3-Rail Wheel Sets For Intermountain Trucks?

HOnestly I like using the Weaver models die cast trucks and couplers for these kits. It gives the cars the additional weight needed to bring them closer to NMRA O scale weight recommendations:

  

Weaver wheelsets fit the Intermountain trucks.

The IM kits usually came with 3 rail wheelsets...albeit they are plastic.  I must have 30 - 40 sets lying around.

 

Allan

Thanks guys!

 

Allan, I'll look at them again but the tread sure seemed small, I did buy the kit from a 2-rail guy on another forum so maybe he had 2-rail trucks.

 

I really did enjoy putting them together, knowing how the parts of a truck fit was well worth the effort, you don't learn/understand that in a pre-molded truck frame.

 

I'll look into some Weaver wheelsets.

Bob, the kits came with both 2 rail and 3 rail trucks. The assembled models came one way or the other. Diecast trucks would be better than the plastic ones but you could also add weights over truck center. They need weight anyway as they are too light without it.

 

Pete

Pete,

 

It was pretty light, I had a weight left over from another project that I cut in half and put inside at both ends.  Haven't weighed it yet (haven't finished putting on all the parts) but if it needs more weight I'll add some of those lead stick-on types.

 

The brake rig instructions was not the easiest thing to understand, fortunately the 2 parts I put in backwards were still fresh enough I could pull them off w/o damage.

 

Reading and comprehension pays off with these kits!

If you don't have any, e-mail me off list. I have a few sets from 2-railing some Weaver cars with the plastic trucks.

Years ago someone from Intermountain told me they used Weaver trucks on their RTR 3 rail models.

Bill, I read the same thing from an old post on the defunct Atlas forum.  It also mentioned that once Atlas got the IM stuff they changed the truck mounting design so it would accommodate their trucks and not be so universal

Bob,

Built a number of the  O Scale Intermountain kits, applied Weaver Bettendorf trucks and couplers to all kits,this includes the Red Caboose flatcars and tank cars. I would highly recommend applying weight on the interior floor before gluing the roof assembly to the car body. I purchased 11ga.(.120in) by 1 in wide steel strip from  the hardware store or Lowes, I believe this strip is either 6 or 8 foot long and inexpensive, cut to length for gluing to the car floor. I used TRV, spread a bead 3/16 or 1/4 wide the length of the cut steel strip and apply on the center of floor. Press down to ooze out to cover the bottom of the strip, on the ends I also applied this RTV to the sides and top surface of this strip and to the inside ends of the boxcar, this will firmly secure the steel weight strip. If you have the reefer car, apply the same procedure.

I also recommend the use of a pen vise and microbits to drill out all mounting holes on the boxcar body and roof before assembly. Intermountain instructions detail this procedure.

 

The NMRA O scale weight is 5 ounces initial weight plus 1 ounce per inch of car body length, these cars are 10 inches long, total weight should be 15 ounces or slightly more. 

John,  I had a couple of weights from an old project I used, but what I didn't do was put the end grabs, ladders, and such on BEFORE I put the top on

 

I can still put them on, just need to be careful of the paint.  The doors are still off the model.

 

Right now I have completed the underframe and trucks (but need to swap out wheelsets), just waiting to gather enough calmness to do those grabs

Bob,

Make sure that the mounting holes for the grab irons, ladder stiles and hand brake and hand brake platform are open, field fit, no glue, these parts in the mounting holes. I use a well lite area on the workbench and magnifying lamp. Two ways in gluing the parts, use a needle glue applicator(like Faller glue) you can apply the glue at the mounting hole or on the nib of the part being glued, I do it both ways, choose either method that is comfortable for you. I apply the detail parts under the lite magnifying lamp using tweezers. The grab irons are extremely fragile, using the tweezers, after applying the glue, hold one bracket end of the hand grab with the tweezers. place the locating nib on the bottom of this bracket in the car mounting hole, release the tweezers, using the tweezers or your fingers apply the other end of the bracket end in its mounting hole. You are following correct procedures in taking you time in applying these detail parts, I built the Intermountain boxcars, reefers, 2 bay open hopper cars, tank cars and Red Caboose flat cars and tank cars the most time consuming car was the 2 bay hopper car.

Hope my comments help I enjoyed building them they look good when complete.

John

I use a well lite area on the workbench and magnifying lamp.

John, I recently installed (2) 22" LED ceiling fixtures to replace (4) round 4-bulb fluorescent fixtures, the ballasts kept failing and cost as much as the entire fixture.  I probably need to get 2 more, but where my work area is is directly below one of the LED fixtures.  Between that, a magnifying lamp, and my optivisor I could perform brain surgery it's so bright in there!  I'll eventually replace all my lighting with LEDs.

 

Thanks for the tip about opening up the holes