I just took out three Kadee boxcars to test them on my layout. I am disapointed in them on only two counts. One, they do not roll as well as my atlas trucks and two, the doors seem to be glued shut. Is there any way to get around these issues? Will the cars roll better with use? Are the doors supposed to be openable?
Bruce,
Kadee trucks/wheelsets do not roll very well. The wheelset has a non-magnetic ‘engineering’ plastic axle that is quite soft. It will only get worse as time goes by. The metal sideframe journals are quite rough and chew up this soft axle end. I do a couple of things to these cars:
- Use a Reboxx or Micro-Mark ‘tool’ and ream out the journals to get rid of any casting flash/burrs.
- Replace the wheelsets with something like Intermountain or Reboxx. These have nice ‘metal’ axles with a needlepoint end that will roll better. I have used P2K wheelsets, but they have a plastic axle as well(seems to be harder stuff). I suspect the P2K wheelsets will wear with time and I will have ‘sleds’ again.
As far as the doors, mine do slide, but they are very tight. I could really care less if they work as working model doors usually are very out of scale to start with. If you do break them free, be carefull that you do not mar the sides of the car.
Jim
No matter WHAT you buy, someone will have better - or worser - detail, features, or rolling qualities.
Doors that slide open require unrealistic hinges, otherwise they break off. Atlas and Kato use Delrin trucks, but no springs. Every manufacturer agonizes over what to feature and what to leave out. If you want it all, the price will be ‘too high’.
NO. Ya pays yer money and makes yer choice.
Wow. I never had problems with my kadee cars. My doors open smooth, and the trucks roll fine. Sorry I can’t help you.
Kadee trucks and wheelsets work fine for me, in cast derin trucks the wheelsets roll just as good as any other.
There is of course a matter of personal preference here - I find that the Intermountain sets have a slightly finer profile and don’t like some of my sharp curves (or indifferent track laying[:P]); whereas Kadees run fine, as do Proto. I therefore have replaced several Intermountain sets for Kadees.
Again I personally don’t like my freight cars to be too free rolling (I like them to stay where they are spotted if the siding is fairly level - not roll away on even the slightest grade) and as a result the Kadee trucks suit me just fine too. Again I’ve replaced some of the smoother rigid cast delrin trucks with sprung metal Kadee ones.
The thing about Kadee cars is that they are right up there in the detail quality department with Intermountain and Red Caboose.
Kadee boxcars are my own personal favourite and the friction in the axle bearings is a plus for me, not a criticism.
I don’t like my freight cars to be too free-rolling, as they are normally run on a switching layout in short trains and switched out often. Having a bit of friction in the wheels stops them running away too freely.
To date, all of the doors open although some are a bit stiff
Jon
Holy Cow! I’ve finally found a guy who came up with the same answer I did…Kadee wheels roll fine and some of the others are so free-rolling that they won’t stay put.
I did an analysis of wheelsets back 3 years ago with input from over 50 people on this forum and found that the Kadee wheelsets roll nicely and cars will stay put on my sidings where there may be a slightly unlevel track. Intermountains, Reboxx, Proto’s and some of the others were toooooo freeeeeee rollllllling and the cars wouldn’t stay where I spotted them.
By the way, when you start worrying about how free rolling your cars are, unless you’re runnin
Slightly off topic - but I couldn’t let it pass without comment:
Jon superb modelling - I see you have a furry “helper” too! Am I mistaken or did I see BRC in the latest issue of NMRA(BR) newsletter?
You did indeed - hard to miss really.
I’ll have to check my newsletter again - or has another one just come out?
Jon