Best detailed Bettendorf trucks ?

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G

Goelsdorfer

New Member
Recently I bought a couple of nice detailed Ertl boxcars at ebay. I want to change the plastic trucks and wheels into well detailed trucks and 0.088" narrow width wheel sets.
What are the best detailed Bettendorf trucks ? What about the Greenway products brass trucks ? What axle length do they need ?
I know the Branchline and Reboxx narrow width wheel sets, are there any other ?
Thanks
Goelsdorfer
 
Kadee is my choice

Just a few thoughts.

I don't know if Kadee HO trucks are the best detailed, but I always liked trucks with real coil springs - instead of molded in plastic. My friends that didn't know much of anything about scale model trains were always fascinated that the springs really worked.

Red Caboose and Intermountain makes some of the nicest detailed cars, but I still replace the trucks with Kadees.

I recently bought a Kadee (#4081) CP Ry. boxcar. It comes with the good Kadee trucks and superb overall detail. So Kadee cars are more cost-effective since I don't have to buy replacement trucks for them. It saves me about $6.00 per car. Somehow Kadee manages to make everything here in the US - I like that.


First photo is my new Kadee car out of the box. Great and fine detail.

Second photo compares plastic sideframe trucks with metal Kadees.

Third photo is a car upgraded with kadee trucks. The truck on the right is the removed plastic frame truck that came on the car.

Fourth car has Kadee "archbar" trucks. The detail on this truck is really nice. These trucks were used about 100 years ago so they are only good for MOW non-interchange service on my 1955 layout.
 
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They really work. If you press down on the car the springs compress a bit. The trucks can also rotate radially, slightly, with respect to the bolster.
 
Charles Smiley said:
Just a few thoughts.

I don't know if Kadee HO trucks are the best detailed, but I always liked trucks with real coil springs - instead of molded in plastic. My friends that didn't know much of anything about scale model trains were always fascinated that the springs really worked.

Red Caboose and Intermountain makes some of the nicest detailed cars, but I still replace the trucks with Kadees.

I recently bought a Kadee (#4081) CP Ry. boxcar. It comes with the good Kadee trucks and superb overall detail. So Kadee cars are more cost-effective since I don't have to buy replacement trucks for them. It saves me about $6.00 per car. Somehow Kadee manages to make everything here in the US - I like that.

First photo is my new Kadee car out of the box. Great and fine detail.

Second photo compares plastic sideframe trucks with metal Kadees.

Third photo is a car upgraded with kadee trucks. The truck on the right is the removed plastic frame truck that came on the car.

Fourth car has Kadee "archbar" trucks. The detail on this truck is really nice. These trucks were used about 100 years ago so they are only good for MOW non-interchange service on my 1955 layout.
Click to expand...

Kadee are not the most detailed, but I think they are the best when it comes to actual running. I like how they have give/flex with the springs preventing your cars from tilting especially long cars on track that may be a tad uneven in height. I wish they made sprung passenger trucks for CN passenger equipment. I replaced all the trucks on my rolling stock with Kadee trucks.
 
Thank you all for your replies and pics. I agree with Charles Smiley, I like trucks with real coils, too. But for me the appearence of the rest of the truck is also important.
Just a few words to the background of my posting: missing the needed space for a normal gauge HO layout I am now planning a HOn3 layout. Nevertheless I love normal gauge trains, too. I like to build and detail HO freight cars well knowing they will never run on a real layout, maybe just a few meters on a display track. So I am primarily interested in perfect detailed trucks, the running capabilities are rather secondary.
In the future I will need some other types of trucks like Arch bar and Andrews. There are so many supplier of trucks (plastic and metal) : Kadee, Walthers, Accurail, Atlas, Tichy, Bethlehem Car Works, Greenway products, Athearn Genesis, Exactrail, Eastern Car Works, Roundhouse, Bitter Creek, Tahoe Model Works, ...
So it´s very hard for me to check the accuracy and details of all that products as I am not an US resident. Maybe there are some guys who know some of the mentioned suppliers and can give a short conclusion or some comparisons on their truck products.
Just for example, Tahoes AC&F Archbar trucks seem to be unequaled in details although without working springs. Unfortunately the Tahoe Bettendorf truck is the caboose version with leaf springs.
Thank you
Goelsdorfer
 
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Goelsdorfer;

According to my LHS owner, Tahoe is supposed to be producing regular Bettendorfs, Barbers, Symington, and Andrews regular freight trucks next. He has been talking Tahoe about a better selection, and supposedly was told that they are the next series to be produced. When this will be I don't know as Dave didn't say.
 
diburning...

I've never had this problem. The springs are too stiff to cause that much vertical movement. I have some cars with way too much weight that still don't compress the springs that much. The springs do seem to help add some compliance in running over switches and track joints. PEerhaps other might comment on this too.


Most of my problems have come from easements into grades not being gentle enough with this type of uncoupling problem. The longer the car(s) the more it happens. I remedied this after lots of testing before ballasting.

Coupler pin height being too low is my biggest probelm overall. The pins can snag on switch frogs and guard rails unto I correct the height. This happens on some RTR cars right out of the box if the couplers droop a bit.
 


Now, are the stiff springs only on certain brands or do all brands make trucks with springs stiff enough to hold up the car without altering the coupler height?

I am planning on buying some Kadee trucks to replace some of the trucks under my cars to see how they look and work.
 
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