Happy Thanksgiving to all! While running the trains this AM with my grandson, we experienced a serious accident/derailment (ha). While in a long tunnel one of the cars separated while we weren't paying attention and Bam!!! The engine rear ended the caboose breaking the coupler on a Detroit Zoo giraffe car (mid 90s plastic truck). It appears that that the truck is riveted to the body. Is there any easy way to replace the truck? Suggestions are appreciated.
Carefully drill the rivet out enough to get the truck off sometimes after drilling a little you can squeeze it with needle nose enough to get it off and put a new truck on and flatten it out and your done if not you need to get another rivet and rivet the new one on with it in lack of having a correct riveting tool I have used a large punch on the bottom side and a 10 penny nail upside down on the topside and hitting it with a hammer. Works better if you have a vise to put the punch in but have done with out.
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
I'm sure someone can come up with an easier way but there is one anyway
If there's enough separation between the truck bolster and the car frame you can saw through the rivet shaft if drilling doesn't work out for you. If you can't replace the rivet (and don't really care about collector value) you can use a small bolt, nut and washers instead. (I do it often since I have no idea how to rivet things.) I mount the bolt from the bottom up so the nut and washer end up inside the car body rather than having any possibility of protruding below the truck. I tighten the nut just enough to allow for free and easy motion of the truck but not so much that the car can tip side to side. A dab of hot glue works best to freeze the nut in place while allowing for easy removal at a later date. Super glue also works great but of couse it renders the nut and bolt practically inseparable.
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Drilling the rivet out may be difficult if the head of the rivet is not supported properly to keep it from spinning. There is a special tool that supports and grabs the head to keep it from spinning. If the head spins while drilling, it may damage the car chassis. I have used a diagonal cutter to break through the rest of the truck until the rivet shank can be accessed, then the rivet can be clipped off. A new truck can then be assembled.
Larry
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