In my video “Breathe New Life Into Old Freight Cars”, I deliberately glossed over the details of painting and weathering the trucks to keep the video reasonably short. Not only that, but as viewer Ravenbow pointed out, I utterly failed to provide any links to the products I used.
I’ve been gratified by the overwhelming response to that video, which leads me to believe that many modelers are still interested in this sort of project. This short video is an attempt to expand on my methods.
Bettendorf trucks? Or roller bearing trucks?
Bettendorf trucks, like all of the trucks that preceded them, used solid axles held inside a rectangular journal box. The axle was surrounded by packing (or stuffing) which was usually cloth waste, wool waste, or even old rags. The packing was then soaked with oil until a pool of oil formed on the bottom of the journal box. As oil leaked out of the journal bearing, it was replaced by oil wicking up from this reservoir. Train crews routinely added oil to the journal boxes on their trains. When the reservoir ran dry, the bearing overheated, started to smoke, and In some cases caught fire. (Note: preliminary evidence indicated that it was an overheated roller bearing that caused the derailment in East Palestine in early 2023.) Solid bearings were prohibited for interchange service starting in 1994.
Roller bearing trucks were first used in the 1920s, but did not see common use until the 1940s. The first uses of roller bearing trucks were on passenger cars and on locomotive and tender wheels. These were enclosed bearings, unlike modern open bearings, which can be seen rotating as the wheel rolls. The modern style open roller bearing became predominant in the first half of the 1960s.
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Links to items mentioned in this video. (Note: I am NOT endorsing any particular product(s), nor am I compensated by or connected to any of the companies mentioned.) I do NOT guarantee that these links will give you the best available price! Consider these links to be a starting point for your search.
Truck sideframes: accurailinc.co... Use either Bettendorf or Roller Bearing. Parts number 164/165 (12 pair), 154/155 (50 pair), or 151/152 (100 pair). Note the 50 pair and 100 pair packs are available only from Accurail.
Truck tuner: www.micromark.... The tool shown in this video is from Reboxx and is no longer available. All of the online comments I have seen indicate that the MicroMark tool is superior.
Metal wheelsets:www.intermount... The website provides excellent guidance on selecting wheel diameter. I model freight traffic in the 1950s, so I use 33” wheels almost exclusively.
Microbrushes: www.micromark.... I use the Fine size for painting wheelsets, but as long as you’re placing an online order, buy 100 of each size - you will finds dozens of uses!
Model Master acrylic paint is no longer in production. Try Vallejo or Tru-Color paints for similar colors.
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This video was edited using Shotcut for Linux. Video footage and still images were recorded using a Galaxy A10e phone and a Nikon D7100 camera.
26 авг 2024
