I am rewiring a 3361 log car, as the insulation on the original wires is dried out and crumbling. To get easier access to the solder joints in the sliding shoes, it looks like the trucks need to come off.
They are held on by what looks to be a cross between a barbed rivet and a spring pin.
Anybody out there have a method to remove these? I'm going to try making a washer with a hole seized to compress the barbs, which should allow me to pry the truck off of the pin.
I am also looking for a parts diagram for the 3361. My old go to of Olsen's Toy Trains library is currently not in operation. Are there any other similar sites out there.
Don't remove the trucks, just the wheels/axles/coupler plate to service the sliding shoes and rewire connections. Takes about 30 seconds to remove, 30 seconds to replace.
Rob
Yup. When my washer idea didn't work out, I saw how the couplers were held on. Just like you recommend, I bent the tabs back and pulled them off. Done in a iffy, then.
Don't bend any tabs! They will fatigue & break easily. Just ease the axles out of the sideframes... the bolsters will spring back into shape. The staking on the sideframes should remain solid forever when done this way gently.
Rob's 100% right- no need to bend any tabs or remove any rivets. You just have to carefully pull the axles away from one of the truck sides until they pop free, and you're golden! I often use a small screwdriver, inserted through one of the holes in the bolster, as a lever. But anyone with strong hands can get the coupler and axles out without any tools.Whenever I need to do this, I usually take the time to clean up the coupler assembly. Hit it with an old toothbrush, then dip the tooth brush in alcohol and scrub it again. I've found that does a good job of getting dust out. Then of course, a very light dose (one drop is all you'll need) of oil to each bearing (dab away the excess with a Q-tip). I also do the same for the journal bearings on the truck frames. It only takes a few minutes to do, and results in a much smoother rolling car. This can make a huge difference in how many cars your engines will pull, especially those without traction tires or magnetraction.-Ellie
"Unless bought from a known and trusted dealer who can vouch otherwise, assume every train for sale requires servicing before use"
The tabs I bent were the ones holding the coupler plates to the axles - kind of the reverse installation procedure of the coupler conversion kits that were available in the 50's.
Agree that bending and rebending tabs causes them to fail, though the failure mode is through material work hardening rather than fatigue failure. I learned a lot about fatigue failures in my 40 year engineering career in the automotive wheel industry.
Interestingly, fatigue failure theory had its origions largely in the railroad industry
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