williams passenger cars .....like dragging a brick around the layout!

All I can offer is commiseration.   I have a five car NYC WBB passenger set and gave up trying to get the cars to roll better.  Like your thread title points out; the engine may as well have been dragging a brick around my layout.

I ended up consigning these cars to storage and purchased a set of RMT NYC passenger cars to run behind my WBB NYC F3's.

Curt

I have a set of Williams cars with this truck. The only thing I don't like about them is the roller attachment. I bought them used so it is possible the trucks were changed.

No cheap fix for the entire over sheet metal trucks. Either swap those trucks out with Lionel baby Madison trucks or RailKing trucks or set the cars on a siding for m.o.w. work.

The only problem I have with Williams passenger cars. For some reason on my PA passenger cars they molded the trucks in a olive green color. I was repainting them back about 2 years ago but got side tracked. I still have 3 cars I need to do, they also molded the bottom plastic in the same color ( floor of passenger car. ) I done two car completely in a semi flat black paint, and they look great. I had no problem running them. They are older set ( around 2008 ) I haven't been able to run them in the last 2 years but they were being used daily prior to that with no problem. I now have some B&O and Southern aluminum cars  But they are 4 wheel trucks. The PRR are 6 wheel trucks. 

midnightwrecking posted:

I have a set of Williams cars with this truck. The only thing I don't like about them is the roller attachment. I bought them used so it is possible the trucks were changed.

that's the newer style Williams trucks, I wish I had them, I have a few Williams berks with that style truck (shorter coupler)...they roll great...as horseshoe curve said....no cheap fix for these sheetmetal yard arts...

Oddly enough my Williams aluminum streamliners run fine, but I have only 1 (thank goodness) Williams heavyweight and the six wheel truck keeps jumping off the track, usually at switches.

lewrail

The trucks on the early Williams passenger cars were a nightmare. They didn't roll well the center pick up shorted. Later when he improved them  with needle point axles with the die cast frames they were great.

My only set of Williams passenger cars had wires to the lighting system fail within days.

Maybe you could wait to order the trucks until Lionel has their 50% off parts sale in November.

milnyc posted:

Maybe you could wait to order the trucks until Lionel has their 50% off parts sale in November.

that's a good idea.....I forgot all about that...Thanks!

well, Williams thinks a lot of their replacement trucks also - $23.10 for the 60' Madison car truck

Time to shop for a new set of cars

Yikes!  Buy a pair of those and you could buy a complete and better passenger car!

I have three 12 inch Williams streamline passenger cars in my collection of cars, as has been said they roll like bricks.

I've had them on the bench several times and just don't see what the problem is but they seem to resist any and all moderate efforts to improve the rolling qualities. Any train they find their way onto is greatly limited in length or has to be double headed on power.

Bogie

Tried to use LeBell's to lube them?

looks like I will either find some at a swap meet, or wait till Lionel has their 50% off sale....Or cram all of them under Grand Central Station and forget about them!.............Thank ya'll for your input