New trucks

This post is for manufacturers -- We need a wood beam truck, about four feet wheelbase. Freight cars before about 1880 used them.

What would it cost to produce a new N scale truck? I know the market is not there yet, but we need them for our 1850s layout.

Shawn and Sally Harrison
El Lago, Texas

 

Shawn:
I doubt you'll get much support on this, but I'd like to see it too.
What I really can't understand is the lack of a Fox/Schoen type pressed steel truck that was used a lot around the turn of the last century.
(I do 1920's but would also like to do 1875/1900 era)
BTW, have you found those 4-4-0 drive line cups you were looking for on the "B board"?
I've used sets from Northwest Shortline to replace several of ours;they're better quality.

Jim

 

The only time a major company will produce this truck, is after you have replaced every truck in your fleet with your scratchbuilt version and the story of how you've made them has appeared in a majority of the model magazines.

This is how the model world works.

Isn't a four foot wheelbase similar to a Z scale truck?

 

My guess is that it is HIGHLY unlikely that anyone other than a basement manufacturer will produce such a thing.
There are only a small handfull of people interested in modeling anything prior to 1930... much less pre 1900 and prior to 1860.
Wood beam trucks such as you ask for were pretty much out of style by the Civil War.
Yes, they could be seen through the 1880s but they were rapidly replaced by Arch Bar trucks of one style or another for freight cars following the Civil War.
One railroad that did hang on to them was the CB&Q.... they lasted through the BN era under their wood waycars and could be seen behind SD45s and U23Cs..... but they were 5 foot wheelbase and had more in common with passenger car trucks of the 1870-80s than freight car trucks of shorter wheelbase and considerably less springing.
Charlie Vlk

 

Scratch build one then cast it in resin.

 

kiasutha
Thought about modifying some Allied Full Cushion Trucks, but they are 1890s -- too modern for our needs.

(Yes, good call. I bought some NWSL cups. Took a while to get the old hex fitting off the worm drive.)

Otherwise we don't have the tools to scratchbuild or cast new trucks.

 

Shawn:
Glad you found the NWSL solution.
I was going to dig up a couple B'Mann cups I pulled for you; would probably have found them in a day or two...

 

Here are some drawings I found. Maybe this will help the discussion.





We are looking at 3D modeling, but I'm not sure the accuracy is available to produce something this small. I've seen Z-scale vehicles done with a 3D "printer", but they don't have to move or take the loads like freight or passenger trucks.

Shawn and Sally Harrison
-modeling 1850s B&O

 

I have been working on an article for N Scale Magazine covering trucks for some time. It should be out in the March/April issue. There is nothing available that even remotely resembles what you want. The earliest truck styles available are the PRR caboose truck, the archbar and the Fox truck which is included with Tichy Trains rotary plow.

I think that Fox truck may be your best bet. I would try to cast these in pewter or brass, resin trucks do not last long.

 

The earliest style truck available is the 5'-0" Wood Beam Passenger truck that comes with the Bachmann Old Timer Coach and Combine.
It is of a type that dates back to the Civil War period although the prototype was more likely an 1880's design.
CB&Q wood Waycars (cabooses) used this style truck from the 1880's through the BN era. Very similar trucks (even called the "Q" truck) were used by the C&NW and UP on their wood cabooses... and the UP even used them on their steel cars!
Charlie Vlk

 

We got the Freight Car book by John H. White, Jr. and even he could not find much before the Civil War. But it's still pretty helpful. I'm kitbashing what I can find -- Bachmann old-timers are fair representations of 1870s equipment, but backdating them to 1850s requires wood-beam trucks.

I'd like to get an idea of what it would cost to produce them and maybe inspire others. (If I can afford it and my eyes don't fail me. N scale is not for the faint of heart.)

Shawn and Sally Harrison
-modeling 1850s B&O

 

We are having a go at our first truck in etch and cast pewter - the PRR eight wheel tender trucks for PRR 18,000 gallon tenders and the FD2 which is where our interest lies. We are very busy at the moment, but if nothing comes of your attempt, please get in touch later.

To turn a styrene pattern into cast items is fairly cheap using our mold system, but do contact me off forum to discuss this further.

How many other folks are modelling this early in N scale and could do with these wood beam trucks? I see what Charlie says - but it would be worth finding out what demand there might be.

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
N Scale Kits

 

Wood-beam trucks

As I expected -- not much interest. Still, a good discussion. Guess I will speak (plead, beg) with Peter and Marshall.

Shawn and Sally Harrison
- modeling 1850s B&O

 

I think there is a lot more interest in:
Early Andrews trucks
Vulcan
Bettendorf T section
ACL 70 Rollerbearing
Modern Buckeye rollerbearing truck

 

Hello, I have been looking for some trucks mentioned above (wood beam) for my civil war era rolling stock.. Does anyone have some more drawings or dimensions that I could scale up ?... Thanks.....

 

Considering you are asking for a freight/utility truck for the 1880's (and earlier than 1890), what else have you found in Z ?
I would guess: 0
With such a small market segment (Z versus larger scales), I would think everything you need is going to be scratch built.

 

I had a look at some N-scale Micro-Trains wood beam trucks, I could scale those down and print them on my printer except for the bar that goes across the the
bottom between the two bearings. You could use a small strip of brass from some photo-etch set instead. The trouble is I don't know how
durable they would be using the normal modeling resin I use for tank cars and army trucks.

There is a tough resin available which is about $160 a cartridge. It is not as good for modeling the fine detail however. The way to do it right would be to
make the bare-bones truck with tough resin and then do a photo-etched overlay to glue on the outer sides with the fine detail.

Getting down to a 4 foot wheelbase could be a problem also. On Z-scale wheels the diameter of flanges on the wheels is 44 Z inches while the
N scale are 40 N-inches.

 

Where can one find any blueprint or drawings for the wood beam trucks. I am currently kitbashing some civil war rolling stock and need some of these in G-scale.....