ESM wheelsets .540" axle length out of stock until early-November

[bbussey]

We have only a handful of European dealers and none of them carry the product line.  Best option is to ask them to carry the product.

[nkalanaga]

Chris333:  That is my source as well.  Hopefully their "ample shipment" will cover your order as well.

Bryan:  Thank you!  I'll wait with my next order, which should finish re-equipping all of my in-service cars.  In between I need to get some work done on my (full-size) auto!  After the ins-service cars are done, I have a bunch of loose trucks I'd like to upgrade, and then stockpile some.  Basically what I did with Precision Masters plastic wheels, which worked very well, when I was getting rid if the pizza cutters.

I wonder if there's a market for a few thousand, mostly lightly used, PM wheels?

The best rolling trucks I've found are Micro-Trains frames with ESM wheels.  Has anyone suggested to MT that they sell frames without the wheels?  Throwing away the plastic wheels seems like a waste of my money, their work, and the world's resources.
 

[SirTainly]

Might be worth some of us UK guys doing a joint order to split the postage?

[peteski]

I wonder if there's a market for a few thousand, mostly lightly used, PM wheels?

Probably the best is to post them for sale in the Trading Post section. Someone might want them (even is they want to use them as scenery or gondola loads).

[nkalanaga]

That might be the best, if I decide to get rid of them.  So far I haven't given it much thought, much less made any decisions. 

[nkalanaga]

I think part of the reason the trucks aren't selling that well is that there aren't many cars that use the low bolsters, and those that do tend to have good trucks to start with.

I know, they can be used to lower MT cars, but I suspect a lot of modelers lower theirs the way I did, with a file, then reuse the existing trucks.

[bbussey]

The existing trucks don’t line up with the bolster plates on most of the models. On others, the trucks need to be rotated 180 degrees to have a better orientation. They used to align properly back in the Kadee era, but the tooling has evolved numerous times and the offset bolster holes got lost in the revisions.

Also, I discovered recently that the ride height on the original 20000-series tooling was correct. If you couple one of the original lead-paint boxcars to a current “lowered underframe” release, they ride at the same height.

[bbussey]

I was mistaken on the shipment date.  Everything is leaving the factory on October 10, so early/mod November availability.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Trainworx makes offset bolster, underslung trucks but they have long run out of the 100T version. I really wish these were more available as I need a ton to convert MTL covered hoppers and other cars.

I'll keep buying the ESM trucks as I need them. I used a bunch of the silver trucks for my UP cars and have been using the boxcar red ones a lot lately too.

[bbussey]

Trainworx makes offset bolster, underslung trucks but they have long run out of the 100T version. I really wish these were more available as I need a ton to convert MTL covered hoppers and other cars.

I'll keep buying the ESM trucks as I need them. I used a bunch of the silver trucks for my UP cars and have been using the boxcar red ones a lot lately too.

The new MTL center-bolster-hole 100-ton truck doesn't work?  Seems that would be the best option to both lower MTL 100-ton models and have the trucks properly spaced.

[ai5629]

Trainworx makes offset bolster, underslung trucks but they have long run out of the 100T version. I really wish these were more available as I need a ton to convert MTL covered hoppers and other cars.

I'll keep buying the ESM trucks as I need them. I used a bunch of the silver trucks for my UP cars and have been using the boxcar red ones a lot lately too.

The Trainworx 100 ton trucks do have an offset bolster, but they are not underslung.  I have a few dozen pairs, and the bolster is even with the top of the side frame.  I asked Pat about producing an underslung version, and he said BLMA does that.  I explained the bolster hole is centered on those, and I got a deer-in-the-headlights look from him.  MTL talked about an offset bolster underslung 100 ton truck several years ago, and still nothing.  Thanks.

Jeff

[tehachapifan]

I remember getting a detailed answer from I think Joe at MTL about the reason/purpose for an offset bolster but now I can't remember the reason. What is it again?

[nkalanaga]

More room for the truck-mounted couplers.  The offset hole allowed the bolster to be moved back, while the truck was in  the right place visually.

[tehachapifan]

More room for the truck-mounted couplers.  The offset hole allowed the bolster to be moved back, while the truck was in  the right place visually.

Ah, yes! Thanks!

[bbussey]

Except that over the decades the hole in the diecast bolsters were changed to centered or the bolsters were relocated, and newer models were tooled with centered bolster holes. This is evident by the trucks being out of alignment with the bolster plates and jack plates on the sides of the bodies. Now that MTL had migrated to body-mounted couplers, they should switch to centered truck bolster holes.

The only 70-ton truck styles with centered bolster holes are the medium-extended, originally tooled for the brakewheel end of the drop-end gondolas so that the coupler pocket would clear the brakewheel hardware and fulcrum, instead of just the end yoke.