All --
Jace mentioned that the SHS Bettendorfs are PRR type. But SHS makes the more
generic Betts as well as the PRR type. I have both types.
Kinsman (John Blois) re-ran the Northeastern trucks under the Kinsman name when
the supply of NE trucks ran out. He had to run an equal number of Andrews and
Betts because the die was set up for one Bettendorf sideframe, one Andrews
sideframe, one bolster, and one spring plank. Four shots got you a pair of
each. The Kinsman truck shots were defective in that mold fill was incomplete.
This caused one journal cover, on the Bettendorf sideframe as I recall, to be
mostly missing. Thankfully, I have lots of NE trucks but no defective
Kinsmans. Got rid of them.
For you purist scale collecters out there, there were two versions of the
Northeastern trucks. Early ones had journals that stuck out too far laterally.
Later ones had this corrected. You can easily see the difference looking down
on them, but it's not noticeable from the side.
Culp Bros. made their own trucks under their own name, different from the NE
versions. Culps were somewhat beefier. They came in both coil and leaf spring
versions. (The leaf springs were spring brass.) These were cast zamac with
ribs on the back surface. They roll pretty well becaust the axles are
shouldered, and the stubs that fit into the journal holes are very small
diameter. The Culp Andrews truck, commonly called a "tender truck," is
extremely close to the longer-wheelbase Benner's Crown truck used on PRR Class
H21 and H22 hopper cars. I have managed to accumulate enough of these to equip
my Keith Thompson/BTS PRR hopper fleet. Culp's Bettendorf is indeed a Dahlman.
I'm fascinated by Brother Werre's Suburban trailing truck being a Culp Andrews.
Mine was a Culp Bettendorf! I replaced mine with a regauged Kemtron On3 Forney
trailing truck.
Claud Wade modified the Culp Andrews truck to use as a pattern for USRA tender
trucks. He added integral rigid leaf-springs. Actual coil springs were behind
the leaf casting, allowing the trucks to be sprung.
The Mobley Library has all the "3/16 'S'cale Railroading" issues, including
Kent
Singer's excellent series on S scale trucks. I am still the NASG Librarian for
another 14 days, so I you are an NASG member and you hurry you can get a copy.
If you're a non-member you can still have a copy but it'll cost you an extra $3
non-member fee.
Dick Karnes
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