200 series Truck Repair - any tips???

The problem is the truck frame is not snapped down all the way. And the truck frame is bent. The wheels should not touch the metal at all. The axles should ride in the plastic sideframe assm.

You're correct, the frame in that photo is NOT snapped all the way down. I deliberately removed all the pieces to clean them up, and just set all the pieces roughly in place to snap that pic. And the frame is not bent at all - what you're probably seeing is lens distortion from my $100 camera, plus as I said, the pieces are not snapped into place.

Here are both trucks, the one in the rear is still assembled.

Both trucks are in identical condition, other than one being disassembled - no bends or deformities, just the wear caused by the axle and the small gouges in the frame where the wheel flanges are hitting.

 So Chuck, have you seen this type of wear?

OK what I see is a groove has been cut into the truck frame from the axle not being lubricated. This has lowered the axle in the truck frame enough that the wheel now rubs on the metal truck frame. The fix is soldering or JB welding a small piece of metal across the bearing surface on the inside of the metal frame so the axle doesn't ride in the groove cut into the metal frame. This will raise the axle enough so the wheel won't scrape. Or replace the B unit truck.

George, 

I found these shoe lace eyelets at a craft store and thought of using these as a bearing to fix that problem. I have not tried it yet but maybe this might help you.  Also thought of bending some very thin metal into a u-shape and wrapping each end. that may cause interference when assembling the truck. Good Luck.

Bending metal in a U shape not necessary. Just a thin flat piece attached to the inside of the metal frame even with the metal frame. (and grease!)

Securing the eyelet bearing is what I did in a similar situation. The bulbous look of that one left to spin free worries me; digging at the plastic (?) sideframe. As an alternative to a saddle build up with JB Weld, a bead of solder hung there, then filed flat could fill that (if the part will take solder). Leaving extra witdh to the saddle is ok but also file a slight flat or button head thrust surface where the wheel rubs the solder/JBWeld. Chuck's sheet steel fix will likely last longest and have less drag.

Thank you for all the suggestions on how to repair my 200 series ALCO trucks.

The problem was each (dummy) axle wearing into the metal “bearing” surface on the metal portion of each truck frame. Here’s a couple of BEFORE shots…

I tried to buy new metal truck pieces, but one of the two dummy trucks used on my dummy A unit (yep, they’re different!) is really hard to find.

So I evaluated each suggestion for repair; Franktrain’s eyelet suggestion sounded appealing and indeed, I have 5/32” eyelets available that fit the axle perfectly, but it turns out they really don’t fit into the four slots on the plastic truck side frames without additional sanding/grinding/widening – that would be difficult to do since you can’t really get at those slots “straight-on” with a Dremel. And his thought of wrapping thin metal around the end pieces of the frame, well … I was leery of using thin metal, that’s what started this problem in the first place. So I put those ideas on the back burner. But I do want to investigate the possibility of using an eyelet as an improved bearing surface on fiber armature plates used on older steam engines where the armature shaft has wallowed out the shaft hole in the plate.

Chuck’s idea to solder or JBWeld small pieces of metal also sounded good, but where do you get these small pieces of metal? I looked everywhere in my collection of nuts, bolts, brackets, etc., and couldn’t find anything suitable, until…..

I used square nuts! They met the requirement to sit next to each worn slot (glued with JBWeld in this case) and “level up” the worn area. I could also position them as needed while the glue was setting up, to clear the slot edge protrusions on the plastic trucks.

Here’s the AFTER shots….

The broader surface area on the nut edges insures there will likely never be any signs of wear during my ownership, and the parts cost was right where I like it – free! One downside is the higher friction due to a broader contact surface, where the axle contacts the edge of the nut. All said & done, I think the friction will certainly be nowhere near as high as having the wheel flanges grinding into the sheet metal on each truck!!!

Thanks to all who offered advice!

George

A washer would have worked too.  If they prove too wide to hold gauge, you can grind/file  them thinner.

It also would have been a good idea  to re-bore the hole or ream the threads slightly so the threads would have been flatter.  For a while at least the raised threads will cause a bit more wear than a flat would.

The advantage I do see is there is less contact area to cause drag. 

When you oil them, the threads are going to hold a drop or two of oil long term and weep it when they aren't upright. Nothing drastic, but could post an issue if an oil drip is a concern.

OK, I confess – I broke one of my own rules by declaring success before I had tested the results of my efforts …. Turns out my nuts were too big! That’s right, the wheel and axle assembly would not fit between the nuts that I had glued onto the metal frame. So, I cut ‘em off! (Yow!) The good news is that the JB Weld held like a charm. The bad news is that the JB Weld held like a charm! But after removing the four nuts and re-cleaning the metal truck surfaces, I cut 4 steel wire nails to 11/16” length (to avoid interference from the plastic portions of the truck) and checked clearance for the wheels, and we are good to go. Now it pulls around the layout like a real dummy!

It’s a relatively easy fix, you just need a pair of vice grips to keep the metal truck standing on its edge while the epoxy sets up, and you need to check the wire nails to insure they are dead even with the unworn portions of the metal truck. Throw down some glue and then recheck every few minutes to make sure the nail position is still good. I had to reposition the nails several times as the little buggers seemed to migrate in one direction or the other while the glue was still viscous.

It is also helpful to make sure you have marked the proper orientation of the plastic portion of the truck to the metal portion. You can easily reverse their positions 180 degrees, and although new parts won’t care, your worn parts will – they may not fit! Look below and you can see how the wear patterns are not the same distance from the end of the metal trucks. You’ll know if you have reversed them when you go to reassemble the two pieces!