Santa Fe Boxcar Expert Needed

OK...with a little more digging I think I answered my question.

 

In another article by Mr. Hendrickson in Model Railroad Hobbyist in May 2013, he provides excellent photos of both the two-level and one-level Dalman trucks which almost look identical except for very small steps for the outside springs on the the two-level trucks; hence the term "two-level"; whereas the springs for the one-level trucks are all on the same level.  This suggests that my photos do in deed show Bx-12s with Dalman one-level trucks.

 

What threw me off is that o scale trucks for sale on ebay are tauted as Dalman one-level trucks but unless this particular product represents some type of clone or variation of this truck, it appears to me to differ in a lot of ways from a true Dalman one-level truck.

 

Any thoughts as to why these o scale trucks are being advertised as Dalman one-level trucks but to me have little to no resemblance to the prototype? 

Link to trucks?

Bob,  

 

You might want to look at the book "Santa Fe Box Cars 1869 - 1953".  It is available from the Santa Fe Modeling and Historical Society.

 

ChipR

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BRASS-...;hash=item51bae6a96e

 

I would post a photo of the prototype but computer challenged in how to do it on this forum but the article can be found on Model Railroad Hobbyists website under the May 2013 back issue.  Photo # 29 in the article is of the prototype for the ATSF Bx-12.

 

 

 

Thanks ChipR but that particular book is "SOLDOUT" and now sells for $70 and upwards.

 

I may try to get a copy thru inter-library loan for free which has worked for me in the past.

Thanks ChipR!

Glad to see you posting.. Your encyclopedic knowledge of railroad books is great!

"Any thoughts as to why these o scale trucks are being advertised as Dalman one-level trucks but to me have little to no resemblance to the prototype? "

 

  Because it's an obscure 60 year old product so the seller probably went with what he found written on a box which might not be the correct box or might have been mis- labeled originally? Lots of old O scale trucks were manufactured by various companies over the years, some pretty nice and some pretty crude, I  had dozens of variations on my O scale cars and didn't know what 75% of them were correctly called :> I'd just go by the photo that best matches the number series of your model and use the trucks that best match it....DaveB

These particular O scale trucks are a new production but know what you mean about sellers not knowing what they are selling.  Sometimes that's to the buyers advantage.

 

Reading the product description for these particular O scale trucks more closely, the seller does cite reference material about these trucks but I checked various old articles on freight car trucks in pubs such as Railway Prototype Cyclopedia, etc. and haven't seen a Bettendorf-Dalman 70 Ton truck presented.  Even if I don't use these trucks, now I am curious to know more about them.

 

I did note that some others who have built the ATSF Bx-12 kits installed these same trucks (Bettendorf-Dalman 70 Ton) but now I am wondering if they made a mistake and didn't realize it.

 

If a true Dalman one-level truck is not available, I will default to a 1950s 50 Ton truck like the ASF A-3 ride control and call it good.  I did touch base with Protocraft and they are considering doing the Dalman one-level truck sometime in the future but nothing more definite than that.

        

"These particular O scale trucks are a new production but know what you mean about sellers not knowing what they are selling.  Sometimes that's to the buyers advantage.

 Reading the product description for these particular O scale trucks more closely, the seller does cite reference material about these trucks but I checked various old articles on freight car trucks in pubs such as Railway Prototype Cyclopedia, etc. and haven't seen a Bettendorf-Dalman 70 Ton truck presented.  Even if I don't use these trucks, now I am curious to know more about them."

 

      Ok, I found the ebay link and now I understand the question.  Apparently Dalman made their own Dalman type trucks as well as bettendorf and other types so these ebay trucks are not Dalman type but are Dalman manufactured bettendorfs. If you need two level Dalmans for that boxcar you could get some older O production trucks, can't recall if they were Keil line or Lobaugh or who but they are much cruder than those brass trucks. I'll look thru my O stuf and see if I have any left.....DaveB

I would suggest that you join the Yahoo P:48 group.  The list owner Gene posts on here occasionally but that list is probably a better place to discuss since there are quite a number of west coast O scalers on there and they likely have the same car... AND accuracy and prototype fidelity is of primary importance to most of us on there.  

 

I don't recall actually seeing either single level or two level Dalman trucks in brass.   The ones you have found labeled so on Ebay appear to be from one of the George Kohs projects that the builder absconded with. (Please fellas, no need to turn this into a love/hate Kohs discussion).

Didn't Accurate O Scale make them?

 

Allan

Gentlemen,

 

Thanks for taking the time to provide guidance...all very helpful and appreciated.

 

I will broach the question to the Yahoo P-48 Group as recommended.

 

The Bx-12s had "one-level" trucks which means all the springs were on the same level.

 

I did see another recent post on Dalman trucks and the old O scale versions are too crude for my interests.

 

As many others have probably also observed, prototype photos of cars uusally are at such a distance and/or lighting is such that the image of the trucks is to small or they are in the shadows and therefore unrecognizable as to type.  I did blow up one prototype photo and did manage to get a much better image of the trucks under at least for one Bx-12.  So making progress chasing this down.