Atlas Ore Car Trucks

[narrowminded]

As it says, which truck belongs on the Atlas ore cars?  I received some bodies in perfect condition but with no trucks.  These are older vintage (two even have Trix cast in) that had Rapidos and pizza cutters which had been removed.  Best I could tell in pics looks like Bettendorf would be correct but just not sure.

[Kisatchie]

Atlas puts bettendorf trucks on their current ore cars, so that's what I'd go with. Except I changed my ore cars to Micro-Trains bettendorfs with short extension couplers. They couple much closer than the Accumate-equipped trucks Atlas uses.


Hmm... not much for me
to say...

[Missaberoad]

The Atlas ore cars are closest to Bessemer & Lake Erie's ore cars.



If you want a prototypical truck BLMA's 70ton ASF would be appropriate, however that opens up the complication of body mounting (and shortening the ends if you want to represent a Lake Superior car)

if you want a quick option that will work and can live with the coupling distance,  I second Kiz's advice of Micro-trains Short extension bettendorfs.

[wcfn100]

If you want a prototypical truck BLMA's 70ton ASF would be appropriate

Except for the wheelbase. Lake Superior and Michigan car had trucks with a 5' wheelbase.  Maybe someone on SW has done these. 


Jason

[Missaberoad]

I don't think the Bessemer cars had shortened trucks however...
That would be an added complication for converting them to Lake superior cars... Forgot about that...

We need someone to make a proper ore car in N!

[wcfn100]

I don't think the Bessemer cars had shortened trucks however...

Someone on a BLE group measured this car and they were 5'.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=3072502

Jason

[Missaberoad]

Good to know... I always thought that was the reason they were longer. Guess its simply that they didnt need the 24' centers. I'll have to dig out my Pat Dorin book.

I retract my comments about the BLMA trucks being correct.

[narrowminded]

Atlas puts bettendorf trucks on their current ore cars, so that's what I'd go with. Except I changed my ore cars to Micro-Trains bettendorfs with short extension couplers. They couple much closer than the Accumate-equipped trucks Atlas uses.


Hmm... not much for me
to say...

Thanks Kiz, Dee, and all who answered.   I thought I was seeing Bettendorfs but the pictures were all just shadowed enough that I couldn't be sure.  That search did show some prototypes that had newer roller bearing trucks but also roller converted trucks.  I'll stick with the Atlas decision for this one.  Also wasn't sure about fit clearance so it helps to know that it's been done successfully at least once.  It was the Micro-Trains w/ short couplers that I was leaning to but not experienced enough yet with truck swaps to be confident.  Thanks.  Anything else I should know but didn't know enough to ask?

[nkalanaga]

If you're following a prototype, go with the pictures.  If your road is freelanced, the GN used Andrews on a lot of theirs, with many keeping them into the 70s, while others had bettendorfs.  As far as I can find none of theirs had true roller bearing trucks, but other roads installed them. 

[keeper]

..., however that opens up the complication of body mounting (and shortening the ends if you want to represent a Lake Superior car)

I only did that once. It sure is a lot of work...



Thomas

[nkalanaga]

I body mounted MT 903s, the Z/Nn3 coupler, on mine.  There's enough room to set them back under the end, so you can get the cars as close as you want, and they'll still work with MT's N couplers.  Mine also have the curved ends removed, since the GN didn't have them, which allows even closer coupling.

[keeper]

I body mounted MT 903s, the Z/Nn3 coupler, on mine.  ...

I used those as well on the first and fourth car. The 4 four cars above should present a DM&IR ore car quad.
To couple them in between I used modified good ol' Rapido couplers.





Thomas 

[Atlas Paul]

As it says, which truck belongs on the Atlas ore cars?  I received some bodies in perfect condition but with no trucks.  These are older vintage (two even have Trix cast in) that had Rapidos and pizza cutters which had been removed.  Best I could tell in pics looks like Bettendorf would be correct but just not sure.

Atlas ore cars never came from Trix.  In fact, I have no evidence that Atlas ore cars were ever made anywhere but in US.

[Missaberoad]

Atlas ore cars never came from Trix.  In fact, I have no evidence that Atlas ore cars were ever made anywhere but in US.

Just for the record, The Minitrix/Aurora/Model Power cars were made by Roco and while they are based off the same prototype as the Atlas cars they are quite different.

Love your conversion @keeper! I have a couple dozen waiting similar treatment and you definitely have provided some inspiration.   

[narrowminded]

Atlas ore cars never came from Trix.  In fact, I have no evidence that Atlas ore cars were ever made anywhere but in US.

I didn't think so either but just from having seen Atlas and USA on all I did see.  Then these were given to me as part of a real purchase so I threw (placed) them in the box.  It wasn't until I was cleaning them up and deciding what I would do with them that I noticed the bottom chute area was different while ALL else seemed the same.  It was then that I noticed the Trix and Austria markings.  Assumed I just learned something everybody who's been at this a while already knew.  In these pics the Trix cars are the gray Bessemer ones.  All others are Atlas and USA.

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It appears to be from the same mold with the bottom modified to something more prototypical than a bridge piece holding the weight in. From the bottom rail up, the rest of the car and mechanism detail isn't just similar but quite exactly the same.  I wonder if the tooling might have been purchased and the details cleaned up.