what trucks for rolling stock are appropriate for 1930’s and 1940’s? i notice that kadee has a nice variety in the walthers catalog. i just need to figure out if i need to use archbar, bettendorf, andrews, or roller bearing. thanks for the help.
Archbar trucks were leaving scene at this time. Bettendorf trucks and Andrews trucks were the norm. Most trucks had ‘friction’ bearings; roller bearing were on passenger cars and certain high priority freight cars.
Jim
Any of the 50+ truck types on this website are appropriate for the 20 years you’re looking at:
http://www.bethlehemcarworks.com/Products/Kit_Bits/index.html#Trucks
But check with the actual car diagram sheets before deciding on which truck is appropriate. There were lots of truck types out there, but only the Andrews and “Bettendorf” type trucks were common (Bettendorf went out of business in the 1920s; almost any truck called “Bettendorf” really isn’t; they’re “AAR type xxx” trucks, or “ARA spring plankess”.
Archbar trucks were banned from interchange in 1940. But many railroads continued to use them on their own lines especially on MOW equipment
Enjoy
Paul