Help! my allegheny doors are broken...

Lionel did offer these earlier this year - I had to buy a set due to Zinc rot.  I am guessing that is why they are out of them.  I would call Lionel and see if they have more that are coming in.  Here is the Part Number (please note that these were also weak due to Zinc rot, so I had to be careful installing them):

I checked the website and the newer Allegheny's don't have separate doors for the Legacy models - they come with the Tender Shell already installed.

Thank you for the part # that helps a bit .  I am new to hobby and could not find a parts diagram.  Did not realize parts would be so difficult to find (and brittle).   Bryan

Allan,   assuming I can find some of these doors any tips on how to bend the relatively stiff wires back over without breaking the new zinc hinges off?  I was amazed at how hard the wires were to straighten.  Whatever hinges were not broken before were broken after I straightened the wires to remove them..Bryan

Bryan,

So I just gently put the wires down and gently bent them.  If you are worried about doing that, just put the wires down the holding holes and use epoxy or Superglue to hold them in place from underneath.  That will do a good job as well.  FYI - I haven't touched the water hatches since I installed the new ones...

Good advice,  thanks again.  Bryan

They look like good candidates for modeling in brass stock once supplies dry up. 

Adriatic posted:

They look like good candidates for modeling in brass stock once supplies dry up. 

That will be my last resort as I am not an experienced modeler.  However I have started shopping for the small decorative hinges just in case..How does one cut brass stock nicely?  dremel with wafer?  assuming I can solder some round tubing to plate for the working hinges..this is how one grows I guess 

I also like the idea of keeping it original but if original is non functional I guess modified is best...

C&O Allie posted:

Lionel did offer these earlier this year - I had to buy a set due to Zinc rot.  I am guessing that is why they are out of them.  I would call Lionel and see if they have more that are coming in.  Here is the Part Number (please note that these were also weak due to Zinc rot, so I had to be careful installing them):

I checked the website and the newer Allegheny's don't have separate doors for the Legacy models - they come with the Tender Shell already installed.

So your originals and the replacements have Zinc rot???  

BobbyD posted:

C&O Allie posted:

Lionel did offer these earlier this year - I had to buy a set due to Zinc rot.  I am guessing that is why they are out of them.  I would call Lionel and see if they have more that are coming in.  Here is the Part Number (please note that these were also weak due to Zinc rot, so I had to be careful installing them):

I checked the website and the newer Allegheny's don't have separate doors for the Legacy models - they come with the Tender Shell already installed.

So your originals and the replacements have Zinc rot???  

Yes.  One of the hinges of the new set broke just like the old one did (but it still stays in place on the tender).  I am guessing they were made at the same time...

Maybe someone here on the forum does metal casting in lead or aluminum?

Someone might take your parts and make a lostwax mold. I would suspect 3d printing might work but be too expensive. Although plastic probably would hold up better than impure zinc castings.

It amazes me that these were even made in zinc, rather than brass.

I believe they are cast, but the metal contained too much zinc.

How about 3D printed parts?

They would be pretty easy to model as there is not much detail.

Precision Scale Models used to make a bunch of tender hatches although they were for specific tenders. You might find a good substitute from them given that (1) Lionel is unlikely to have these parts any more and (2) they were as defective as the originals (because they must have been from the same production run).

There is a reason small operating parts should be made from BRASS....

Or carbon fiber