[HO] 5' wheelbase trucks

There is some kind of misunderstanding buried in your question.

If you are worried about prototype accuracy, then the prototype's brand/type name is what you need. The trucks will have the correct wheel base. Eg, Andrews, Vulcan, Bettendorf, S-10, etc.

HTH wolf k.

There's no misunderstanding, right now the problem is I can't find _any_ commercially available 5' wheelbase roller bearing trucks.

I'm unsure of the specific type of roller bearing truck; the prototype car was built by Bethlehem Steel in 1964.

A fellow modeler kitbashed a few of these cars using Eastern Car Works

5' trucks which are no longer available. If you or others can come up with a list a multiple sources of different 5'-0" wheelbase trucks, then we can discuss specific prototypes.

Right now, I can't find even _one_ to serve as a stand-in.

Interesting, indeed. If these cars are indeed riding on 5' w/b trucks, then it's a non-standard truck. OTOH, if you take the wheel diameter to be 36", then the w/b is 5'6". 36" wheels were used from at least the

1960s onward for heavy cars. But I assume you have the car's specs, so my comments are beside the point.

AFAIK, 5' wb was used for some arch-bar trucks, back in the 1800s, but

5'6" became the norm sometime in the late 1800s. Anyhow, all the trucks that I have are 5'6" or 6' w/b (including the Roundhouse and IHC arch bar trucks.)

HTH wolf k.

r

I don't think an arch-bar truck will look right with roller-bearing caps on the journals.... ;-)

wolf k.

I can't vouch for the specifics of the prototype truck; I do not have this car's specs at this time nor have I tried to scale any photos. I am going off of the modeler's comment: "It is important to note that this car requires 5 foot wheelbase trucks to properly run. Trucks with a larger wheelbase will work, but the wheels will grind on the hopper bay. I found the Eastern Car Works trucks to be a reasonable stand-in; however, it appears that these are now discontinued. I know of no other 5 foot roller bearing trucks."

A kitbash of these unusual hoppers required a compromise in the trucks, and the substitute he used is no longer in production. I was just trying to see if there are other 5' wheelbase trucks available at this time, which will work on this model.

The below site says Available.

r

Thanks, Rich!

Understood. ;-)

So which of the Eastern Car Works trucks on PWR's site have 5' wheelbase? I suspect it's 117-9058 - Buckeye 125 ton r/b with 38" wheels. The 38" wheels would also explain the need for a shorter truck.

Enjoy! wolf k.

The ones I see are:

117-9064 70-Ton Bettendorf 5' Wheel Base (70 ton ore car) 117-9065 70 Ton Dalman Roller Bearing 5' Wheel Base (4 truck flat)

117-9064 70-Ton Bettendorf 5' Wheel Base (70 ton ore car) 117-9065 70 Ton Dalman Roller Bearing 5' Wheel Base (4 truck flat)

thanks,

wolf k.