I had a little bit of Jeff time this weekend, so I headed to the train bench to work on something. I chose to see if I could put BLMA friction bearing trucks on an Intermountain 53' 6" flatcar. I remember reading this was not a simple truck replacement. I turned a flatcar over and quickly realized what the issue was. The IM truck has a small hole in it, and the BLMA hole is too large for the mounting post on the car. I decided to take an MTL bushing from a replacement truck kit (the one that is used for Con Cor under frames) to see if it could be used to allow the use of the BLMA truck. I first removed the IM roller bearing truck. I then held the MTL bushing in a pair of pliers and enlarged the hole with a 3/32 drill bit. I drilled slowly, backing out every quarter or half turn as to not break the bushing. Once I drilled through it, the bushing fit over the IM truck post. Next, I cut the narrow end off the bushing. I then put this over the IM truck post. The BLMA truck is now put over the post/bushing combo. The bushing eliminates the slop, and the BLMA truck rotates freely. Finally, I dipped the IM screw in a little Walther's Goo and reattached it. I did this because the IM screw cannot be snugged down, or it prevents the truck from rotating. This occurs with the original truck or this replacement option. This fix does not take very long, and it allows the correct trucks to be added. Thanks.
Jeff
