Need a front tender truck for a Bachmann EM1. Bachmann has none in supply. Anyone know what type of truck was used and whether any substitute is available?
The EM-1 tender trucks are a Buckeye design, but I don't know where you could get one in N scale. The HO scale Berkshires have one that looks similar, but the bearings are different. The EM-1 looks to have roller bearing trucks, while the Berkshire tender has solid bearings. If you were able to find a set of Berkshire tender trucks, you might be able to swap both out, so at least they would look similar. Micro Trains has their 'modern' buckeye trucks from the DODX car, but I don't know if they fit on the Bachmann model. The brake shoes are inboard on the DODX truck too, rather than the prominent outboard design for the steam tenders.
I believe all Bachmanns trucks for the larger tenders are electrical pick-up and therein lies a problem.
Yeah, good point. The Berkshire trucks are also out of stock on the Bachmann website. They have some big bar that sticks up on either side, but I'm assuming the EM-1 has the same pickup system.
