i am new here and would appreaciate help on truck pin.
I have ~12 freight cars with large holes to attach truck to their chassis. I tried the two below but both are too small to attach to the holes. Anyway to find the right screw in the most economical way?
Also, do you have experience to make the truck your own? the plastic truck pieces are pretty expensive while doesn't seem to last. I was thinking to use cardboard but may not be the best, thanks!
thanks in advance:)
Hi and welcome aboard!
Well, there are lots of different styles of trucks, and one thing that veries between them is the way they attach the truck frames to the "bolsters," the part that's on the car body itself. The holes vary in size, so it would be easier if we knew who made the car.
What's "wrong" about the screws you mentioned? 2-56 is a fairly standard screw, and it's where most of us would start. Is the screw too short? Or is the head of the screw too small so it won't hold the truck on? If you've got a train shop or even a good old-fashioned hardware store nearby, try taking the car and its trucks in to find the right part.
There are a number of manufacturers for finding trucks and wheels. I've replaced almost all of my old plastic wheels with metal wheelsets from Intermountain, and when the old trucks needed to go I've found Tichy truck frames to be a good replacement.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Welcome, LEOFURTURE,
Do you have any of the trucks that were in the cars? or do you just have cars. It sounds like the cars you have may have been fitted with the Talgo style truck, where the coupler is part of the truck, and there is a split pin bolster that snaps into the car body.
I'm not sure what you mean in the last paragraph, as you can buy parts that you put together to make the truck, such as the bolster and the two side frames, or you can buy the complete truck assembly, all from various manufactures, like Bachmann, Athearn, Atlas, Kadee, etc., etc. All of these last forever, unless you intentionally destroy them. I don't think you want to make your own trucks from cardboard. But, with out a better description or a picture, it's hard to see what you are doing.
My You Tube
Leo,
Sounds like the right size screws for HO trucks. I suspect what's happened is that these trucks were originally retained by a pin with a press fit to hold it. Those brands that used it were all close to each other, but not sure if close enough for the press fit to always work. A little dab of tacky glue can help, if you can find the pins.'
If you do want to use the screwes, then try to find some styrene tubing that can be glued in the old pin hole. Let the glue dry thoroughly, then it should be about the right size to hold the screw. I've done this on several similar old cars.
If you need an easy way to measure the hole diameter, you can use drill bits until you get one that's a good fit, then use it's diameter to get the right size tubing.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
If you have Athearn or Accurail cars, the 2-56 screws are appropriate - Accurail cars now come with them, in addition to the older plastic pins. For Accurail cars with pins, the screws can be used as replacements without modification: simply line-up the screw perpendicular to the hole (without the truck in place) and screw it in - it will cut its own threads into the plastic. Remove the screw, then re-attach the trucks.
As mentioned previously, it sounds as if you have cars with snap-in or pinned-on trucks - to accommodate that method, these have a larger hole in the underbody of the car, making screw attachment difficult.However, the solution is to simply plug the hole. A suitably-sized piece of plastic sprue leftover from a kit will work, or you can use styrene rod and/or tube from Evergreen. The plug should be slightly larger in diameter than the hole - about .003"-005" larger. Coat the inside of the hole and the outside of the plug with liquid solvent-type cement (Testors and others offer it), then wait a few seconds while the solvent softens the plastic. If necessary, re-coat the plug, then push it firmly into the hole. Some of the softened plastic will ooze out - leave it, and set the car aside to allow the plastic to re-harden overnight.The next day, you can trim off the excess plastic using a knife and/or file, then mark the centre of the plug with a sharp instrument (the point of a draughting compass works well) and use a #50 drill in a pin vise to drill new holes. You may tap the hole if you wish, but the screw will make its own thread as outlined above with the Accurail cars. Kadee sells a tap&drill set, but you'll need to buy a pinvise in order to use them - don't use an electric drill or Dremel tool for doing this work in plastic.
Wayne
LEOFUTUREAlso, do you have experience to make the truck your own? the plastic truck pieces are pretty expensive while doesn't seem to last. I was thinking to use cardboard but may not be the best, thanks!
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I guess the most economical way is to take one of your cars to a hardware store and see if they have something that fits before you buy. Another way is to buy a box of assorted size machine screws. Avoid buying items like this from a hobby store unless you are already there because they mark up hardware and wire like it is jewelry. SMH
I'm not sure which cars you have. That would be helpful. I also don't understand what you mean by too small. Do you mean too short? Or do you mean not wide enough to tightly fill the hole?
If 2/56" fills the hole but is too short then get longer 2/56" machine screws. You can cut them to be shorter with wire cutter/crimpers which have the treaded bolt cutters built in.
If 2/56" fits sloppy and pulls out then try a wider diameter machine screw, perhaps 6/32", which is what I use to replace the pins on Rivarossi cars.
Don't bother making your own trucks. There are aftermarket companies which already make very nice ones.
j..........
First of all as a newbie, you are on moderation, which means your replies take a while to appear. Frustrating, but it spares us from nonsense posts that links us to ruskie chicks that are dying to meet us or the next fountain of youth. Hang in there, it is easy to get to 10 posts.
Pictures always help, as does lots of details, rather than generalizations. My guess is the previous answers are correct, you have cars that were designed with horn hook couplers mounted to the trucks, which are now MIA
These may or may not be worth saving, but I see the list price now for Athearn Roundhouse trucks is $7.98. $6 on ebay isn't much better. If you have a train show near you, you can find used cars with trucks and Kadee couplers for under $10.
I am saving some of my train set quality freight cars, either because I like the color scheme, or I have had them since forever and there is a sentimental attachment. Here is a pic of the hole in the car body, I turned a piece of sprue in an electric drill with sand paper and file until it fit in the hole, glued it and drilled and tapped it for a 2-56 screw, which are cheap on Ebay.
I don't know what you mean that plastic trucks don't last. There are tricks to make them roll better, we argue about metal wheels, sintered wheels but I'm never going to live long enough to wear out plastic trucks.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
LIONS have been known to use brute force with good results.
Some passenger cars had plastic pins to hold the trucks in place. Him replaced ssome of these with a number 6 sheet metal screw. What works works.
Now LION runs subway trains. Truck has a pin that inserts into a hole in the car frame, and then the truck is held in place by a clip from the top. It is the same design that they yse for their powerd cars. But the pin broke off. LION drill 1/16" hole where pin was, drop in a peice of 1/16" welding rod. Problem fixed.
Just because a manufacture does things one way, and skilled modelers do things that way does not man that you or I are condemned to do things their way. What works works. EOS.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
leofuture
Have you looked into Kadee they sell nice trucks and wheel sets their website is :
www.kadee.com
I would also like to say to the forum and to invite you to Jeffries diner where we talk on and off subjetct within certain restrictions, come on over and we will treat you to Flo's cherry pie and a cup of joe.
YGW
LEOFUTURESome of my cars are just shells, do you know how I can get the flat piece to attach the trucks? thanks!
Central Valley Model Works sells 40ft steel underframe (the name of the piece that attaches the shell to the trucks). These only work with 40ft freight cars.
http://www.shop.cvmw.com/40ftSteelUnderFrameKit-3-1000.htm
You might consider saving the shells of the freight cars to practice weathering on instead of trying to make a working car. Old box cars can be used as storage sheds, offices, etc.
As far as passenger cars go. You dont need the coupler to attach to the trucks. Just mount it to the frame centerline at the end of the car. I have had success doing this with old Athearn cars that came with truck mounted couplers. I just snipped off the X2F horn hook coupler box with a pair of sprue cutters. I then used a Kadee coupler box with a regular #5 coupler to set the correct distance back from the car end and drilled a pilot hole. I then attached the coupler with a 1/8" 2-56 screw.
I do not reccommend using the brute force sheet metal screw method. Its a one shot deal and if you mess it up, the car will be even more work to get working again.