Trucks for IHC Passenger Cars


jbovinette

jbovinette

Florida Railroads
I have acquired a few IHC Passenger cars and looking to re-truck them. Does anyone have any suggestions on trucks for these cars?

THanks,
John
 
John, four wheel or six wheel trucks? Is there some reason you want to replace the trucks themselves? The IHC/AHM passenger car trucks are pretty nicely detailed. The standard wheels, with the large pizza cutter flanges, are terrible. I'd just replace the wheels. Kadee makes some nice 36" wheels, like the ones at http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/380-522, that are good replacements for the originals and inprove the running and tracking qualities of the trucks.
 
Wheels/Trucks

Well I have 4 Wheel and 6 Wheels Trucks. I guess Im use to the Walthers heavyweight trucks. Your right the IHC trucks are detailed. I just need to put metal wheels on them. The only thing I dont like about the trucks is the coupler is attached to the trucks. I want to put some kadee's on them but dont know how. Any ideas?
 
I think you have to use McHenry's for the couplers, if you keep them on the trucks.

I tried to update mine with metal wheelsets, but they aren't 36" or 33" or even 28". I think they're 31", which Walthers sells.
 
I dont want to keep the couplers on the trucks. I want to mount them to the body. So 31" wheels. Are those prototypical?
 
John, 36" wheels would be prototypical. I've used them in some of my later IHC passenger cars. Earlier cars had the journals located further down on the truck and the smaller wheels work better with them, so you don't get the top of the wheels rubbing against the underframe.

You can just cut off the coupler arm flush with the truck and body mount a Kadee coupler on the end of the car. You can either use super glue for the draft gear box or some self tapping 2-56 screws. I like screws. Unless you have really broad curves, like 30" radius or bigger, you need to use long shank couplers to give you enough swing room. I use #46 long shank couplers on my AHM cars.
 
31" isn't prototypical, but the location of the brake shoes on the trucks prevented me from using anything like 33" or 36" wheelsets. If you have some metal wheelsets on some of your other rolling stock, try them to see if they will fit.

Walthers advertised the conversion kits for Athearn cars (like what Walthers puts on their Autoracks). I wonder if you could use those in addition to longshank #46 Kadees.
 
Wheels

I would like to use 36" because it would be prototypical. But of course the trucks wont work with the 36" wheels. Are there trucks out there that would work with these. I noticed that the trucks on the IHC the mounting hole is centered. The trucks on my Walthers HW is off center and these wont go on IHC cars. Are there metal trucks that have an centered mounting hole? I am use to feeling the metal trucks from Walthers. I also need to get as much weight on these IHC cars as possible. These things I can knock these things over by blowing on them so the metal trucks will help with the weight. The couples I might use the draft gear box at the end of the cars. I'll have to see what works better, glue or screws. Screws sound better but I have interiors in the cars. So I will have to see.

Thanks guys,
John
 
AHM does make metal trucks at about $25 each. They also make the correct 31" wheelset replacements with RP-25 flanges. Both are shown as out of stock at Walthers. You could make make a new bolster with styrene to move the mounting hole back to fit the Walthers trucks but, if your cars already have interiors, that might be a little tricky to do without damaging the interiors. The best advice I can give you is to hunt up some of the AHM 31" replacement wheels and use them. Although they are not the prototype height, they will look and run fine in the AHM trucks.

Weight has always been an issue with these cars. Even in cars with interiors, there are two wells in the center of the car. You can pop off the roof, which also has the clear windows attached. There are one ounce torpedo fishing weights that fit this well exactly. Put one in each side with some white glue and let dry. Reassemble the car and it should track much better.
 
Coupler replacement is a SNAP.. so watch out!

UP2CSX said:
You can just cut off the coupler arm flush with the truck and body mount a Kadee coupler on the end of the car.
Click to expand...
I just switched my IHC passenger cars couplers to NMRA standard from the orig. hook and horn style. I did so by just unclipping the arm of the coupler from the mounting pin and attaching the McHenry 42s to the same mounting pin. Easy and the cars handle better than they probably would with the body mount couplers. Added weight to each car as well. Switched out the plastic wheels for 36" flat back metal wheels. Marvelous, except the frames are pretty brittle, so be careful.;)
PACEMAKER
 
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