The green and yellow 14-wheeler in the foreground of photo 1 is a new tractor trailer I just finished for the Superstreets roads on my layout.
In the background is the best previous, an 18-wheeler with about 250 hours on it, and a very nice looker and runner. Note: when done right, SS tractor trailers run better than normal SS vehicles because they a) have more electrical pickup (all axles, a center pickup for each axle) and b) shortened wheelbases (reduces friction on curves).
The dual axle on the trailer of both trucks pivots like on rolling stock: can't make one work without that.
This new green and yellow tractor-trailer is my best so far because:
- it goes very slow (see description of why below) - slower than any other vehicle
- it has no wooden parts (my older tractor-trailers use all basswood frames, etc, for the trailers: this one is all plastic
- it has an e-board and thus cycles through F-N-R rather than only going forward like stock SS vehicles
- it has a speaker (see 2nd photo)
- it has working headlights (LEDs)
- this slightly smaller truck fits my downtown city streets (the 18 wheeler will run on my downtown streets but not fit on the curves with all the scenery in place, this shorter truck clears everything by at least 1/8th inch.
The new (green and yellow) is my first SS vehicle not based on a bashed Superstreets product. The older one (red cab) is pure SS: the tractor is the chassis of the Superstreets school bus (shortened) and axles all come from other school buses (2.5 of those short buses gave up at least some parts to make it). The green and yellow uses a scratch built chassis, along with the frame (for weight) from a clown car. It is front wheel drive, with a large (for SS) can motor standing vertically in the cab. This larger motor runs at lower RPM than stock SS motors, and it enages a two-traction tire drive axle from a track inspection vehicle which had a larger gear than SS vehicles: the result is significantly slower speeds. The other axles are from front and rear trucks of old steamers I bought at swap meets. Rubber tires, taken from various die-cast models, have been glued on the outer sides of all steel wheels both for appearance and to widen the track (they are 1 mm less diameter than the actual steel wheels which are the only ones making contact with the rails). Cab is from a Joel 1/40 DAF tractor trailer. Trailer is from a Lionel Ringling bros 18-wheeler, shortened to fit the downtown street curves on my layout.
This vehicle represents significant progress for me in two areas. First, I have proven I can scratch build an SS chassis and put a large can motor vertically in it: next up, an even larger, even lower geared vertical can motor driving both rear axles of an 18-wheel tractor, with the dual axle set pivoting like trucks on a diesel loco, and the motor fitting up into the front of the trailer). Second, I have proven that a speaker and electronics can fit in the trailer. Next up: I will add a horn sound board to this.
And farther down the road, not on the next 18-wheeler, but in sight now that the cab of that next one will be entirely empty, a smoke unit . . . .
------------------------
