ID these trucks

John,

 

I'm not aware of Williams using the pushtab uncoupler. My guess is MTH.

 

Chris

LVHR

lionel

Very definitely Lionel.

Yep...they are Lionel.  I recently modified one to accept a center rail pick up roller.

Hints? What do you want to mount them on? If a boxcar, just drive a screw straight up through the bottom. If a flat or gon, you will need to find a proper sized short bolt and nut, plus a little loctite to keep the nut in place. I've mounted a few. Sometimes you have to get creative.

Hi

 John do you want to sell them.

I got some of those on the right in your photo on-line recently when I bought Lionel trucks in a box to use in making flatcars.  The ones on the left are also Lionel - to get mine I took apart some old broken rolling stock I bought at swap meets to get their trucks. 

 

On both I used small bolts through hole in the truck to mount them, shimming them as needed with washers.  On the body of the flatcar I drilled and countersunk a hole and attached the bolt from above and then filled over its top.   They worked fine to run smoothly and hold a heavy load (a diecast Patton tank) on each of the flatcars I made.

Actually, that's just one truck, both sides, but I have more of them.  They have no markings on them, so I had thought they weren't Lionel, I guess that's one of the cheapening steps in recent years, drop the stamping of the name. The release plate looked to me like a Williams design, that's what I went on.

 

These just aren't the ones I'm used to seeing on most of my Lionel cars.  I also wondered how you mounted them.  Obviously, there needs to be mounting hardware of some kind.   I should look closer at some of my newer cars with the hidden tab release.

 

Thanks all, I guess they're Lionel.

 

IMO, these are the best 3-rail freight truck available. Especially the ones with the rotating bearing caps. The new ones that come in separate sale boxes dont come with any mounting hardware. My local ACE has a whole isle of bins filled with loose screws,nuts and bolts. I take the trucks with me to find hardware that fits.

I have two slightly different versions then.  While similar, mine were different.  A few of the ones I have have a spring or friction fit with tabs underneath (to disassemble them you literally had to bend some thin stamped, it looks like metal) holding the axles in place, down underneath, the other has two screws to keep the underside of the truck in place and the piece appears to be cast or thicker anyway.  The latter trucks are much more difficult to fit because you have to keep the nut you use to attach to the bolt from the flatcaror whatever) underneath that ring/support. Not sure I am making myself clear here.  If its an issue I'll try to take pictures but I'm at work and it will be a long day before I get home and can grab the camera . . .

quote:

The new ones that come in separate sale boxes dont come with any mounting hardware.

 

Thanks!

All great ideas, guys!  thanks...

 

I like the Lionel reefer trucks with the release tab like these because of the painted information and numbers on the sideframe.  hopefully I'll be upgrading all of my reefer with this style truck.  How do I get the rivet out?

 

Thanks,

Mario

You have to drill the rivet out as a rule.  If you don't mind destroying the trucks in the process, you can use a Dremel cut-off wheel and chop up the rivet from the bottom.  If you keep it cool this lessens the possibility of heat damage.  It's hard to keep the rivet from spinning when you're drilling, which sometimes damages the car.

 

I use the Brakeman's Riveter tool to hold the rivet from spinning while I drill them.

These have screws at the top of the side plates.  They "sort of" loosen the whole assembly, but they don't just fall apart like some trucks when you take the screws out.  The mounting bar is stamped metal, the only diecast part is the side plates and the coupler arm.  They do have the rotating bearing caps.

Definiely Lionel. I can tell by the sheet metal bolster. it's weaker than die cast and easily bendable.

Agreed. Definetly Lionel. 

I dug out a newer car, and sure enough, they did have those trucks.  I must not be that observant, I never noticed that style before.