N Scale moving towards standardized axle lengths?

[Mark5]

I saw this that Bryan posted in another thread:

All Affa-designed trucks use the .540" axle length.  That covers all FVM trucks; all BLMA trucks; all TWX trucks; all WOT freight trucks; all EXR trucks; ESM trucks on X58 boxcar, GSC well car and post-2013 XIH boxcar releases; ATL, ATH and IMRC trucks on new-tooling models with body-mounted couplers and metal wheels.

Not sure who Affa is, but standardized axle length probably is a good thing.

MTL is .540 too, right?

Mark

[bbussey]

Affa Technology is a major contractor in China, and they produce the bulk of the newer N scale models today. The ACF A-3, ACF Ride Control, Barber S-2, Milwaukee caboose truck, and the new leaf spring truck on the B&O wagontop caboose are all their tooling.

The new Bettendorf T-Frame and the Andrews trucks that Bachmann is tooling and using on their newer higher-end rolling stock, I don't remember if they use .540" length axles.

Yes, the MTL axle length is .540".

[Mark5]

Thanks Bryan,

Nice to see Atlas moving away from the longer .553 axles.

[nkalanaga]

If Affa is making most of the newer N trucks, do they own the tooling, or the importers?

If they own the tooling, it would be nice to have them sell all of the trucks as aftermarket parts.  MT trucks are nice, and I have a lot of them, but a second "full line" supplier would be handy, and competition is good for innovation.

[prbharris]

a second "full line" supplier would be handy, and competition is good for innovation.

I agree - and very useful for modelers who build their own cars - and N Scale Kits cars too! Having a range of different trucks would be very significant. It is disappointing that most of the trucks cannot be purchased as a spares or parts - even when they are very different styles.

This also applies to European modelers - we are trying to source an N Scale Wagon-Union truck for a particular US car - available from two European manufacturers, but neither sell them as spares, or even as OEM parts.

Peter

Peter Harris
N Scale Kits
www.nscalekits.com

[nkalanaga]

I certainly don't wish MT any bad luck, as I still think they make the best couplers in N scale, but all it would take would be one incident to really disrupt N scale truck and coupler supplies.  As far as I know they're the only company selling aftermarket N body mount knuckle couplers, and the only one with a broad range of trucks.  Wheels are no problem today, as many companies sell good ones, in metal and plastic, but they're not much use without the truck frames.

[Mark5]

I'm hoping that Atlas will gets their parts department stocked again, and make all the trucks available.

On the body mount side, Atlas could leap ahead and offer body mount coupler pockets - both standard and at least one extended (cushion frame) coupler pockets.

(MTL, are you listening?)

Mark

[Bob Horn]

Mark, I second that, I have been trying to get a replacement truck for a new release tanker (did not have coupler or cover plate) since about Nov. Now I need a truck for the artic auto carriers. I am not very happy with the "clone" trucks from Athearn, they are noisey, the trip pin will spin around 180 degrees, just seem crude. Bob.

[jagged ben]

It's amazing to me that MTL has never offered an extended cushion draft gear that is properly sized to mount to the same holes as the 1025, 1027, etc.

[nkalanaga]

Especially since the 1025 draft gear is quite close to the right size for an extended draft gear.  All they would have to do is add some material to the rear of the cover plate, thick enough to simulate the center sill, and they could reuse the existing draft gear box and coupler.  I've done that on many cars using 0.01 inch brass strip, with the 1025 and a wood or styrene filler behind it, but a drop-in replacement would be ideal.

If they didn't want to mess with the existing 1025 tooling, they could make just the new cover plate/filler piece, overlong, and the modeler could replace the cover plate on a standard 1025.  Cut the filler to length, and attach to the car.  The cover plate would have a pin that would press fit into the center post of the draft gear, so no visible screw would be needed.  On non-MT cars the filler could be cut to match the car.  On MT cars there would be a pin on top for the outer underframe mounting hole, and the mounting screw would go into the inner hole, nearest the bolster, avoiding the coupler.  Cut the pin off, if desired, for non-MT cars.

It would be even easier to use the 1015, as it's shorter, and there would be more room for the screw to clear the coupler.  But it would also need an entirely new draft gear, as the existing one is too thick to look right.  There's no reason a 1015 wouldn't work in the thinner draft gear, so that's an equally viable option.

An all new draft gear could be made to look more prototypical, but it would probably also need more design work, which means higher costs, for MT and us,