I just picked up a 5 unit Thrall well car set. They seem to ride very high compared to the HO models. Has anyone attempted to lower these yet?
Not only are these high riders, but they have a bit of a sawtooth contour: one end of each car rides slightly higher than the other. It's very straightforward to lower these a bit by filing the bolsters down, but it also helps to thin the upper and lower hoops of the articulated joint to lower the inner portions and alleviate the sawtooth effect. Here is an almost eye-level shot that shows how low I got them with MT 1035's (and 1036's for the articulated trucks). It may not be quite as low as the prototype, but it looks a lot better.
Unfortunately I don't have pictures (yet), but what I did with one of these was buy Kato 125-ton trucks, remove the top parts from the trucks, and drill a hole in the middle of them for some 3/32 (outside diameter) aluminum tube (IIRC), which slipped in as a press fit. With a little filing of the holes on the walther's connections, and a little more filing as Gary described, I got similar results to his. I also had to file away a bit of the bolster underneath, and some of the thick surface underneath the end platforms (which isn't prototypical) to make room for the axles and 38" wheels, respectively. I do suggest a Dremel and proper carbide cutters for doing in this way.
Ben - I'd be curious to see pictures of your 125T truck installation. I thought about trying something like that but the idea of paying $5 a truck and then having to modify them quite a bit gave me pause. But it is a pretty distinctive feature... Maybe BLMA will come forth with a 125T truck and 38" wheels.
Thanks guys, I took a good look at them and it looks like an easy fix as you described, and I didnt notice the "sawtooth" profile that Gary mentioned until I put the set on a long straight section of track and indeed it`s there...
