Truck pins

[Walter Clot]

Many of the cheap box cars have their trucks attached with what I call a pin. Sometimes these get broken or lost. I've tried making some from sprues or using large screws. I have two questions.
1. Where can you get additional pins?
2. What else do can be used?

I know I'll get lots of good answers, so Thanks ahead of time.

[GAPPLEG]

Fill the holes with scrap plastic and drill new clean holes and use screws. Plastic cement (liquid type) will help dissolve the scrap plastic and help it fill the hole. File it down smooth of course.

[Walter Clot]

Gerald, Thanks for the idea. Should I be concerned about drilling the hole exactly in the center? I don't have a drill press.

[gmpullman]

Walt,
I found that the screw that holds "Metal Master" or is it "Micro Metals"... any way, the HO automobile that comes in a bubble pak has the perfect sized screw for replacing the Accurail king pin. I've had those fall out and cause a nasty derailment.
Ed

[gmpullman]

OK... "Classic Metal Works" they're the ones that make the automobiles... and you get a free screw with every car.
The newer semi-trucks do not have the same packaging... so no screw.

[jeffers_mz]

I bought styrene rod the next size larger than the hole, and plan to drill the hole out to match the rod before gluing the hole shut.

[nedthomas]

If you use 1/8" Evergreen tube the hole in the tube is the right size for a #2 self tapping screw. Leave the cement dry over night so the plastic is no longer soft.

[Walter Clot]

Thanks guys. Lots of good ideas. I was looking over an old car that someone had given me several years ago. It had the same large hole. The former owner had inserted a small brass (?) tube (to reduce the size of the hole) and ran a small size machine screw through it and put some kind of brownish glue on the inside of the car. I was able to unscrew the bolt, work on the coupler and reinstall the truck. The old glob of glue served as a nut attached to the insided of the car. I'm going to try each of the ideas and see what works best. I think the glob of glue was probably Walther's Goo. Any other ideas? I also want to experiment with a regular nut on the machine screw.

[FRITSCHSR]

Regular nut on machine screw will probably work loose, unless double nutted or use of
a lock nut.

[Walter Clot]

I plan to experiment with rubber cement.

[larak]

A nut will also stay put if you use loc-tite (auto parts or hardware store) on the screw threads. Probably better to fill, file and tap the holes. Expoy is another material that works. Keep as close to center as you can when drilling. Tubing is the best filler because it helps keep the hole centered.

[doctorwayne]

For really large holes, the plastic tubing works well: use whatever size fits tightly, then, if necessary, use the next smaller size inside of the first to bring the hole size down to accept a 2-56 machine screw.
For Accurail cars using pins, there's no need to make this so complicated. Both Walthers and Athearn offer 2-56 machine screws in packages of a dozen or so. Just substitute the screw in place of the pin. The hole is the right size, and there's no need to tap the relatively soft plastic.

Wayne

[Walter Clot]

I had heard that plastic tubing used in acquariums would be good. It sounded good and I bought every size they had, but they were all too big!
Again thans for all the ideas. I'm getting close to try these out and see what works best and easiest.