Trucks roll too freely.

[billwv]

Hi All,

I have some HO Kadee Hoppers with trucks that are so free rolling, that at the slightest dip in the trackwork they roll away when being pushed--even my Kadee Box cars do not do this. These dips are nearly imperceptable and would be difficult to correct at this point.

Is there an easy way to make these trucks less free rolling?

Thanks for your comments.

Bill

 

[sidetracked]

ok,, this is going to sound really stupid,,, but you might try a little grease on the axle,,, I dont think you can get enough to make any difference but then again it shouldnt take much,,,,, If that sounded too stupid it wasnt my ideal,,,,,,, let us know what you come up with,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,,,, st

 

[Jim Krause]

That's just good quality Kadee trucks for you. First time I've ever heard this complaint. I don't know of anything short of replacing the Kadee wheel sets with junker plastic. You could spray the wheels with some paint or put a mixture of dirt and heavy oil on the journals. Maybe some lint and cat hair would help too. These suggestions are tongue-in-cheek by the way, based on all of the things people usually find when they are trying to get their trucks to roll. I would say be happy and buy more Kadee trucks.

 

[sidetracked]

I will be glad to send you some dog hair,,, might even work better than cat hair,,, ,,,,, ,,,,, st

 

[shaygetz]

Slice the last couple coils off of a Kadee coupler spring then place it between the point and the bearing on the end of one axle. This creates a friction brake retarder that will keep it from rolling too freely. Add or subtract coils as needed.

 

[billwv]

Thanks Guys for the replies,

I like the paint idea, and I also like the spring coil idea. I'll experiment more.

In order to engender, possibility, a little more sympathy; let me explain a little more:

I have 11 Kadee Frieght cars with Kadee trucks. Only two of them exhibit this behavior. So, the difference is very slight. Also, the car runs away only very slightly and only when being pushed very slowly; but its enough to cause the couplers to hook up again when they were in the push position.

I am, however, happy that others are not having this problem, since it is frustrating.

Thanks, again,

Bill

 

[nhguy]

You can always use a Kadee coupler spring and bend out the spring ends. Cut off the excess near the hole and screw them to one side of the truck bolster, Then make the spring arms into 'wipers' on the back of each wheel on one truck. This should act as a brake.

 

[billwv]

Thanks to all who replied,

Problem solved: As a variation on the spring coil idea, I pulled some insulation off some 18ga wire and cut off a sliver. This made a nice rubber gasket to place in the journal box and cause a little friction. Works very well.

Bill

 

[Gary S.]

Problem solved: As a variation on the spring coil idea, I pulled some insulation off some 18ga wire and cut off a sliver. This made a nice rubber gasket to place in the journal box and cause a little friction. Works very well.

Excellent idea!

I have been thinking about this same issue, except in relation to uncoupling magnets. This could be a fix to the random uncoupling of cars when pulling a train over a magnet. If each car has a little friction, it will keep pressure on the couplers and not allow any slack, and hence no unwanted uncoupling.

Since my trains won't be any longer than 12 cars, I figure the added friction won't be that big of a load on the locos.

 

[60103]

Way back when, Kadee/MicroTrains supplied a little spring for the axle ends. The idea ws to put that on a caboose axle to provide deag to keep the couplings together over the magnets. IIRC it was a conical coil to match the pointy end.

I was operating one layout and I'd brought over a caboose. When I uncoupled it in the upper yard, it took off backwards and ran down a helix and into the next town.

 

[msowsun]

At my club layout we have a similar problem, but only in the winter. Most of our yards and industries are dead flat, but we have a large overhead gas fired furnance that heats the building. Everytime it cuts in, the free rolling cars below it go for a ride. In this photo you can see the furnace in the upper righthand corner.

 

[shortliner]

A cure for free-rollers is a bit of foam rubber jammed between the axle and the top of the truck - just supplies the little bit of friction needed