I got a Thoroughbred train set this weekend and I found the caboose bogies can spin 360 degrees which makes it the most difficult car to get on rail as they can literally sideways if you are not holding both in place with your fingers. None of the other cars in the set or the other rolling stock I bought from either Bachmann, or another brand has bogies that spin they are usually stopped by the coupler housing. So is that normal for the caboose bogies to spin like that?
That is normal...but here's Your answer
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When I am putting any car on the track, I normally hold both of the trucks. I don't just put it down on the track and hope it sits right.
The caboose also has plastic wheels that I want to replace, I assume they are 36" but is there a way to tell for sure?
Note absolute, but general guidelines for freight car wheels would be:
28" diameter - Modern auto racks (to lower the clearance for existing tunnels and overpasses).
33" diameter - Cars with a capacity of 70 tons or less (and most cabooses).
36" diameter - Covered hoppers, tank cars, gondolas, and other cars with a capacity of 100 and 110 tons.
38" diameter - Intermediate wheels on articulated 125-ton capacity well cars (the end trucks have 33″-diameter wheels).
Len
Historically freight cars had 33 inch wheels and passenger cars had 36 inch wheels. Modern freight cars added more variables as per the post further back.
33" was the right size for caboose, and the other two cars that came in the RTR set. And they all roll far smoother and feel much better with the added weight.