Looking for New Leaf Spring Barber Trucks for C&O Caboose

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

I recently bought 3 Walthers C&O cabooses. Overall, I’m very pleased. But the trucks leave me a little wanting. They are plastic leaf-spring Barber trucks with plastic wheels.

I see a small number of replacements on the web, but it’s hard to tell the quality.

Can someone recommend better quality trucks? I would like metal wheels with preferably metal truck frames.

~Thanks all,
~Don

2
  1. Put KD 33" wheels with plastic axlels into those metal sides, or find some Caboose trucks such as ATLAS’ with ‘simulated’ leaf springs. Most mfr’s don’t offer CABOOSE trucks. under theirs.

The plastic axles should make those WALTHERS trucks roll better, and they are TRUE leaf springs. (Mine are).

If you just want good wheels I recomennd. Jaybee or IM. The Jaybee’s will look better since they’re weathered, not shiny. I’ve never seen a caboose with shiny wheels.

You DONT want metal axles and metal sieframes.

3

Don, you don’t state whether your C&O cabooses need roller bearings or friction
ones but there are options for both. Eastern Car Works makes a Barber-
Bettendorf caboose truck kit in plastic with friction bearings that are nice.
They come without wheelsets at all so you are free to choose a make which
suits you. Both Athearn and Atlas make roller bearing equipped caboose trucks.
Atlas’s come with metal wheels. Either may be equipped with aftermarket
wheelsets. Hope this helps.