crumbling, poor rolling trucks???

I did install a set of KD G scale roller bearing trucks on a LGB tank car. They roll fantastically. The look is a little lacking. Most trucks have real springs and these have them cast into the sides.

 I'm happy with them overall.

China sourcing of die cast metal trucks is a crap shoot.

 

Just what is the fixation on die cast trucks?  There are plenty of high quality trucks from Bill Davis, Yoder, and more even from Precision Scale.  This continuing episode with Atlas just serves to demonstrate the perils of marriage to a specific source of cars and trucks.  I'm fortunate that for 95% of my cars that the old Athearn plastic trucks with IM wheelsets are perfectly adequate and roll forever. 

 

BTW....since I continue working my LHS job as per the past 17 years since retirement, and order monthly from Kadee with a passing comment to Sherri and Karen @ Kadee, I never miss an opportunity to put in a plug for O-scale trucks......

Good and thanks for the effort; what kinds of responses do you get to those plugs?  I'd think that the numbers game would dissuade them from entering the O scale marketplace, but I'd be happy to be proven wrong.

 I wish I had talked to the KD reps at a train show. It would be great if they introduced some modern O scale RB trucks. I would trust them to do it right.

I hope to get more Protocraft trucks someday. I love the bearings and how well they are built. I just don't have the money right now.

I never heard back from Atlas after sending them my crumbling trucks.

As a precaution and preventive maintenance, I have oiled all new car wheels with a drop or two of Labelle Oil before putting them back in their box.  I spin the axles when I buy them to make sure the car rolls freely.

John Rowlen posted:

As a precaution and preventive maintenance, I have oiled all new car wheels with a drop or two of Labelle Oil before putting them back in their box.  I spin the axles when I buy them to make sure the car rolls freely.

Well? Ok. That won't do anything for zinc rot.

Wiseman Model Services makes a 2 rail Archbar and a 2 rail bettendorf truck kit that comes with intermountain rails. They are cast white metal, but seem pretty solid. Much better than the old pot metal. At 20 bucks a pop, they are an affordable option, and they roll forever. I've bought and put several together. I like them. 

I'm trying again to put bearings into trucks on some HD flat cars for Abrams A1 tanks. I forgot all about this project. I got help from the new owners of PSC and their parts. The bearings just arrived and I'll get to it when I feel better.

I'll have to make the PSC HD side frames accept these tiny bearings now.

In another thread , I have commented about buying several of maybe the last Weaver 3 rail archbars, and they all, every set, crumbled in the package. Comments not printable...