Silly question: Keeping boxcar doors closed

[Yog-Sothoth]

Is there an easy way to keep Lionel boxcar doors from drifting open during operation? Hopefully something non-destructive - I'd rather not glue them shut.


Ahrr
[oX)]

[Anonymous]

Take the body off and use tape on the inside to hold the doors.

Dennis

[Anonymous]

No, it's not a silly question. I don't understand why my new Lionel boxcar doors won't stay closed while my postwar Lionel 6464s will stay closed.
Dennis, have you tried the tape inside the boxcars? Thanks

[nitroboy]

You can cut a toothpick the size of the empty door guide and drop it in. This is the easiest I think.

[Roger Bielen]

I've used a small drop of rubber cement in the track, it's easy to remove and leaves no sign of having been there.

[spankybird]

Hi yog - sothoth

I notice this was your first posting.

Welcome to the form [#welcome]

Try this. Put a small piece of molding clay in the track of the door. That should stop it form opening and can be remove with a small pin.


tom

[Buckeye Riveter]

Welcome aboard Yog-Sothoth [#welcome][#welcome]

Now that everyone has told you ways to keep the doors closed, I would like to suggest something a little different. [:D][:D] Keep one door open on a boxcar and place a hobo figure inside. [8D] Use a little tape or maybe a drop of rubber cement to keep him in place. Roger is right, rubber cement can easliy be removed without damage.

[ChiefEagles]

I used black sealing tape that comes in a rope type roll. Pinch of a tiny piece and stick in the corner. Door can be oened and closed. Resticks The stuff I use is like you wrap electrical splices in. A tiny pinch will do.

[Anonymous]

I have also used a small drop of clear silcon.
I have not had any problems with stains or leaving marks.
Also it is easy to remove. I use it to keep the people standing on other hard surfaces too. Hope this helps.
[#welcome][#welcome]

[SPFan]

Depending on how much clearance there is between the door and the guide you could simply use thin paper strips wedged behind the door at the bottom. I'd think something like a business card might be about the right thickness.
Pete

[brianel027]

Welcome Yog! Instead of using the toothpicks, I use small pieces of cut brass pipe in the bottom metal track of the box car.

But on box cars that do not have a bottom metal track I've used 2 methods. One is to make a "nub" using a couple drops of glue on the inside of the box car door closest to the edge facing the direction the door opens. This allows the door to open, yet keeps it from vibrating open.

On cars I custom paint, I use the above idea but use a small piece of styrene glued to the inside of the box car door.

I have also used (as mentioned above) a small piece of tape on the inside of the door on the edge closest to the side the box car door opens to.

I also like to keep one door open as I have some custom accessories to load box cars. I also put actual wood floors inside all my box cars with a wood plank pattern drawn with a ball-point pen. Even the simplest of details can go a long way to improving the looks of a less-than-scale detailed car.

The other

[dougdagrump]

brian,
can you provide a little more detail on the flooring?

[brianel027]

Sure Dougdagrump, I use mostly 1/32 thick basswood... it stays together well without the easy splitting like balsa wood. On box cars with sheet metal frames, there is no pre-pred work. On box cars with plastic frames such as the Industrial Rail, and especially the newer Lionel ones where the same frame is also used on the operating "peek-a-boo" box cars, you'll need to use a Dremel and grind down those nubs and bumps so you have a smooth surface.

Anyways I cut a piece of basswood to the width of whatever frame I'm using. I make the length of the piece just a couple inches longer than the edge of each side of the door opening... I think usually around 4-1/2 to 5-1/2 inches long. You don't need to waste wood as you won't be able to see a floor covering the entire inside of the box car anyways.

Using a black ball point pen and a ruler, I draw a plank board pattern on the piece of basswood with the grain of the wood. Then using 3M brand (or others) Carpet Tape I cut a piece of the tape (with razor and straight edge on a piece of glass) and I put the double side sticky Carpet Tape on the fake wood floor. Then peel off the backing and place this centered onto the box car frame.

Then while I have the shell off the frame, I usually make some "load stoppers" out of scrap foam core board. I cut pieces that gently wedge right into the shell of the box car. These are placed, again just 1-1/2 to 2 inches aways from the door opening. I have an operating fork lift truck that loads box cars with wood crates. These foam core board pieces keep the loads from going all over in the box cars - and makes the loads much easier to get out of the car.

[dougdagrump]

Thanks, Brian
Even if you don't put a load in the doorway it makes the boxcar more lifelike. The doors can be left open or closed. Thanks again

[Yog-Sothoth]

Thanks for all the welcomes & the various suggestions! I am surprised that this is such a universal problem - I thought I must be doing something wrong.

Yog
[oX)]

[Anonymous]

Dear Yog,
Welcome to the forums! I had one other idea pop into my head: use magnets, one placed on the door and the other on the inside wall of the boxcar. You might not be able to open the door to its fullest extent, but depending on your operations this could be better than rubber cement.

I hope I have helped,
Daniel

[Anonymous]

I have added a dab of black playdough in the door track(s)to keep them closed or open.