Announcing 4 Wheel Lightweight Passenger Trucks
River Raisin Models and our long time builder, Boo Rim Precision, are producing the 41-HR-11 truck and two versions of the 41-N-11 truck, one with a plain drop equalizer bar, and the other with an I beam drop equalizer. The 41-HR-11 was used under more Pullman-Standard, Budd and ACF-built lightweight passenger cars than any other 4-wheel truck during and immediately following WWII. The 41-N-11 was the most popular post-war 4-wheel truck.
The features a 9-foot wheelbase, 6" x 11" roller bearings, clasp brakes and Houdaille rotary shock absorbers. As per Pat Wider's article, "Lightweight Passenger Car Trucks" in Railway Prototype Cyclopedia, Vol. 6, the 41-HR-11 was used by the following roads:
This version of the features an 8'-6" wheelbase, plain drop equalizer bar 6" x 11" Timken roller bearings, clasp brakes, Houdaille rotary shock absorber. Our truck will have Monroe Shock Absorbers. It was used by
This version of the features an 8'-6" wheelbase, I beam drop equalizer bar, Hyatt 6" x 11" roller bearings, clasp brakes, a Monroe shock absorber, and was used by There may be additional railroads that also used this type truck. Pat Wider's Railway Prototype Cyclopedia article "Lightweight Passenger Car Trucks" states that "trucks with I-Beam equalizers became the more popular truck beginning in 1948.
Other roads, notably theused the earlier and nearly identical, 41-HR or the 41-N truck, which used slightly smaller 5 1/2" x 10" roller bearings. The 41-HR and 41-N trucks are indistinguishable from the versions that we are building.
Some years ago, Mainline Modeler published a one-page truck chart showing which railroads used which trucks. Click to view.
If you would like a detailed listing of each road's passenger truck usage, click to view Pat Wider's 5-page sleeper car listing.
If you would like to really learn more about the various 4-wheel, lightweight truck types produced during the late 30s through the 1950s, click to read an excerpt from Pat Wider's article, "Lightweight Passenger Car Trucks." When reading Pat's article, you'll notice that there are several truck designs almost identical to the 41-HR-11 and 41-N-11. These include the They're difficult to tell apart. You be the judge.
Another valuable resource is the 15 volume set of "The Official Pullman-Standard Library."
Finally, if your looking to put some well detailed, sprung, equalized trucks under your American Models lightweight passenger cars, the correct replacement truck is the 41-N-11.
These trucks will be constructed in brass with stainless steel wheelsets and will be fully sprung, fully equalized, with a swing hanger mechanism. Available in black, silver or unpainted. The 41-N-11 will also be available in Enchantment Blue for the C&O and Pere Marquette.
To order your trucks, click to bring up a printable order form.
Builder's photos and dimensional drawings courtesy of The Pullman Library, Norfolk & Western Historical Society Archives, the National Museum of Transport, Pat Wider, Roger Lewis (Wasatch Models), Norm Buckhart (Protocraft), Bob Hundman, Jamie Bothwell and Bill Lane. A special thanks goes to Mr. Ed Hawkins.
Photos of Production Models
Southern Pacific Railroad P-10 4-6-2 Pacifics
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway F-17 Pacifics
Chesapeake & Ohio Railway F-19 Pacifics
A separate page was created for the Pacifics. It is located under the "Past Projects" tab.
River Raisin Models and
Boo Rim Precision
discuss future plans.
Dan Navarre and SeHo Jang, the owner of Boo Rim Precision, behind the display table at the O/S West Train Show in California, February, 2012. Both proudly showing off the new USRA 0-6-0 production samples recently built by the Master Craftsmen at Boo Rim Precision.
Email - riverraisinmodels..at..gmail.com