CN Woodchip Car - Barber S-2 70-Ton Trucks

I've been trying to source parts for my various modern freight car projects, however, these are sometimes hard to find when you look for nice ones or simply hard to source when you want to buy them in bulk. Given the actual precarious conditions and given it would be foolish to count on unreliable sources, I've decided to design my own version of Barber S-2 70-Ton trucks equipped with roller bearings.

Working with photographs, drawings, NMRA standards and recommended practices and a few HO trucks from various manufacturers, it took me about half a day to come up with something both pleasing and, I hope, will be mechanically sound. I wouldn't have never believed there was so much variation with the S-2 truck family. Honestly, it seems none are born identical. For this reason, I tried to reach once again an acceptable compromise by matching my work as close as possible to what what photographed by Justin Babcock on the prototype a few years ago. Bear in mind it is highly possible this wasn't the freight car's original truck or that great discrepancies can be found among the fleet due to 40 years of maintenance and repair. However, what I design should be quite right at capturing the feel of the real thing.

The model will probably require a few adjustments after conducting rolling tests. For this reason, two designs will be tested. The first is made of two sideframes and a bolster that are glued together. The second one is a 1-part complete truck.