My RPO goeth where it listeth... but why doth it list and how do I fix it?

[richhotrain]

maxman

Now, of course, your question will be “how can I tighten the pins to keep the trucks from flopping”? 

I'm not sure you can. Those older IHC passenger cars were listers, as the OP calls them. At one point, I removed the pins and replaced them with screws and washers. That seemed to work for a while, but then the listing returned. So, I went back to the pins. The underbody design seems to be the problem. I am not sure that adding weights at strategic points will solve the problem.

Rich

[maxman]

There you go.  Two votes for pushed in pins.  I knew someone(s) would know the easy answer.

Now, of course, your question will be “how can I tighten the pins to keep the trucks from flopping”?

[nealknows]

If you look at the bottom of the car, you should be able to locate some plastic tabs - 2 on each side, which is what you pointed out. Push them apart (I used a small jewelers flat head screwdriver-no damage to the car) and what this enables you to do is to take the roof off, which holds the windows as well. Then you can look inside to see if someone put weights in there to car balancing. I did that to all my IHC cars as they are very light. Also, the plastic pin that holds the truck in place comes out easily. I would suggest you put in metal wheels as well. Probably 36" wheels, but you may want to try 33" as the 'brake shoe' on some of those cars inhibit the trucks to roll smoothly..

Let us know how you make out..

Neal

[richhotrain]

Those old IHC passenger cars all used push pins to hold the trucks to the bodies. No screws.

Rich

[maxman]

Oh, if you do try the tooth picks it is best to remove the olives first.

[maxman]

Now that I’ve had some time to think about this, it occurs to me to ask if you are sure that what you have is really a screw.  Some of these things just have a press fit pin.   Maybe a photo with that center axle removed will elicite a response from someone more familiar with that car’s construction.

[tstage]

The tapered ones work the best for that.  I always have them handy in my tool arsenal for that purpose, as well as convenient applicators for tiny amounts of adhesive.

Tom

[crossthedog]

maxman

Then you’ll need some toothpicks. Insert one at each tab location to hold the tab away from the shell.

Maxman, that's brilliant. Especially since I have more toothpicks than friends.

-Matt

[maxman]

Then you’ll need some toothpicks.  Insert one at each tab location to hold the tab away from the shell.  That should reduce the number of hands required from octopus down to human.

[crossthedog]

maxman

Is it possible to spread the truck side frame enough to pop the center axle out?

I had hesitated because I thought I might break the truck, but yes. I got the center wheelset out and what my partial earlier glimpse had suggested was confirmed. There's no screw-head there. Just a kind of plastic grommet around some kind of pin. So it must unfasten from inside. More's the pity, as NorthBrit might say. It means I still have to find a way to bust my way inside there.

"Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?"

-Matt

[maxman]

Is it possible to spread the truck side frame enough to pop the center axle out?

[crossthedog]

Hey friends,

I got this very nice model of an NP RPO car at a swap meet and found when I got it home that it lists heavily to one side. Or the other. It never runs straight up and down. It doesn't fall over, it just leans. If I push it to center, it settles into a lean the other way. It's like the drunken sailor on my mail route.

I believe it to be an IHC model #40525. There's one exactly like it on a popular auction site right now, which is how I identified it. 

I thought maybe the truck screws needed to be tightened a skosh, but I can't reach or even really see them; they're hidden by the middle axle of each truck. Next I thought to remove the body from the chassis and see if the truck pops out that way, or if the fastener can be removed. But getting the body off is eluding me. I can see that there are six plastic tabs (see photo below), three on each side, but there's no way to grip the chassis and pull on it while simultaneously releasing all six tabs -- even if I had seven hands, or three hands and two agreeable friends.

How do I get this thing apart? And once I do, what should I look for in trying to fix this lean? Has anyone experienced this listing with this model before and if so, what did you do about it?

Thanks in advance.

-Matt