Freight Car and Passenger Car Trucks

[Flyer]

I would like to standardize the trucks on my freight cars and passenger cars.  What kind of trucks are most commonly used on each kind of car??  Thanks for input from experienced modellers.  No offence to newbies like me but there must be some type that is best having been found through experience.

[ABC]

Are you talking just general make or using only entirely identical 2 or 3 axle trucks (or even 4)?
For the most part I find that there is no one manufacturer that is best for every type of car. It takes some experimenting to find what works best for you, so just try some out and see what you like best.

[Jim Banner]

What trucks are appropriate to the era you are modelling?  Some examples:
Modern = roller bearing trucks.
Old        = Bettendorf trucks
Ancient  = Archbar trucks.

Are your models for running or for static display?  One piece Delrin trucks operate smoothly with little drag but but static display you may want more detail.

What can you afford?  Is $50 per car for upgraded trucks within your budget or are you more of a $5 per car guy?  The answer to this question may well depend on the number of cars you have as well.

Do you have the skills/resources/tools/time to modify a fleet of cars to all use the same trucks?

For my own layout, which depends heavily on refurbished train set cars and is set in 1961, I use a lot of Athearn Bettendorf trucks with the ends of their steel axles polished.  I like the center post system of mounting with no screw threads touching the inside of the mounting hole and turn my own posts out of brass or PVC with the bottom end to fit the truck and the top end to fit the car which may or may not need to be modified to accept them.  I expect your results will differ, based on the considerations above.

Jim

[Flyer]

Many thanks to each of you for your replies - I see that I need to do a bit more research before deciding which trucks (properly) go with which cars. Thanks again for your help!   (I'm the $5.00 type)

[RAM]

Just replacing the plastic wheels with metal wheels will greatly improve most trucks.  This is a lot cheaper then replacing the whole truck.