I'm looking for roller bearing freight car trucks with electrical pickup capabilities. I have a fleet of passenger equipment with metal wheels, axle wipers and wires for interior coach lighting. I'm looking for the same but in a roller bearing freight car truck. I do have one MT boxcar that is "electrified" but I bought it second hand and don't know if it was a custom piece. It looks factory though. Web searches have not worked too well for me. Anyone know of any sources or can point me where to look?
The Kato caboose is the only freight car that might have electrical pickup (never checked this on my two cabooses but understood from descriptions).
Check out Richmond Controls. They sell several version of wipers including sets for freight cars. http://www.richmondcontrols.com Jim
I've used Kato Caboose trucks and tender trucks on 50 foot box cars when I installed DSX sound only decoders in them years ago. I then consist a boxcar with the decoder to either a diesel or steam locomotive depending on the sound of the decoder. The consisted boxcar with the decoders now responds to changes in the throttle and acts like a locomotive.
Bachmann is selling parts for nearly their entire production line. From the 4-4-0 American to the 2-8-0 you may find something useful. Motors run $10. Go to the Bachmann website & look for parts on the LH side.
I knew you guys would know! Great answers all! I didn't think about raiding a caboose parts bin after I typed my question. Jim, thanks for the Richmond Controls link - didn't think of that (though they were recommended for passenger car lighting bits and pieces - didn't know they did just pickup "parts"). Bob, you hit the nail on the head! Steam loco's have the advantage of extra "real estate" towing along behind in the form of the tender. Diesels - another story. I figured I could use a boxcar just as you described. Would definitely be able to hold a larger speaker than one built into a loco. The Bachmann answer was also a good one - and one I should have known! I have several Bachmann passenger cars with lighting and the wiper setup looks to be easily adapted to a freight truck. I would just need metal wheelsets and replace the plastic bolster pin with a machine screw. All great answers! Many thanks!
