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  2. HO Scale Freight Car Truck Document Update

Re: HO Scale Freight Car Truck Document Update

Richard Townsend
 

The closest you will find for the GN express box cars is Central Valley T-57.  At least that is the closest I have found, and what I use.  They show up from time to time on eBay and at swap meets.
Richard Townsend
Lincoln City, Oregon

-----Original Message-----
From: martincooper
To: STMFC
Cc: STMFC
Sent: Sun, Nov 24, 2013 1:32 pm
Subject: Re: [STMFC] HO Scale Freight Car Truck Document Update
 


Hi:thanks for your response. Since I model GN in 1947 a RB truck for the express box cars is of interest. Marty Cooper
 














 



    

      
      
      
On Nov 24, 2013, at 10:12 AM, Tim O'Connor <timboconnor@...> wrote:


Marty, there's very little choice in RB trucks for 1960 and earlier.

Athearn and MDC in the 1960's produced 50 ton RB truck models with Hyatt
(convex caps) roller bearings and National C-1 style sideframes. They are
very crude to say the least.

Athearn made a 70 ton Timken RB truck with, I think, Barber sideframes,
and this was their standard "roller bearing" truck for 40 years more or
less. I think Atlas also makes a Timken RB Barber 70 ton truck.

Kadee and Kato make Timken RB ASF A-3 70 ton trucks The Kato has rotating
RB caps which suck, IMO. (They perform poorly and the caps fall off.)

That's about it, except for some express trucks and 3-axle trucks out there.

No one to my knowledge has made an HO scale Timken 50 ton RB truck with Barber
or ASF sideframes. Photos of such trucks can be found in the 1961 CBC and drawings
for ASF A-3, Barber Stabilized S-2-A-0, National C-1 and Chrysler FR-5E sideframes
for roller bearings can be found on pages 980-981 of the 1953 CBC.

Richard's lack of interest is understandable. Very few freight cars before 1950
were ordered with roller bearings, and they were mostly in restricted service.
Thank you, Tim, both for explaining why there are no RB trucks in my truck document and for listing the very few HO scale RB trucks that represent prototypes in use before 1960.  In the truck clinic that I have presented at several prototype modelers’ meetings (and will present again at Prototype Rails in Cocoa Beacvh FL in January) I do mention and show illustrations of a number of early roller bearing trucks, including the ‘20s RB arch bars, but they’re not in my survey of HO scale trucks because at present there really are no set-of-the-art early RB trucks in HO scale.

Richard Hendrickson







    
    

    
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