Postwar Couplers

[pennsy_fan]

gentlemen,
what is the best way to re-attach postwar couplers to the trucks? My post-war 6462 gondola fell victim to an over zealous engineer & popped the rivett that holds the knuckle coupler head onto the truck........

[Big_Boy_4005]

My guess is that you are talking about one of the ones with the diecast coupler body with the pin that goes through the hole in the sheet metal. I just went downstairs and found one to examine how it colud be fixed.

The easiest solution is to find a junker car and replace the entire coupler unit. That can be done by bending the sheet metal tabs on the 4 corners that are wrapped around the axels.

Another possibility would be to epoxy the old one back on.

I have some more ideas, but those two are the easiest ones I can think of. The others involve drilling and tapping more disassembly. Best bet is find a different one. By the way, while I was trying to figure this out, I accidentally broke the one I was tinkering with.[#oops][censored][(-D][(-D][(-D][swg]

[SPFan]

I have used epoxy a number of times, specifically JB Weld which is a very strong metal filled epoxy.
Just make sure to thoroughly clean off any oil residue with alcohol or brake cleaner beforehand.

Pete

[pennsy_fan]

Thanks for the input,gentlemen (sorry you broke your coupler, BigBoy). I will try the epoxy approach.I was pondering my soldering iron but epoxy might be a better fix HAPPY EASTER!![dinner][8D][:D][:D]

[ben10ben]

You might also want to replace the whole truck with a Lionel die-cast sprung truck available for $13/pair. They mount readily in place of the original couplers, although you may need to use a couple of washers to keep them from scraping the bottom of the car if the coupler mounts are sunk into the frame of the car.

This is my prefered solution when I encounter a stubborn or broken postwar coupler, although I do like those postwar trucks.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by pennsy_fan

Thanks for the input,gentlemen (sorry you broke your coupler, BigBoy). I will try the epoxy approach.I was pondering my soldering iron but epoxy might be a better fix HAPPY EASTER!![dinner][8D][:D][:D]

Thanks Pennsy_fan, it was no big deal. I won't be running any of that kind of stuff anyway. Beside, it was a spare, and I have plenty of junkers around if it wasn't. [swg]

I don't think solder will stick to the casting, so that may not be an option. It is the fact that the casting is brittle, and not steel that got US into this trouble in the first place.

"STICK" with epoxy. ([sigh][(-D][(-D][(-D]sorry, I had to say that)

[lionelsoni]

You can solder zinc, but I find it very difficult and frustrating. I would drill and tap.

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by lionelsoni

You can solder zinc, but I find it very difficult and frustrating. I would drill and tap.

I guess I agree that drilling and tapping would be the ULTIMATE solution, in order to ensure that it never happened again on that car.

The question is, does Pennsy fan have the tools and want to take the time to do that, or will the quick fix of gluing be sufficient. Keep in mind, that the glue joint will not be pulling the weight of the train, since the pin on the casting should still go through the hole in the sheet metal. The glue will just hold the coupler down in place. Of course, I'm guessing here that the entire pin didn't shear off, only the part that was rolled over forming the rivet like connection.

If the entire pin was lost, that makes a much better argument for drilling and tapping, or of course, replacement.

[lionelsoni]

I suppose you could also drill a clearance hole through the drawbar and countersink the bottom for a flathead screw. However, I don't have a truck here to verify whether there would be any problem with that.

[Big_Boy_4005]

I don't think that would be necessary, because the sheet metal holding the knuckle pin is formed in a channel. There is room for a screw head in this application, so a simple round head screw should work.