I received my monthly dealer newsletter update from Kadee today and I just have to share this new product with everyone. Kadee is offering 3 different styles of 1/29th scale metal trucks with metal wheels. Go to http://www.kadee.com/ and check out these new items.
Who says there isn’t anything “NEW” coming out for our great hobby.
Cool, says they are equalized, so the springs must be cosmetic.
Greg
Hey Greg,
Maybe Kadee knows how to size springs…Bob Hartford did, and so does AMS (if you get the softer ones from the flat cars).
??
I’m guessing they are not sprung, otherwise the ad would probably say “fully sprung” as opposed to what it said “fully equalized”
we’ll see if my guess is right…
Greg
Most of their smaller scale trucks are quoted as being “sprung and equalized”. For these, however, I agree with Greg, the springs appear to be nonfunctional. For a freight truck, this isn’t a bad thing…
More evidence that the trucks are not sprung is that the “springs” are nearly fully compressed with the trucks not even mounted. Now, please help me in my ignorance. It says they are two-piece trucks. What are the two pieces? The trucks I am familiar with all had three pieces, plus wheels and axles.
Its nice that we have options for trucks, but the MSRP! (http://largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-surprised.gif)Nearly $50 a pair.
I had a price ceiling for my purchases back when I was stocking up for my railroad, and it was $40 a boxcar, less for Bachmann cars. I can’t see spending more on the trucks then I spent on the cars, and then having to toss my truck mounted couplers, and spend more money for body mounted couplers. I hope that in time, or through dealers, the price will come down some. In the mean time, I have enough spares to keep my railroad running. Well, at least I hope so.
Yes, but it is shown with the bolster fully compressed on the springs. Still anyone’s guess. Touche Greg…point well made…
Just having a bit of fun in anticipation of a real review. Yeah, no way it could be 2 piece and equalized in my mind, but possible, a sideframe assembly and a center bolster… of course you have at least 2 more parts as pointed out, the wheel/axle assemblies.
Well, we hope for some information soon… one thing I will also speculate on, by being “universal” and looking at the “adapter” pieces for different manufacturers, they should allow lower body ride height. Since many stock pieces of rolling stock are too high, this might help for those of us that try to get the “car on stilts” look away…
Greg
Is that price MSRP, or out the door? Makes a difference.
$39.50 a pair from Robby at RLD Hobbies
I got to fiddle with a pair at the NGRC in Denver.
They’re cast zinc. Nice and heavy. No springs. They’ll come beautifully painted black. Very nice.
Tom, do you remember how closely the axles fit in the journals? Were there any bushings/bearings in the side frames?
Greg
I think their description of the HO model, ‘splains it’ Lucy
"
“HGC” High Gravity Compound weighs nearly the same as Metal Trucks but with more detail & a 2 piece split bolster design for more efficient truck equalization, reduced axle friction for greater rolling performance. "
Carry on.
John
Interested in rolling friction, what kind of lubes make sense, slop in the axles, for how well it tracks.
Greg
Wow! I consider this good news.
I got 4 sets of them today… The A.S.F. Betten(whatever) 50 ton trucks… They are different… All metal, and heavy, comes with 3 adapter sets for Bachmann, USA, and Aristo/LGB mounts… Springs are all molded as part of the truck…
I just installed 3 sets on some Aristo 2-bay covered hoppers… They don’t seem to want to play nice during operations, so I added the metal trucks for more weight… I already added weight with shotgun shot in the bays, covered with a metal cover, to hold them in place… They have always pulled nice, but can’t take the pressure when backing up, they always seem to derail…
Time will tell if this works…
Andy, I have a number of those hoppers and no problems, even in long trains BUT I have switched to body mounts.
How long a train are you backing up and what curve radii? Do they derail on a curve, or on a switch?
Greg
I have 2 of the Aristo 2 bay covered hoppers. One I put (Aristo) roller bearings trucks on, and it plays nice. The other has Aristo Bettendorf trucks on it, and it doesn’t play as nice. Its not the trucks, its the fact that trucks and the car bolster were (factory) painted gray. This causes friction and doesn’t allow the truck to swing back in alignment with the rails as easily. Could that be part of the problem Andy?
Greg, am pushing back anywhere from 10-16 cars, mostly 50 footers, around curves, grades, etc, etc… And, I have all body mounted couplers…
David, they derailed on anything… They didn’t have the weight to take the strain…
Have had problems with USA’s 55 foot metal tankers, clothes-lining a string of freightcars, due to their weight… Took off the metal trucks and wheels and replaced them with plastic trucks and wheels, to see if they will play nicer… Dropped their weight down by 1.3 lbs per car…
Most trains are about 18-22 cars long…
