Repairing a 3454 Automatic Merchandise Car

[Civil War]

dsmith

 Here is a video of my Lionel Postwar 3454 Operating Merchandise Car unloading boxes and 3562 Operating Barrel Car unloading barrels.  The Merchandise car is a bit finicky to get it to operate consistantly.  There are 6 boxes to unload.  The first box requires a higher voltage (18volts) because it also must open the door.  Then the voltage can be reduced (8 volts) to keep the boxes from flinging clear across the room.  The 6th box might need a little extra voltage (12 volts) to quickly fling the box before the door closes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7g9-4A0uYU

I love how the "UP" arrows on the boxes are pointing down when they come out. Just like the real world.

Great video. Great explination on the V spring. Copied it for my "self help" file.

Thanks.

[Civil War]

dsmith

 Here is a video of my Lionel Postwar 3454 Operating Merchandise Car unloading boxes and 3562 Operating Barrel Car unloading barrels.  The Merchandise car is a bit finicky to get it to operate consistantly.  There are 6 boxes to unload.  The first box requires a higher voltage (18volts) because it also must open the door.  Then the voltage can be reduced (8 volts) to keep the boxes from flinging clear across the room.  The 6th box might need a little extra voltage (12 volts) to quickly fling the box before the door closes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7g9-4A0uYU

I love how the "UP" arrows on the boxes are pointing down when they come out. Just like the real world.

Great video. Great explination on the V spring. Copied it for my "self help" file.

Thanks.

[lionelsoni]

It looks to me like you could solder a plate, including the missing tab, over the rectangular opening in the lever.  You would have to grind or file off whatever remains of the the original tab to make room for its replacement.  You might be able to do this without removing the lever.  But, if you do, I'll bet you can improvise a satisfactory reattachment, like a screw tapped into the back side of the brass.

Soldering steel is not hard if you use a zinc chloride flux.  Just be sure to clean all the flux off afterwards.

[Dave-in-Oxford]

Dear Dave,

Your reply and diagram from the forum on 8th June is the only sensible information I've been able to find on the interwebnet thingy. But it's so helpful, it's driving me crazy. My 3454 is missing the "folded-back" bit on the stamped-steel dogleg lever that hangs from the brass-head rivet (between the red arrows on your photo / diagram). I guess you'd call it the cam follower, since that's what it does when it's opening / closing the door. Does anyone know if this dogleg lever has a part number or is even available? Do I dare punch-out the rivet and try to re-insert it? Because it's steel, soldering is pretty-much ruled out and probably wouldn't work anyway. The mangled body-mounting screw holes are trivial compared to this!! Sorry, I bet you thought this subject was finished. Thanks, and

Best regards,
Dave-in-Oxford 

[luther_stanton]

 Thanks Jim!

[Anonymous]

Luther,

           The lever that opens and closes the door is controlled by a cam that is part of the drum.  I haven't had my 3454 on the layout for a while, but I think the door closes after six cycles.

[luther_stanton]

Reading this thread and watching David's video was motivation to pick up a 3454.  It arrived today and works ok - looks like a good cleaning and tuning will help out.  I do have a question on the door closing - how is it triggered.  It seems the door randomly closed after a few of cycles.  Is there a certain number of cycles, etc. or another way to get the door to close on command?

 

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Robert,

           Glad I could help.

[rlplionel]

green97probe

Be sure that the door guides are clean and not bent.  Applying a bit of powdered graphite into each door guide will help the door slide much easier as well.  It took  the door on my 3454 from not closing completely to snapping shut everytime.

 

Thanks for the graphite tip, Jim. I sprinkled some in the lower door guide of my 3454 and it works like new. Nice and easy solution to the problem.

Robert

http://www.robertstrains.com/ 

[dsmith]

 Here is a video of my Lionel Postwar 3454 Operating Merchandise Car unloading boxes and 3562 Operating Barrel Car unloading barrels.  The Merchandise car is a bit finicky to get it to operate consistantly.  There are 6 boxes to unload.  The first box requires a higher voltage (18volts) because it also must open the door.  Then the voltage can be reduced (8 volts) to keep the boxes from flinging clear across the room.  The 6th box might need a little extra voltage (12 volts) to quickly fling the box before the door closes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7g9-4A0uYU

[dsmith]

Since I had my 3454 apart I took a photo of the mechanism.  The thin wire is the spring that closes the door.  The 2 ends of the spring are attached at the red arrows.  One end engages the arm and the other end hooks over the end of the side frame.  The door closed weakly on mine so I added a 30 degree bend to the end of the spring that  hooks over the frame. 

[dsmith]

I took a look at the mechanism on my 3454 and I believe the tiny V shaped wire that you are talking about is the spring that closes the door.  One end of the spring engages the end of the arm and the other end clips over the top of the side frame.

[Anonymous]

Be sure that the door guides are clean and not bent.  Applying a bit of powdered graphite into each door guide will help the door slide much easier as well.  It took  the door on my 3454 from not closing completely to snapping shut everytime.

[Warburton]

And this is also one of the very few cars modern Lionel has NOT reproduced. C'mon Lionel, remake this neat operating car, please!!

[rlplionel]

The metal wire on my 3454 is slipped through the mechanism opening from underneath and comes out through the top. The door return is weak on my car and the door doesn't close completely by itself. I haven't followed up to find out why.

Incidentally, this is one of the operating cars not covered in my copy of Greenberg's Repair and Operating Manual. However, it is included in Toy Train Repair Made Easy by Ray Plummer.

Robert

http://www.robertstrains.com/

[jkoman]

I am trying to repair a 3454 Automatic Merchandise Car.  The door on the boxcar opens but then does not close easily.  When I opened up the car I noticed that there is a wire (sort of shaped like a V) that is wrapped around where the lever that pulls the door back and for is located.  I am trying to figure out how this wire should be installed.  Does anyone have an idea how it should be.  I am not talking about the clip that is attached to the door.

Any help.

 Thanks