Advice on trucks

[Beatthe9ers]

Ignore for a moment historical accuracy, adherence to prototype or even personal asthetic influences.

I'm trying to figure out what type of trucks to buy for replacement on some old freight cars.  The existing trucks have non-knuckle couplers attached to them, they are plastic and are not attached to the car with a screw, but rather a piece of plastic that is larger on one end so that you can jam it through the hole in the bottom of the car but it wont come back out.  (Wow, how's that for a non-technical description!  I hope what I mean is coming through despite the terrible writing).  I've already broken on truck trying to get it off (don't ask) so now the car lies useless on my workbench.

So I am looking for suggestions on what type of truck to get.  Or maybe I am just looking for assurances that I am not looking at the wrong thing.  Let's assume I am talking about 40' box cars.

What is the difference in a Kadee Arch Bar and a Kadee Bettendorf Double Truss?  What about Roller Bearing?  Are those just different styles that have no particular performance differences?  Will just about any 33" wheel size truck do the job?

The customized cars that Engineerkyle is selling on ebay say they have Intermountain 33" wheelsets on them.  I'm inclined to go with that, since he seems to know what he is doing.

I realize that this isn't a very specific question and that many of these decisions come down to personal preference.  I'm very new to this and have always been one to get lots of information before I buy stuff.

[ebtnut]

There is a similar discussion going occurring on the board, but here's the answer in a nutshell.  Archbar trucks were used in the 19th and early 20th century.  They were banned in the 1920's because of their tendency to crack.  By that time, cast-steel truck frames had proven themselves.  Bettendorf has become somewhat of a generic name for freight car trucks used from the 1930's into the 1960's.  The Kadee double truss trucks are appropriate for your typical steel body 40 foot box car.  Intermountain and other make similar trucks that are fine as well.  To put on the new trucks, you will need to cut off the bolster stub and drill a hole for a No. 2 screw to mount the truck.  You will also have to mount a new coupler box on the end to replace the truck-mounted coupler (called a Talgo truck, BTW).  Kadee, Bachmann, and other make coupler sets for this purpose.  You will need to check on the proper height of the coupler.  Kadee makes a coupler gauge for this purpose that you can get at any good model railroad shop.  You many have to either put a washer or two under the truck (to raise the body), or a shim under the coupler box (to lower it). 

[Beatthe9ers]

Excellent.  One part I am a little confused about though:  When I remove the old truck, there is already a hole in the bottom of the car where the truck was attached.  Are you saying that I will need to drill a new hole for the new truck?

Thanks for the clear and concise answer.  Appreciated.

[SteamGene]

Your best bet is to find a piece of sprue that matches the rather large hole where the trucks fit.  Glue the sprue in the hole, then trim and sand it flat.  Drill the hole in the sprue after you've let the glue SET.   (I'm helping my grandson build his first plastic model - Getting him to let the glue set is a problem.  )  After it's dry, then drill it for a screw to hold the truck. 
Roller bearings came after the Bettendorfs.
Gene

[Craig]

All of that is sound advice and I have done, and continue to do,  the very things that have been outlined above. I actually enjoy modifying certain old cars if the details are nice and the car is worthy of the labor. Just for the heck of it, though, I'll toss out an alternative.

That's a McHenry #56 suitable for adapting many talgo style trucks. http://www.mchenrycouplers.com/

[SteamGene]

The problem with Talgo trucks is that they are Talgo trucks.
Gene

[r.cprmier]

Talgo type trucks, in my vaunted opinion, detract from the realism of protptype operation.  To be sure,Talgo type equipment has it's place; case in point:  the Dan'l Webster, or the John Adams; two of Paddy McGuinnes's abortions that wound up on the dead line before their time.  However, they really do not-with rare exceptions-belong on freight equipment, or most passenger cars.  They also lend themselves to the aspect of derailing equipment; something most of us will not want to happen.  People who run equipment on sharp radii might be well advised to take a hard look at talgo mounting.

[kevin2083]

here's a great thread for this

http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/board/index.php/topic,4917.0.html