Atlas 90 Ton Hopper Question???

[nsbob]

Karl A. of The Skally Line blog did a pictorial comparison of 33 inch FVM wheels in 100 ton trucks with 36 inch FVM wheels.  He concluded that the 33 inch wheels are more realistic because the flanges of the 33 inch wheels are the same height as prototypical 36 inch wheels.  Since the flanges are not weathered, that part of the wheel really stands out.   If you google "The Skally Line Wheel Dilemma" you can look at the comparison pictures he posted.

[MichaelWinicki]

Thanks for the heads-up on that article nsbob!

That was a good read.

The 33" wheel does look better than the 36".

[bbussey]

Or, you could use the standard FVM wheels instead of the wide-tread wheels, or use BLMA trucks and wheels, or paint the treads.

[unittrain]

These cars are quite accurate I compared the dimensions to the Bowser HO car and they match the only thing is the wheel base which can be fixed, another thing about these cars is they have good rib detail it is not too shallow, they match the Chessie 100 ton cars well.

[nkalanaga]

Back when these cars were tooled MOST manufacturers used the same truck on every freight car, usually a friction bearing truck.  Con-Cor and Kadee had roller bearings, but that was about it.  We were just glad to get a modern hopper with trucks that rolled well and stayed on the track.

For all of the complaints, these really are the "Good Old Days" in N scale.