Trucks by American Models #844S - Budd

Key Info

Model Manufacturer:

American Models (click for web site)

Category:

passenger car

Name:

Budd

Bearings:

roller

Prototype Manufacturer:

Budd Company

Wheelbase:

Model Info

Intended For:

scale

Manufacturer ID:

844S

Sprung:

yes

Equalized:

Truck Material:

plastic

Truck Finish:

molded in color

Wheels:

33"

Insulated:

single-wheel

Finish:

blackened

Material:

steel

Model Notes:

They are available in black or silver.

The model has the requisite brake cylinder and shock strut, but no torsion bar. It suffers from two problems that are easily rectified. Its brake cylinder points in the wrong direction. Most scale modelers will want to replace the truck-mounted dummy couplers with Kadee body-mounted couplers. Doing this allows one to cut the coupler mount off the truck and rotate the truck 180 degrees; problem solved! The springs are too stiff, preventing them from compressing under the weight of the car. The result is that the equalizer rides too low with respect to the rigid portion of the truck.

Original.

Modified, with softer springs. Also shown are 0.060" styrene shims between each journal retainer and the journal above it to create a more realistic look to the journals' relative position, although at the result of the truck's springing action being much stiffer.