Lionel Army GP-7 from 1995

[lionel2986]

Hello All,

I received this engine new, and many years ago the detail that covers the wheel side on one truck cracked off. Now the side of the wheels on one truck is exposed. I was wondering what would be the best way to replace this? How could I find the part number, and did truck detail on gp-7s change throughout the years? What year gp-7 could I buy on ebay for parts? I saw some MPC sell for $30 an entire unit. I think my LHS will charge more just for labor. Will the detail on an 80s GP7 truck match that of my Army GP-7?

Thanks

[8ntruck]

Check the Lionel website.  They have a bunch of service bulletins that show exploded views of the various products.  You need to determine what the model number of your GP-7 is to try for an exact match.

If the Lionel sits does not have an exact match, don't worry, as the trucks on many GP-7's and GP-9's are interchangeable and it will only be a matter of finding one that matches. 

As far as a source for parts, there are many good ones.  The Train Tender and Olsen Toy Trains are a couple of good ones.  An internet search of  'Lionel train parts' will give you lots of choices.

If you could reply to the post with the model number of your GP-7 and/or a picture of it, there is a pretty good chance that somebody will point you in the right direction.

 

Good luck.

[lionelsoni]

No guarantees; but Lionel seems to have used the same sideframes on many locomotives over many years, F3s, Geeps, EP5s, RDCs, for example.  It appears that the same sideframe casting was staked onto the different steel plates of the various locomotive models' trucks.  You will probably not be able to make a secure connection to your truck after removing a sideframe from a donor truck, since the tangs on the casting will be brittle where they have been spread.

However, you can file the tangs down just enough to put them below the top surface of the steel plate, then drill and tap them to receive 4-40 pan-head machine screws, which will hold them snugly to the plate.