When using the “three-point method” of tightening trucks, does the tightest truck go toward the front or rear of the train?
the tightest truck should go to the end of the train…this will help keep lots of slack out of the cars when braking or coming to a stop…chuck
I run my freight cars (and most passenger) in both directions, they don’t really have a front and rear. They should work properly no matter which way they go.
I know i answered this earlier but tom’s response is truer …the wheels should go well in both directions without tight trucks at all …i never was a fan of tight trucks…it leaves one without options for a piece of rolling stock to roll well in both directions especially in switching situations…tight wheels going the wrong direction is a sure fire derailment waiting to happen…all my trucks are metal and all free wheel with no problems at all…the only “tight” wheel i have is on my caboose but it’s unavoidable…I have copper wipers on the wheels for electrical pickups so i can light the caboose…chuck
Chuck - the question was about tight trucks, not tight wheels. BIG difference. A tight truck refers to tightening the screw that retains the truck to the car so that the truck can only swivel, and not wobble. One truck should be “tight” and the other looser to provide 3 point suspension. See the NMRA website for more information.
yeah that too…I never was a fan of tight trucks either…they also can cause derailments…I tighten them just enough so there is small vertical movement and a bit of horizonal movement as well…the truck has to be able to move up and down and from side to side but not so much side to side as that’s where the wobbling car syndrome comes from…I must be doing something right because out of the 219 pieces of rolling stock i have on my layout…i’ve got about 3 of them that have a slight wobble…one of these days i’ll get some shims on them to stop the wobble…chuck
I hope I can ask this and not be considered a hijacker, but I bought a skeleton logging car that will NOT stay on the tracks. It will if I place my hand on it and apply about three pounds of pressure to collapse the springs, but otherwise…forget it. The trucks also pivot so that you can twist the truck entirely without rotating it at the pivot…it is like an articulated truck.
My questions are: what type of truck is this (who makes it?) what the heck can I do about this, or should I take the easy route and replace the trucks?
-Crandell
If the cars wobble even after you have tightened the mounting screw, look for an off center wheel or bent axle s your culprit. Replacing the off-center wheel will eliminate the wobble. If you are not sure which wheel is off center, take a spare axle and wheel set that you know rolls smoothely and replace one axle at a time and roll the car. The car will run smoothely ounce you change out the crooked wheel/axle set.
Not offered as a standard, just as a practice that works:
Both trucks should swivel freely, and all wheels should roll easily in both directions.
The truck at the B end of the car should be snugged up so it will barely rock. The truck at the A end of the car should be able to rock, but not to the point that the wheels will touch any part of the underframe. This results in the classic ‘3 legged stool’ situation and should cope with all but the most preposterous vertical track misalignments.
(For those unfamiliar with the terms, the B end is where the brake wheel is located.)
On my articulated cars, the end trucks are tight, the center truck isn’t. The bodies can move independently.
It doesn’t seem to matter whether the tight truck of a two-truck car is leading or trailing. Mine track equally well both ways.
Chuck
Here’s the method I use and it works quite well.I tighten the screws down to where the trucks can’t move…Back the screw off 1 1/2 turns and you’re good to go with a derailment free car that won’t have any wobble or bobble.