Decided to work on an “easy” model today and I’ve run into a quandary. The trucks tool by rapido look like the ones that are under the Northern Pacific cars in the instructions but the spring plank is very subtle. The photo shows a rapido side frame next to an accurail side frame for comparison.

The nubs of the plank on the Rapido car are recessed next to the springs and do not extend out. The spring plank under the springs is nearly invisible at normal viewing angles.

The Rapido cars also have an atypical bolster that will require surgery to fit different trucks. (Pet peeve can manufacturer’s use a universal design. Several manufacturer’s use different types making truck swapping more difficult than it should be. This is not just a Rapido comment.)

So my question to the NP experts out there did these cars keep the same trucks all their life?

What have others done?

Brian J. Carlson

I'm not an NP expert but I believe these cars kept the Rapido trucks their whole life. I bought some Tahoe trucks thinking the detail would be better but I found the Rapido trucks much closer to the prototype.

You can just file down that protruding portion on the Rapido frame and use any truck type you want really.

The bigger challenge for me was filing down the bolster height so the Rapido trucks sit at the right height on this car.

Colin Meikle

I agree the shape of the Rapido truck is nice. The issue is the spring plank is prominent in photos and absent or subtle on the model.  

As Northern Pacific is a favorite road and I have two Sunshine kits for the 10000-13999 boxcars, I wanted to add a similar truck to the Tahoe Model Works line.  The closest I could find was under an Illinois Central car at the Illinois Railway museum (always a Sunday stop after the Naperville meet).  That became TMW-114/214.  The bolster end isn't right for the NP cars, but perfect for my Sunshine IC boxcar kit.  All-in-all, the best I could do.

On a later vacation passing through Hill City, SD, found an NP boxcar and quickly trespassed to get a photo of the truck.

Photos attached.

Brian Leppert
Tahoe Model Works
Carson City, NV
please visit resincarworks.com/tahoe.htm

Tahoe, Barber Lateral motion trucks, are what I used in my 10000 Sunshine kits.

Aaron Gjermundson

Yes, with exceedingly rare exceptions these cars kept the original trucks well into the 1960s and 1970s, by which time most were renumbered and operating in company service.

I agonized a while over the truck details as well, but after a trial and inspection decided to go with the stock Rapido trucks, and have been happy with that choice. 

I’ve been adding a few small details to the model as well, including the bracket or stirrup under the bottom of the vertical brake shaft at the B end sill, the retainer valve under the side sill at the door opening (opposite the triple valve), and for cars so modified starting in the late 1950s, elongate  rectangular corner straps to replace the triangular corner straps on the car sides. 

For those wanting to change car numbers or reweigh data, or do other lettering modifications on the Rapido boxcars, the NPRHA Company Store offers an excellent decal set for that purpose. 

Chris Frissell
Polson, MT 

Thanks for the hint!
Bought an undec version two years ago, was looking for decals!
Fred Jansz

PS: Ted Culotta has an interesting blog about this car: http://prototopics.blogspot.com/search/label/Northern%20Pacific

Here is another photo of the trucks, this from the prototype (along with others) used by Rapido. 

Dean ONeill
Redmond WA