tiny, tiny dollop of lite oil on the truck bearings as a matter of routine? Thanks all.

I don't see any reason for it be routine.  The only cars that I have oiled the journals were my Walthers Superliners and a Walthers Amtrak baggage car.  You might want to make sure that none of your wheels are out of gauge.  Some wheels will rub on the back side of the truck sideframes if they are too far out.  I have some Athearn cars that will do this, but it has been rare.  I replaced those with Reboxx wheels.