A few posts have appeared in the past few days asking about replacement trucks and wheels. Would any of you care to offer a few minutes of your time, your expertise, and experience, and provide a simple (ha ha) list of typical replacement trucks, who makes 'em, and the same for wheel sets? I know, for example, that IHC has a good reputation with their metal passenger car trucks...or, so I seem to have understood. Walther's passenger cars, their heavies for sure, have metal six-wheel trucks. Model Power's smaller old-time clerestory passenger cars have plastic trucks....can those be improved by going metal, and if so, whose?
There must be some favouritable (huh!?) links for such suppliers. I see mention of Kadee, Intermountain, Proto 2000, and other wheelsets.
And, how the heck do you get into them Walther's three-axle trucks, anyway? And what about the typical metal trailing truck on your average steamer....how do you replace a wheel set on those? I have removed the screws to free the trucks from the frame, turned them over, squinted at them, turned them sideways, and I still don't know how I would replace one or both axles, depending on the truck.
Can anyone shed some light on this for those of us who remain puzzled?
-Crandell
Crandell
You ask a lot, for all rolling stock is different.
The first thing to look at is the size of the wheels one needs to find. What truck would be the best match for what era and tonnage rating. You wouldn't want arch bar trucks under your Bethgon coalporter. Generally there are 3 common sizes and 2 different types of freight car wheels. 28, 33, and 36 inch. There is smooth back and rib back wheels. Smooth back wheels are the post WW1 type after the rib backs were phased out. Passenger cars commonly have 36 inch wheels,but there are exceptions to these rules.
Steamer replacement wheels are hard to source. There is a couple places like Greenway and Bowser that can help to a point. Some of the enclosed brass trucks will have to be unsolder-ed and re soldered back together. An alternative is to cut either the front beam or rear beam and fish-plate back together.
http://www.greenwayproducts.com/index.shtml
http://www.bowser-trains.com/index.htm
As for your Walthers cars I can not help you on this subject.
Pete
I pray every day I break even, Cause I can really use the money!
I started with nothing and still have most of it left!
I use Intermountain wheels almost exclusively. Out of nearly 1000 sets, I got exactly 1 bum wheel set. I normally don't replace the trucks.
Intermountain:http://irailway.qwestoffice.net/
Kadee:http://www.kadee.com/index.shtml
Reboxx:http://www.reboxx.com/
North West Short Line:http://www.nwsl.com/
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
selectorhow the heck do you get into them Walther's three-axle trucks, anyway?
The Walthers 3-axle trucks on their heavyweight passenger cars are all metal with 36" P2K wheels that are metal wheels and plastic axles. As long as the wheels are in gage, there probably is no need to remove them.
Remove the trucks from the car, and (at least on mine, there could be design changes since I bought it) you will see that it is held together by 4 screws on the top. One screw provides power pickup for the light. There are plastic insulators between the top truck part and the sideframes as well as a metal part that picks up power from the axle point. Sometines these squeek, try a conductive lubricant like Kadee Greasum
George In Midcoast Maine, 'bout halfway up the Rockland branch
Thanks for all your answers, gentlemen. Clearly, I have a lot to learn. Probably stems from having new equipment, new rolling stock, not many hours on any of it, and tons of good luck. I know not to count on any of it for long.
I bought only the Proto 33" Metal wheels for HO Scale in packs of 12. enough for 3 freight cars. I had a reamer that will bore the plastic freight truck to gauge. I have had good luck with them on the Athearn cars most of which was kit built.
In O Gauge two rail, I use MTH or other conversion trucks as long they have a wheel that is suitable for two rail and a close to scale flange. NWSL has some very special wheelsets that I am considering.
Intermountain by the box for HO scale was pretty good. Just need to know what wheels you are replacing for what rolling stock. 28? 33? 36 inch and so on.
A long time ago either Central Valley Metal Trucks and wheels I think if memory serves were the very best at the time. But when I considered a Athearn Blue box kit at 1.30 and a set of Trucks with wheels at 2.50 then kadees at .75 or whatever... it was getting pricey for the time.
One more thing. Don't settle for truck mounted couplers. You will find yourself derailing. Those coupler boxes went onto the bodies themselves for a reason.