# Roller Bearing trucks?



## dsertdog56 (Oct 26, 2014)

Not sure if the lingo is right for this, but I was going to add some fresh trucks to an old Caboose I rebuilt. I realized I had purchased roller bearing trucks. The Caboose has older Bettendorf/AAR type trucks.

I remember my on my dads old layout he had some box cars that said roller bearing equipped. I also remember him telling me that roller bearings for rolling stock trucks were a new thing back in the day.

So I'm wondering what year roller bearing trucks came out on full size railroads?


----------



## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

as far as i know .. timken introduced the first prototype in the mid 40's , but their use was mandated on all new construction cars in the US around 1963 or so ...


----------



## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

The first Timken Roller bearings were used on
railroad cars in 1925.

Here's the Timken history:

http://www.timken.com/en-us/about/Pages/Timeline.aspx

Don


----------



## dsertdog56 (Oct 26, 2014)

Did a little research on my own and found this...

http://mrr.trains.com/~/media/import/files/pdf/4/c/c/mr_pi_5-06_freightcartrucks.ashx

Good reading. I changed a couple sets of truck around and put the roller bearing trucks on my caboose.


----------



## spoil9 (Dec 24, 2008)

Just remember that most cabooses had leaf springs and not coil springs.


----------



## Chet (Aug 15, 2014)

Thanks for bringing up that cabooses did have leaf springs. This is a wood kit I put together about 25 years ago. I believe that the leaf springs came from Walthers.


----------

