Atlas TOPGON Trucks

[ljudice]

Hi @Atlas Paul or others in the know...

Are the TopGon trucks a standard part or something special?

I noticed tonight they work well on Athearn Coalporters - narrowing the car-car gap,  filling in between the truck and the tub and slightly lowering the car.

Thanks!

[Atlas Paul]

Standard Atlas 100 Ton truck with Accumate couplers - same thing that BLMA used every time they produced the Top-Gons.

[ljudice]

Thanks, Paul...

[nkalanaga]

BLMA didn't use BLMA trucks? 

[Atlas Paul]

BLMA didn't use BLMA trucks?

When Craig created the TopGon, the BLMA trucks didn't exist.  Because of the bolster design, the Atlas trucks continued to be used.

[nkalanaga]

That makes sense...  Thank you!

The TopGons are too modern for my railroad, but I have a bunch of the Atlas 100-ton trucks, mostly under hoppers and covered hoppers.

[Robbman]

When I designed the TopGon (BLMAs first freight car, I hadn't designed the BLMA trucks until the second freight car (PS-4000)), I recall we used a slightly different version of the Atlas 100T truck, one that had just come out on the Evans gons.  It had a shorter coupling distance than the other 100T Atlas trucks.  I believe this version is now standard... but it's something to look out for if you're swapping trucks from older or different cars

[nkalanaga]

All of my cars have body mount couplers, and the Atlas trucks had the couplers removed, but thank you for the heads-up.

[ljudice]

Thanks for that info....

What I have found however is there is an even better alternative - the Kato 100T truck with some minor mods to the truck and car ends.

I will post some photos, but I think its the best solution short of bodymounting.

[ljudice]