When I have a derailment that involves a car with Kadee trucks, it usually melts the springs on the trucks.
I email Kadee and ask if the were going to produce a quality truck with plastic side frames. Here is their reply:
"We do have a newer line of trucks made of HGC (Heavy Gravity Compound) that’s a very high tech plastic that will fix the cooking spring issue.
This new line is called our “two piece HGC trucks” The design is split in the middle of the bolster which allows each side frame a certain amount of flex so the trucks give the same equalizing ride as our fully sprung all metal trucks."
The following link to our web site is our trucks and wheel page http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/truck.htm the HGC trucks are in the right column.
Sam Clarke
Kadee Quality Products
That is some really good news!
South Penn
Melting springs? Now that is a problem I have not had, ever, or experienced on other layouts. Are you using MTH-level voltage of 16 or 24?
Dave Nelson
I’ve had the melting spring issue also. It’s been years since I popped a set of springs but it can happen. The old style circuit breakers wouldn’t trip fast enough and one amp will fry the springs in seconds. Both of my MRC power supplies have the old mechanical breakers and will cook the springs if the frames hit both rails at the same time.
My cure was to correct track problems and stop the derails. It was a lot of work but I haven’t had a derail with cars in years. My only derails have been my diesel fleet because of broken axles and they trip the breakers when they derail.
Mel
Modeling the SP in HO scale since 1951
My Model Railroad
http://me
Kadee has been transitioning to new plastic trucks for at least 2-3 years. These are not sprung, but they do have some ‘heft’ to them. With the high power of DCC layouts, welding metal side frames/melting springs can be a real issue. Not sure if they will be dropping the metal trucks at some point… Jim
I think that’s the plan. Kadee is transitioning its RTR freight cars to the HGC plastic trucks, and I seem to recall seeing an announcement that the old metal trucks will eventually be discontinued. Having used both, my opinion is the HGC trucks look and operate MUCH better than the metal ones. The individual springs never looked right as there were too few of them (the prototype doesn’t have springs just in one row), and they were far too fine in cross section.
Not what I want to hear! I’ve purchased numerous pairs of Kadee archbars over the years and I don’t want to start using un-sprung plastic trucks. I like them all to have that ‘lacey’ look, and these are my favorite by far. If I need to go plastic, I’ll probably use the Tichy truck. Don’t really want to, though!
Like a lot of things, I suspect sales numbers will be what decides how long the old metal trucks stay around.
The important factor to me is equalization, and for that reason I have used sprung trucks for some 40 years.
Agreed, the look is not truely prototypical.
The new HGC trucks are equalized, and I have been trying them out on a several cars. I like the caboose versions since there are no other sprung/equalized caboose trucks on the market.
I install Intermountain wheelsests in the Kadee sprung metal sideframes. It creates a truck with increadable free rolling qualities and great low center of gravity weight.
I suspect I will buy Kadee sprung metal trucks as long as I can get them.
But I don’t have any short circuit issues, no DCC and the overload protection on my throtttles is very fast…
Sheldon