Page 93 - 39. MRH13-05-May2013
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70: Here Timken roller bearings were fitted into
an otherwise standard AAR self-aligning spring-
plankless double-truss truck.
70
the hot box problem, and once larger numbers of them were in
interchange service, many railroads began equipping all their
new freight cars with roller bearings.
Continued use of plain journal trucks
Though the use of roller bearing freight car trucks increased
rapidly in the early 1960s, well over a million cars remained in
service with plain journal trucks. Intensive efforts were made
to improve lubrication so that these cars would run for longer
distances between journal box oiling and also be less prone to
hot boxes. In the 1950s, a variety of patented lubricators and
waste packing retainers were introduced which at least par-
tially accomplished this objective, and by the 1960s most cars
in interchange service were equipped with one or another of
these devices. Thus improved, large numbers of plain journal
trucks continued in service for many years and the last of them
were not outlawed in interchange until the 1980s.
HO scale freight car trucks
I am reluctant to describe the available HO scale trucks
because the list of what is available keeps changing as model
Freight Car Trucks - 25
71
71: An ASF A-3 Ride Control truck reconfigured with
pedestal jaws instead of journal boxes to accept
Hyatt roller bearings.
manufacturers continue to introduce new freight car trucks.
The solution has been to put a description on the Internet
which can be revised as often as necessary to keep it cur-
rent. That description can be found at:
There is also a good description of available N scale
trucks at:
although I can't say whether it will be kept current.
MRH-May 2013
