Has anyone tried a 4 wheel bobber? Couplers would have to be mounted much as if they were truck-mounted, but building such a thing shouldn't be much of a problem. It seems like the wheels would be badly out of train on sharp radius curves (O-42) and that has me wondering if it would track reliably.
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This is an MTH Bobber Caboose. Think they’ve already done what you’re suggesting. Forgive me if I misunderstood the thrust of your post. It runs fine on O36 fastrack.
You understood the question. Thanks. If MTH can do it, I guess I can too.
If you are going to scratchbuild one, you need to get the axles square and perpendicular to the rails for it to track well. That is probably the hardest part.
A solution might be to find an Atlas old one from the 80s or an AHM from the same era and use the frame as a basis for you chassis. You just use the Old Atlas wheels with their flanges. This would give you a square chassis with the wheels and axles mounted.
My Business Car for the Crab Trap Northern Railway. To improve the ride, the executives had the Crab Trap Shops put a 3-axle truck under the "SandFlea". A/C may come eventually.
Actually: an old train show $5 item, plastic Atlas, 1960's, with an orphan Walthers 40's - 50's brass heavyweight truck. The couplers are the untouched Atlas frame-mounted units, and the wheels are the original brass 2RO type. With a short wheelbase and 3 axles, this tracks fine on curves and through switches (GG track/switches), small flanges and all. The brass truck gives it a nice weight. Truck is screwed on through original mounting hole, with some Goo eliminating any swiveling.
I have more than a dozen MTH bobber cabooses, which have a diecast chassis with body-mounted couplers. I never had any problems with them, even on O-27 track.
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