American Models Rolling Stock Trucks

American Models (click for web site)

840

Passenger Car Truck

Pullman

Die-cast

painted & lettered

Lightweight 4-wheel. Available with hi-rail wheels (#840HR) or scale wheels (#840S). These are the trucks that American Models puts on all of their streamlined passenger cars. It is equalized, but not sprung. There is an obvious blank space in the center of the truck that the fussier modeler will want to fill. The third photo shows Dick Karnes' modifications to this truck using available B.T.S. detailing parts, which includes the torsion bar, brake cylinder, and instructions for constructing the shock strut (in the center, made from a short piece of solid wire with its own insulation sleeve). This is B.T.S. detail part #02407.

American Models (click for web site)

842

Passenger Car Truck

Pullman

Die-cast

painted & lettered

Heavyweight 4-wheel. Wheelbase: 8'3". Available with hi-rail wheels (#842HR) or scale wheels (#842S). These are the standard trucks that American Models puts on all of their heavyweight passenger car models. This was the most common steam-era passenger truck, a four-wheel drop-equalized steel truck with separate pedestals. The model is equalized, but not sprung.

American Models (click for web site)

844

Passenger Car Truck

Budd Company

Die-cast

painted & lettered

Available with hi-rail wheels (#844HR) or scale wheels (#844S). The model has the requisite brake cylinder and shock strut, but no torsion bar. It suffers from two problems that are easily rectified. Its brake cylinder points in the wrong direction. Most scale modelers will want to replace the truck-mounted dummy couplers with Kadee body-mounted couplers. Doing this allows one to cut the coupler mount off the truck and rotate the truck 180 degrees; problem solved! The springs are too stiff, preventing them from compressing under the weight of the car. The result is that the equalizer rides too low with respect to the rigid portion of the truck. The third photo shows the easy fix for this situation. Softer springs will also do the trick. The third photo shows a 0.060" styrene shim between each journal retainer and the journal above it. The result is much more realistic, although the truck's springing action is much stiffer as a result.

American Models (click for web site)

846

Passenger Car Truck

Die-cast

painted & lettered

Superliner. Available with hi-rail wheels (#846HR) or scale wheels (#846S).

American Models (click for web site)

860

Passenger Car Truck

Pullman

Die-cast

painted & lettered

Heavyweight 6-wheel. Available with hi-rail wheels (#860HR) or scale wheels (#860S). The model is equalized, but not sprung. Older production runs were very stiff. The center axles tended to be too tight in their journals, and therefore the center wheelsets did not rotate well. The truck tended to remain skewed on the track, and traversing curves was problematic. This problem is easily resolved by using a #40 drill bit to deepen and vertically elongate the center axle holes, thus allowing the center axles to move both laterally and vertically with respect to the outer axles. Current production trucks are improved, with the center axles having shorter, rounded ends. Be sure to examine yours.

American Models (click for web site)

820

Freight Car Truck

Bettendorf

Die-cast

painted & lettered

visit site

Available with hi-rail (#820HR) or scale (#820S) wheels. To convert one of these to Sn42, see Marbleup Models in Australia for 3D-printed replacement bolsters.

American Models (click for web site)

827

Caboose Truck

Bettendorf

Die-cast

painted & lettered

Available with hi-rail (#827HR) or scale (#827S) wheels. The second photo shows Peter's model being fitted for electrical pickup for lighting the caboose's interior.

American Models (click for web site)

822

Freight Car Truck

S-2 Roller Bearing

Barber

Die-cast

painted & lettered

70-ton

Available with hi-rail (#822HR) or scale (#822S) wheels. These are advertised as 50-ton trucks, but because they use three springs, these are 70-ton trucks, if 33" wheels are used. If 36" wheels are used, these would be 100-ton trucks. 50-ton trucks also have a shorter wheelbase than the 70- and 100-ton trucks.