I don't have any of the new generation of Kadee two-piece trucks as yet. Are they impregnated with metal and do they the brake rigging?

Bill Welch

On May 8, 2012, at 6:15 PM, lnbill wrote:

I don't have any of the new generation of Kadee two-piece trucks as
yet. Are they impregnated with metal and do they the brake rigging?

Bill, the truck frames are a composite plastic and metal material
which is fairly heavy, and they are equalized but have done away with
the unprototypical-looking see-through "working" springs. And yes,
they do have brake rigging. They also have a bolster and bushing
arrangement so that, when the car is picked up, the trucks self-align
to the track, making them easier to re-rail. All in all, the kind of
engineering excellence we have come to expect from Kadee, and they
are gradually replacing the older trucks with them.

Richard Hendrickson

At 01:15 AM 5/9/2012 +0000, you wrote:

I don't have any of the new generation of Kadee two-piece trucks as yet. Are they impregnated with metal and do they the brake rigging?

I have installed them on a few cars, they look great but take some getting used to. The self-centering mounting system is sort of a built-in suspension. It doesn't play nice with other mechanisms like the Reichart pivot washers I like to use - it wants you to snug up the included screw tight against the bolster, so it wants a flat bolster surface. You may need to shorten the screw that comes with the trucks as well.

Then again, I never really had any complaints about their classic line of sprung trucks either. The new ones look better and run as well or better IF you go with their setup, but they aren't necessarily a drop-on replacement for previous setups.

Andy

Andy, I agree with your observations and I now feel better. I installed
them on a Westerfield kit and had an interesting time installing them
and getting them to 'behave'. They did look nice and they track and roll
well but they are definatly not drop ins for the old style trucks. I
thought I was all thumbs for a while.
Fenton Wells
On Wed, May 9, 2012 at 12:07 PM, Andy Harman <gsgondola@...> wrote:

**


At 01:15 AM 5/9/2012 +0000, you wrote:

I don't have any of the new generation of Kadee two-piece trucks as yet.
Are they impregnated with metal and do they the brake rigging?

I have installed them on a few cars, they look great but take some getting
used to. The self-centering mounting system is sort of a built-in
suspension. It doesn't play nice with other mechanisms like the Reichart
pivot washers I like to use - it wants you to snug up the included screw
tight against the bolster, so it wants a flat bolster surface. You may
need to shorten the screw that comes with the trucks as well.

Then again, I never really had any complaints about their classic line of
sprung trucks either. The new ones look better and run as well or better
IF you go with their setup, but they aren't necessarily a drop-on
replacement for previous setups.

Andy

--
Fenton Wells
3047 Creek Run
Sanford NC 27332
919-499-5545
srrfan1401@...


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At 07:15 PM 5/8/2012 -0700, you wrote:

to the track, making them easier to re-rail. All in all, the kind of
engineering excellence we have come to expect from Kadee, and they
are gradually replacing the older trucks with them.

Has anyone installed code 88 wheels in these yet? I was looking at the Reboxx web site and they recommended a 1.115" axle length for the older Kadee trucks. I tried them in a pair of the new A3s and there is too much play - although the Kadee axle measures at about 1.115" tip to tip, the smaller diameter and point on the Reboxx axle just rattles around in the Kadee journal. I'm thinking they're going to need 1.125 or 1.130. My current policy on code 88 wheels is that I will try to always use them on any open-ended car... hopper, tank car, etc where the wheel profile is visible, and I'll use them on a box car or gondola if the kit comes with them in the correct trucks but otherwise I'll use code 110.

Andy

On May 9, 2012, at 9:17 AM, Andy Harman wrote:

Has anyone installed code 88 wheels in these yet?

Kadee's own code 88 wheels work just fine, and the trucks are
available with them (or soon will be)

Richard Hendrickson

On May 9, 2012, at 12:48 PM, STMFC@... wrote:

6c. Re: Kadee's new generation of trucks
Posted by: "Andy Harman" gsgondola@...
Date: Wed May 9, 2012 9:17 am ((PDT))

At 07:15 PM 5/8/2012 -0700, you wrote:

to the track, making them easier to re-rail. All in all, the kind of
engineering excellence we have come to expect from Kadee, and they
are gradually replacing the older trucks with them.

Has anyone installed code 88 wheels in these yet? I was looking at the
Reboxx web site and they recommended a 1.115" axle length for the older
Kadee trucks. I tried them in a pair of the new A3s and there is too much
play - although the Kadee axle measures at about 1.115" tip to tip, the
smaller diameter and point on the Reboxx axle just rattles around in the
Kadee journal. I'm thinking they're going to need 1.125 or 1.130. My
current policy on code 88 wheels is that I will try to always use them on
any open-ended car... hopper, tank car, etc where the wheel profile is
visible, and I'll use them on a box car or gondola if the kit comes with
them in the correct trucks but otherwise I'll use code 110.

Why not use the ones designed to fit - the Kadee Code 88 wheels?

http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page530.htm
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page533.htm

With the HGC sideframes the Kadee trucks roll as well as anything on the market....very smooth runners.

I'll also second the comment on Peter Aue's drill template for the Kadee bracket grabs...

CZ
NC

At 10:09 AM 5/9/2012 -0700, you wrote:

Kadee's own code 88 wheels work just fine, and the trucks are
available with them (or soon will be)

Must have missed that. I was looking around the web site but didn't look under wheel sets.

Rip Van Harman

Andy,

Check out the latest SCL Modeler on the ACL & SAL Historical Scoeity web site. I did an article on the SAL B-8/B-9 cars and used the Kadee trucks with Reboxx semi-scale wheelsets and the combination works great and looks great. I also interviewed Sam Clarke for the article and discussed the HGC (Heavy Grade Compound) material in depth.

John Golden
O'Fallon, IL

I've installed Reboxx wheelsets in the Kadee HGC trucks with good results, but I don't remember offhand which axle length they were. I like the trucks very much, but prefer the appearance of the plated brass wheels – shiny treads!

So long,,

Andy





















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Did you try to polish the Kadee wheel's treads with a wire brush on a rotary tool , I got very good results . becarefull with too much pressure or you will melt the axle points as I did on my first try.

As I do that on all Kadee wheels , I made a jig and remove the wheels from the axles to do the polishing and place back.

Marcelo Lordeiro


From: Andy Sperandeo
Sent: Wednesday, May 09, 2012 7:03 PM
To: STMFC@...
Subject: Re: [STMFC] Kadee's new generation of trucks



I've installed Reboxx wheelsets in the Kadee HGC trucks with good results, but I don't remember offhand which axle length they were. I like the trucks very much, but prefer the appearance of the plated brass wheels – shiny treads!

So long,,

Andy

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]





[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Marcelo,
I've polished hundreds of Kadee wheel treads, but I've retired from that now.
So long,
Andy

John Golden wrote:

. . . I also interviewed Sam Clarke for the article and discussed the HGC (Heavy Grade Compound) material in depth.

Actually they call it "Heavy Gravity Compound." I talked to Sam about it a few days ago.

Tony Thompson Editor, Signature Press, Berkeley, CA
2906 Forest Ave., Berkeley, CA 94705 www.signaturepress.com
(510) 540-6538; fax, (510) 540-1937; e-mail, thompson@...
Publishers of books on railroad history

On 5/9/2012 6:45 PM, Anthony Thompson wrote:

Actually they call it "Heavy Gravity Compound."

Looked this stuff up and it's a very interesting material. They
are using it for bullets! It could be used with normal injected models,
say the underframe and the cars would not need weight. I see a use in
flat cars. But, it's expensive.

--
Jon Miller
For me time stopped in 1941
Digitrax--Chief/Zephyr systems, JMRI User
NMRA Life member #2623
Member SFRH&MS

On May 9, 2012, at 11:59 AM, Andy Harman wrote:

At 10:09 AM 5/9/2012 -0700, you wrote:

Kadee's own code 88 wheels work just fine, and the trucks are
available with them (or soon will be)

Must have missed that. I was looking around the web site but didn't look
under wheel sets.

Rip Van Harman

I *hate* it when *my* beard gets all over the keyboard.
ObContent: I can second the recommendation for the Kadee wheelsets.
--
"Not only is it not right, it's not even wrong!"
Wolfgang Pauli, perpetrator of the Pauli Exclusion Principle