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[BRHSlist] Truck Rollability, Was: Question for RR freight modelers...

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Subject: [BRHSlist] Truck Rollability, Was: Question for RR freight modelers...
From: Denny Anspach <danspach@macnexus.org>
Date: Sat, 8 Nov 2003 23:28:11 -0800
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The good Rev. Harding makes a very good case for truck improvements 
by replacing wheel sets. He is on a good straight and narrow path. 
Although initially taking his same exact footsteps over the last 
several years, I have in the interim changed directions slightly, 
however. I now custom fit each and every new car, or any car that 
arrives on the rip track with new Reboxx .088" wheels. The 
improvement in rollability has been an absolute revolution; and the 
results a revelation.

To measure improvement, I use a "roll tester" purchased from Reboxx, 
a 2' stretch of track that describes a  "dip" about 4" high on the 
ends and 1" in the middle, the track actually following the segment 
of a circle. One takes a truck and allows it free to roll, and you 
count how many times it rolls back and forth, counting every single 
movement, no matter how miniscule. You do this three times to five to 
average out errors. Then you remove the old wheel sets and measure 
the axle length. On most trucks, I also then take the "Tool", 
actually a cutting bit, and "clean out" the journal holes.

Then you trial fit in the new Reboxx wheelsets, using the measured 
length of the original axle as a starter. Reboxx wheels come in axle 
lengths of .005" segments from 0.950 to 1.055". I keep a full supply 
from about 1.00 to 1.050, concentrating on 1.015 to 1.040. As a try 
these out, I measure them on the roll tester, keeping a note book of 
results. Because NONE of these trucks, plastic, cast metal- old or 
new-, or (and especially) brass are precision instruments in any 
fashion, it is not at all unusual that a given truck will roll best 
with axles of differing lengths.

Inasmuch as I model only steam/transition era, all my tests have been 
on older prototypes.

Notes:

1) Kadee metal "Bettendorf" improve on the average 75-95% by 
replacing the kadee 1.015" wheels with Reboxx 1.020" wheels (10 rolls 
vs. 17-19).

2) Athearn metal sprung trucks will improve "most" of the time, but 
not significantly (3-4 rolls with Jay Bee 1.015 wheels vs. 7-8 with 
Reboxx 1.045"). Except for "historical" purposes, I now retire all of 
these trucks.

3) Silver Streak metal trucks: Original metal wheels 5, Reboxx 1.045" 12.

4) Lindberg plastic sprung (famous for "free rolling"): original 
plastic wheels 3, Reboxx 1.015 23!

5) Kadee Bettendorf T: 15 original, 20 1.020 Reboxx.

5) Central Valley metal sprung: 4 original, 14 1.020.

6) Trans Canada plastic AAR: original 5, Reboxx 1.020 19.

7) Similar spectacular improvements have occurred with a variety of 
passenger trucks, most of them Central Valley, but also with the most 
current Walthers.

IN any given truck, the above results may be only a guide, because 
there can be such individual variability.

Placing tiny drops of oil in the journals has been a "no-no" since 
Linn Westcott so decreed a generation ago. Well, although I think 
that he was correct, and remains so in most instances in this regard, 
I have on occasion had even more spectacular improvement at times 
when oil is present.

I have now converted over 100 cars, and have been marketing to others 
boxes of removed metal Kadee and Jay Bee wheel sets. The sheer 
palpable improvement in rollability translates directly into the 
increased ease with which any given locomotive can handle heavier or 
long trains over your rolling and curving profiles.

Keep in mind that these wheels will help only in those trucks with 
tapered journals. In trucks with straight journals, i.e. a lot of 
brass, the only salvation currently are the ball bearinged wheels 
from Intermountain and/or PSC. I am experimenting with experimental 
coned bearing inserts in several of these trucks so that the standard 
Reboxx wheels might be fitted. No results to report as yet, however.

Denny

If you are doubtful about the .088" wheel tread width, be reassured. 
They will track repeatedly and faithfully through the most 
complicated "dog's breakfast" variety of NMRA-standard trackwork 
without a single hitch, and they have been doing so now for some 
time.  And best of all, they simply look great (they make the common 
.110" wheels that we have used for 75 years look "positively 
porcine"- quoting Tony Thompson).






-- 
Denny S. Anspach, MD
Sacramento, CA

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