Trucks for HO Acela

[pheidhues]

Hi
I need new trucks for three of my HO Acela passenger cars. Bachmann does not have any at this time. Does any one know where I can get some or if there is an aftermarket manufacturer? Thanks for the help.
Paul

[jonathan]

Paul,

When there were actual hobby stores around, I managed to find an abandoned Acela car here and there for spare parts... a truck being one of them.

There is no aftermarket part as these trucks, and the way they are mounted, are unique to the Acela.

Before Covid, I did see an Acela car in a junk box for sale. When we get our train shows back, perhaps your best bet would be a large train show.

It is possible to disassemble those cars. Maybe you could rig a repair, if you can get at the broken part. Is it a broken post where the truck is mounted?

Regards,

Jonathan

[pheidhues]

Little more complicated then that. I have had these cars for about 9 years, but they were in storage for sometime. When my kid was younger, he removed the wheels rom the trucks. So I need new trucks and wheels. They are still firmly attached to the chassis. Just no wheels. Can you put new wheels in the trucks?
THanks.

[jonathan]

Paul,

Short answer is yes, you can put new wheels in the old trucks.  

Now the long answer (deep breath):

The wheels on an Acela passenger car appear to be the standard 36" passenger car wheelset.  However, there are a few differences that one should note.  Bachmann's wheelsets use an axle that is slightly thicker and shorter than say, an Intermountain, or Kadee, wheelset.  If you use an aftermarket wheelset as a replacement, you will probably need to buy a truck tuner tool to adjust the truck journals.

In this photo, I've placed a standard 33" freight wheelset next to the Acela wheelset.  Notice how the wheel diameter is slightly larger and the axle is thicker:

DSC_0502_01_LI by Jon Vogel, on Flickr

I looked up passenger car wheels in the Bachmann parts department.  I didn't see a listing for passenger car wheels or 36" wheels.  However, they do sell the entire Acela truck with the wheels.  At $8.30 a truck, that could get costly, if ALL the wheels are gone.  I remember that Bachmann used to sell wheelsets separately.  Perhaps I used the wrong search words.

Anyway, I hope that gets you started.  I have the Acela Set, and can assist further if needed.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Len]

The 36" NEM style pointed axle wheelsets, near the bottom of the list, from these folks should fit:
http://www.jbwheelsets.com/pointed.html

Len

[pheidhues]

Thank you both for your help. I ordered 12 wheel sets. This is cheaper then replacing all the trucks, that looks too pricey.
I got the NEM, 36" pointed ones as was recommended.
However, I have a question. I have never heard of a wheel truck tuning tool. Where do I get this and what does it do?
Paul

[Len]

A truck tuning tool is used to clean out the journals on plastic trucks. DO NOT use on metal trucks, you'll ruin the cutting edge. It looks like this:


You insert it in the truck like a wheelset axle and rotate a couple of times to clean out the journal. The flip it around to do the journal on the opposite journal. Move to the other side of the bolster and repeat.

You can get one from Micro-Mark:
https://www.micromark.com/HO-Truck-Tuner_2

Len