@PSU1980 posted:I placed my order in 2016, waited 4 years for them,
There was a new guy here who questioned when he would get an item if he ordered it now and the estimated shipping date was later this year. Don't let him see your post!! 
I'm still waiting for the METCA Brookside and Riverside Milk reefers that I ordered in April 2017. (Not the fault of METCA at all)
Has anyone replaced the trucks on the new milk cars entirely? I'm considering this when I get my Central Vermont and Rutland cars.
I'm waiting to see this as well and see how Lionel responds also. There are a couple I would like potentially that might be worth truck swapping.
@rpmcobra posted:Maybe someone could give us a Lionel replacement truck stock/item number ?
You do a search of one of the older milk cars and then do a part search on Lionel's part site, they do come up and are in stock. But, I wouldn't expect them to be in stock for long.
It's probably cheaper to buy some of the less desirable milk cars from the earlier runs and use everything but the shells.
Well I'm in it for at least one of these as I couldn't resist the Metca PRR milk car and I don't know how many extras they have. So I will need to solve it without scale couplers as I haven't yet got that far into the hobby and haven't decided whether or not to go that route. Does anyone know if the new shells will fit the old everything else? Even if Lionel steps up and offers a new coupler piece I think I would still want the old articulated design if there was a way to make it work.
The wait is over, my NYC Milk Reefer arrived on Saturday. Based on what I have read here, I was prepared for the worst. Okay, so here is the deal, while I hear the paint is not a perfect match to the CC II Niagara Milk Train I cannot tell the difference. There are couple of differences in the body, the verticle rib lines for the wooden slats on this car are not as deep, not a deal breaker. The single white stripe that goes around the body is thinner on the new car. Not a deal breaker. The detail parts look the same but I know there have been posts about some differences or inaccuracies, I do not know them so as far as I am concerned, they are not an issue.
Now the trucks, they are a problem for sure. Not the same quality as the others., no working springs, cheap uncoupling tab etc. The coupler itself is smaller at least to the point where you cannot couple it to the original cars with the knuckle open. You must lift and place one inside the other. Of course the fixed coupler arm and the tight clearance once coupled makes navigating curves a potential disaster. There is no room for the coupler to move inside of each other. They are rated for O36" but I think that is a stretch, more like O42" for any confidence.
When I took it out of the box my attention was drawn immediately to the trucks because of all that has been written but there was something more, it looked like the wheels were smaller. A side by side caparison increased my suspicion. I took out my calipers and checked a couple of measurements. I did not write them down so I will summarize. The diameter across the flange of the new car was about 2 mm less than the older cars, the same goes for the diameter to the base of the flange. and, the flange is smaller as well. I am no expert but it is a simple measurement, somebody please check and let me know if I am mistaken. Could this be why the couplers are lower on these?
I could be totally off base here.
So what are our options, return them and speak with our money? Or, hope Lionel will produce a fix and make them available to anyone who purchased these. Like they did with the Santa Fe Conventional Classics shells. Or bare with it, make our own modifications or buy replacement trucks (if we can).
Mike
I bought a cheap-ish donor milk car for my Metca PRR milk 'project' car as I don't trust the good trucks are still available and wanted other parts just in case they were needed. I still don't like that I have to purchase two cars to make one good one but here we are. I probably won't buy any more of the new milk cars as a result, but I was originally considering as many as four. I'll wait and see how this goes first at the least but that definitely takes some shine off of them.
I do have one cosmetic gripe with the PRR milk car - the frame color doesn't match the artwork or the sample. I think it would have looked much better in black rather than body color and that kind of adds to my disdain about the whole ordeal.
@superwarp1 posted:You do a search of one of the older milk cars and then do a part search on Lionel's part site, they do come up and are in stock. But, I wouldn't expect them to be in stock for long.
I recently replaced the trucks on my Central Vermont and Rutland milk cars with trucks from the older production run milk cars and it solved the problems I was having and as many people reported (Coupler being too tight, non-sprung trucks, derailing). Last I looked Lionel still has the trucks from the older runs available but like you said they probably won't be in stock much longer. Anyways, replacing the trucks all together was the right thing to do.
@Peter B posted:I recently replaced the trucks on my Central Vermont and Rutland milk cars with trucks from the older production run milk cars and it solved the problems I was having and as many people reported (Coupler being too tight, non-sprung trucks, derailing). Last I looked Lionel still has the trucks from the older runs available but like you said they probably won't be in stock much longer. Anyways, replacing the trucks all together was the right thing to do.
Peter, could you please tell me which part number you ordered to replace the trucks.
I see two (2) part numbers listed, 6107360050 & 61073660051.
Thank you.
@Arthur posted:Peter, could you please tell me which part number you ordered to replace the trucks.
I see two (2) part numbers listed, 6107360050 & 61073660051.
Thank you.
I ordered two trucks under #61073360050 and two trucks under #61073360051 so four trucks total. The trucks are the same design and the only difference I've been able to find is the stenciling. Trucks under #61073360050 have the numbers 1 & 2 while the trucks under #61073360051 have the numbers 3 & 4. If you're going to order these trucks order new screws to go with them. The screws on the newer milk cars are machine screws and are held in place with Loctite. Once you take them out they will be loose and they will fall right out. Lionel has the screws from the older production run of milk cars available and the part number is #6107336516. These screws are larger, have coarser threads, and a washer under the head. When removing the screw be sure to use the right size driver otherwise you will strip the screw head.
@Peter B posted:I ordered two trucks under #61073360050 and two trucks under #61073360051 so four trucks total. The trucks are the same design and the only difference I've been able to find is the stenciling. Trucks under #61073360050 have the numbers 1 & 2 while the trucks under #61073360051 have the numbers 3 & 4. If you're going to order these trucks order new screws to go with them. The screws on the newer milk cars are machine screws and are held in place with Loctite. Once you take them out they will be loose and they will fall right out. Lionel has the screws from the older production run of milk cars available and the part number is #6107336516. These screws are larger, have coarser threads, and a washer under the head. When removing the screw be sure to use the right size driver otherwise you will strip the screw head.
Peter,
Looks like they still have trucks in stock but no screws (6107336516) any suggestions for getting the correct screws ?
Thank you.
@Arthur posted:Peter,
Looks like they still have trucks in stock but no screws (6107336516) any suggestions for getting the correct screws ?
Thank you.
The screws are #2 x 5/16 and you're correct Lionel doesn't appear to have them available. I looked on Micro Fastener's website and found screws that are the same size. These are the closet screws I was able to find. Here is the link:
https://www.microfasteners.com...lar-for-plastic.html
Hope this helps!
Peter
@Peter B posted:The screws are #2 x 5/16 and you're correct Lionel doesn't appear to have them available. I looked on Micro Fastener's website and found screws that are the same size. These are the closet screws I was able to find. Here is the link:
https://www.microfasteners.com...lar-for-plastic.html
Hope this helps!
Peter
Than you Peter you have been a great help.
The screws listed above are unavailable but these 6209043082 look the same and are listed as the same size and in stock also, they have 2 versions of the #2 x 5/16 in silver in stock (6101100516 & 6208314516), not sure if they are exact replacements. If you are ordering $28 in trucks it is worth adding 2 each of these screws. If the silver versions work, as long as you are replacing the trucks and if you are concerned that they are not black, a little black pain or magic marker and another $1.80 you are good to go.
Or you you can buy 100 from MicroFasteners, I have done this (they are fantastic to do business with, sent him my screw and he matched it).
Mike
PS: now if I can only find the screw size of the 4 screws that hold the center span of the 213 Center Lift Bridge in place when it is in the box!!!
"Grampstrains" posted info about a Frisco milk car, first l've seen mention of a a western road car. I have wanted one for a road that might have hauled milk into Denver, lF any existed?. Maybe the Denver and Interurban (obviously an interurban line)? But UP and ATSF operated in Colo. Did they operate any dedicated milk cars (anywhere)?
Update, I ordered the trucks and the available screws. The trucks worked out great but the heads on the screws are too small for the hole on the truck but with a little Loc-Tite on the screws from the existing trucks all worked out well. Now the couplers couple and the arms swing through the curves. No more derailing.
Mike
