I have a couple of twisted Intermountain plastic trucks. I guess they took a "set" squeezed into their jewel boxes in the freighter from China...
Anyway what's the best way to straighten them so all wheels are level on track or glass? Dip in hot water? Heat gun gingerly? Is there a way to test them for level/straightness before reinserting the wheels?
Thanks for the help,
Jim
Raised on the Erie Lackawanna Mainline- Supt. of the Black River Transfer & Terminal R.R.
You might consider going directly to Intermountain to see if they will replace the trucks. They have been great for me in the past when I have had a problem.
For example, they replaced a squeaky motor in an FP7 that I had bought used. No charge! I actually told them I was willing to pay for a new motor but they declined the payment. They also supplied painted winterization hatches for two other F series engines. Again, I said I would pay so they charged me a whopping $0.99 each. Then they double shipped the hatches. When I went back to them to pay for the second set of hatches they refused payment. (I'm not suggesting that you will get everything from them for free).
Those examples were from a couple of years ago, but more recently I ran into a minor problem with a decoder that they supplied with an FP chassis. I wanted a back up light but the decoder wasn't set up for it. Loksound was no help. Intermountain offered to spend the time necessary to figure out how to reprogram the decoder. I declined. It just wasn't important enough to waste that much of their time.
Great source!
http://intermountain-railway.com/
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Thanks Dave, I'll contact Intermountain. I really like their cars. The great majority of my rolling stock are Intermountain and have been great right out of the box.
I'll see if there are any tips for straightening them in the meanwhile. I figure I'll dunk one in hot water and hold it against a plate of glass to see if it cools straight.
Capt. GrimekAnyway what's the best way to straighten them so all wheels are level on track or glass? Dip in hot water? Heat gun gingerly? Is there a way to test them for level/straightness before reinserting the wheels?
Toss in trash can and replace would be my approach..
Not sure I would bother to request replaements but,would advised Intermountain of their faulty trucks.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
My IM Erie F3 would always derail on this one curveI checked the front truck and found it was slightly warped. A little twisting corrected it.
Just be glad you don't have to press "2" for English.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ_ALEdDUB8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hqFS1GZL4s
http://s73.photobucket.com/user/steemtrayn/media/MovingcoalontheDCM.mp4.html?sort=3&o=27
Generally the sraightening process would include over bending to allow for "Spring-back". So, how much Spring-Back do you need to expect? Therein lies the problem! As others have said, best to toss and replace. The producer should understand that these things happen and replace without problems as it is the price of doing business.
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
I bought a bunch of Tichy truck frames which work nicely with Intermountain wheelsets for my "get rid of plastic wheels" project. They are very inexpensive in that package. So, my advice would also be to simply replace the warped ones with good ones and be done with it.
But, for goodness sakes, don't toss them! Rust and weather them up, maybe add some similarly-rusted plastic wheels, and you've got a nice little detail to add to the outside of your engine shop.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
MisterBeasleyRust and weather them up, maybe add some similarly-rusted plastic wheels, and you've got a nice little detail to add to the outside of your engine shop.
Depending on era..A lot of railroads place junked parts in contract scrap yard trailers so they an be hauled off to the junk yard.
Its to much of a liability having unusable scrap laying about.
MisterBeasley I bought a bunch of Tichy truck frames which work nicely with Intermountain wheelsets for my "get rid of plastic wheels" project. They are very inexpensive in that package. So, my advice would also be to simply replace the warped ones with good ones and be done with it. But, for goodness sakes, don't toss them! Rust and weather them up, maybe add some similarly-rusted plastic wheels, and you've got a nice little detail to add to the outside of your engine shop.
I disagree, toss them! Even as junk warped trucks, they will look warped!
I don't throw nuttin' out. Cut the bolsters off and put um' in a scrap yard. Recycling pays, school chum's Dad owned a scrap yard Cozzi Iron & Metal, they are rich people. LOL.
Take Care!
Frank
NIT-PICKING ALERT!
If truck frames, bolsters, etc. are to be placed in such a way as to represent scrap parts, they really should look like scrap parts. That means the springs, bolster end, and end of the spring plank should be absent. Journal boxes should have no covers and should just have an empty hole where the axle end goes. In order to look authentic, scrap steam loco drivers should be separate from their tires. Steam boilers should have no lagging. Many's the model scrap yard where the colors look right, but the "scrap" material looks like brand new stuff with rusty paint.
Now that I've said that, please feel free to enjoy your hobby as you see fit.
Tom
Tom,
There you go. LOL.
Not to re-pick on Tom's previously picked nit, but another thing is at modeled car repair facilities where guys line up the plastic wheels they have replaced to model the supply of wheels you often see at such places ... the oversized wheel treads and flanges stick out like sore thumbs. That is where scale or close to scale wheels should be used particularly if the scene is to be photographed. Modifying the pointed axle ends is another detail change that would be a good idea.
Dave Nelson
ACYNIT-PICKING ALERT!
Allow me to pick another nit.
I have notice the railroads I worked for separated the junk such as springs with springs,side frames in their pile,old air hoses in their piles and so forth.Some scrap metals was placed in roll off scrap bins or trailers from the junk yard.
Door guides from boxcars was neatly bundled and sold to contract car repair shops where they was straighten and reused.
dknelson Not to re-pick on Tom's previously picked nit, but another thing is at modeled car repair facilities where guys line up the plastic wheels they have replaced to model the supply of wheels you often see at such places ... the oversized wheel treads and flanges stick out like sore thumbs. That is where scale or close to scale wheels should be used particularly if the scene is to be photographed. Modifying the pointed axle ends is another detail change that would be a good idea. Dave Nelson
You're right, Dave, and an economical solution to that is available from Tichy. They offer a couple of simple kits for to-scale non-operational wheelsets. #3004 is for eight wheelsets and #3010 for 96. These are moulded in rust-coloured styrene, and each wheelset consists of two ribbed-back wheels and a scale axle with prototypical cylindrical ends. The modeller can use them as separate pieces or fully assembled, to represent new or used parts. Tichy also offers kit #4023, a 40' flatcar with 40 similar wheelsets and racks on which to mount them, creating a wheel car.
I built the wheel car as a simple MoW flat...
...then used the racks individually with the wheelsets cemented in place, creating an easily removeable load for gondolas:
There were enough left over to have some laying about near the shops, too:
None of my have yet been painted, which should deal with the slightly glossy appearance in some of the photos.
Wayne
Wayne,Just for fun I counted 5 safety rule infractions in that bottom photo..
Shouldn't those axle ends (journals?) be coated with tar or sumpin to keep 'em from rusting?
BRAKIE Wayne,Just for fun I counted 5 safety rule infractions in that bottom photo..
steemtrayn Shouldn't those axle ends (journals?) be coated with tar or sumpin to keep 'em from rusting?
Yup, and when I get around to painting them, it'll be taken care of. In the meantime, here's a link to some info on protection for metal parts in storage.
temporary_corrosion_protectives
Now I am not talking large scrap piles but I have seen everything thrown into small ones (they proubly sort them later when going into the large piles).
From twisted trucks to modelling scrap...I love the turns these threads take.
Contacted Intermountain this a.m. via email. Awaiting response. Just to let you know. I've overbent a couple and they're "close" but still derail sometimes. I might try hot water and bending on glass plate if Intermountain isn't up for replacements.
steemtraynFrom twisted trucks to modelling scrap...I love the turns these threads take.
1) OP asks about straightening warped trucks2) Informed to toss the warped trucks and substitute new ones, perhaps ask manufacturer for replacements3) OK, then what to do with the old model trucks? Model scrap?4) Others chime in with tips on how they model MOW scrap piles.Not even 6 degrees of separation, Kevin Bacon or not...