Rick, I bought this set on Amazon. Covers pretty much anything Metric. Most of my screw use involves adding Kadee’s. I’ve yet to find a good standard set with blackened Phillips. I do have a fair supply from Microfasteners. Usually at Lionel’s half price sale I stock up on Lionel screws. I know your still paying a lot. But a lot of their hardware is an odd length.

I really doubt you'll find a "universal" screw assortment.  There are too many variations, not to mention the mixing of SAE and metric screws.  I went to Aliexpress and bought a few metric screw assortments, they cover a lot of cases.  One thing is the screw head style, I went for flat head, round head, and pan head screw assortments.  I'm still looking for a good SAE screw assortment, but I do have tons of SAE screws, so that hasn't been an urgent issue.

The whole shooting match cost me less than $30 total.  Just need to find a similar assortment of SAE screws.

Flat Head Metric Screws

Pan Head Metric Screws

Round Head Metric Screws

Hex Socket Head Set Screws, Metric & SAE

If you're talking purely machine screws, the thing about Lionel is they use standard thread with JIS heads on a lot of their modern steam. Makes one think they'd be metric at first glance but a lot of their stuff is 4-40, 6-32, etc. My MTH and 3rd Rail stuff seems to be all metric with MTH liking larger fasteners (like 3mm). 3rd Rail likes their DIN shoulder bolts too.

The Amazon metric assortments have served me well in my resto-mod-upgrades. I tend to like the wafer heads for some close clearance stuff. Look up laptop and eyeglass repair assortments for some useful small metric fasteners. Metric assortments may not totally help with Lionel stuff though.

Oh, and to anyone reading, please go out and get a set of JIS drivers if haven't done so already.

I just went by my neighborhood Ace/True Value and there is a screw/fastener supply house nearby... insert your local hardware place store (not Lowes/Depot, too pricey) ... and I filled up my bin with #4/40, #6/32, and a few #4&6 self threading - of various lengths and head style/type to have spares. all-in my cost was around $50 and it only contains spares that my trains use.

When Lionel first brought up their new parts site. I was just browsing and noticed these. I run more of a fleet with different rd. numbers. Would have worked for me. Pricey [maybe not so bad at the 1/2 off sale] but I had never seen them offered on their old site. This is for a consolidation. Of course it’s not available. But you can get the tender assortment.

If you are talking about classic toy trains, Dr Tinker has sold screws in assortments for many years if he's still in business.  I have had trouble getting his newest parts list to come up online all the time.  The newest one is from 2/2021 (that I have found).  Site Title - Parts Department (drtinkertrains.com).     DrTinker_PartsList_2_15_21.pdf (drtinkertrains.com)    When I started repairing trains, my mentor and Lionel Service Station owner used Ted Nyerges for screws.   Len Carparelli bought that business and still sells under the name "Nyerges Bolt & Screws"  NyergesBaSList.pdf (llmodeltrain.com).  I haven't purchased a specific assortment, preferring to buy what I want off the Nyerges list.  Hope that helps.   

A lot of the tinplate uses #3 screws. #4 can be used with a little force. I went to Nyerges (from above) at York and bought a selection of #3 screws. #4, #6 and others can be bought at my local hardware store.

Amazon is great for metric assortments. Not so great for tiny English screws at least if you want an assortment of them and not a box of 100. I have been using a lot of #0, 1, and 2 screws and had to buy small packages from hobby shops and online.

I also get longer than needed and cut and grind to length using a dremel with an abrasive cutoff wheel or diamond coated steel disk.

Pete

Try the Micro Fasteners site and search "trains".

They have two assortments - a larger brass set and a smaller steel. The small steel set has:

Small Steel Fastener Assortment for Trains

All assortments come in a latching, hinged, translucent polypropylene parts box with adjustable dividers for from 3 to 18 compartments, overall size: 7"x3-3/4"1-1/4".

Small Steel Fastener Assortment Contains 20 each of:
Hex nuts: 0-80, 2-56
Pan head machine screws:
stainless 0-80x5/16
zinc plated 2-56x3/16, 3/8, 3/4
black oxide 2-56x1/4, 1/2, 1, 4-40x1/4, 1/2
Pan head sht metal screws:
zinc plate #1x3/8, #2x3/16, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4
black oxide #2x1/4, 1/2

Just get on Ebay and find all the Chinese screws you need, in all sorts of quantities and sizes.

Charlie

Thanks for all of the input guys!

Surprisingly, between this thread, and general searching I ran across Monster Bolt.

They have excellent reviews and online ordering is easy peasy.

They have many different sizes of the metric and standard screws found on our trains.

I skimmed through Lionels parts site, and took note of shell screws and smoke unit screws across a few different models I currently own.

Typing them in the search at Monster Bolt brought up all of them except for the tiniest smoke funnel screw.

For less than the price of 1 screw at Lionel, you get a bag of 10.

While still more than I should ever need, I didn't have to buy a hundred of other screws that might be included in a set that won't fit anything.

I’ve bought from them. Not sure they sell a complete assortment. But they had what I needed as far as a 2.5 mm blackened screw with a flat head and some blackened 2mm pan heads for Kadee’s. I agree about the easy ordering. Once you find the type and thread size you need. You just select the length and a amount.

I don’t think they have an assortment but I will put in a plug for my old stand by McMaster Carr when it comes to odd but standard supplies.

@Brad_Marples posted:

Len Carparelli bought that business and still sells under the name "Nyerges Bolt & Screws"  NyergesBaSList.pdf (llmodeltrain.com).  

On page 5/5 the metric screw assortment is a good choice.

@romiller49,

I’ve been following this thread and have a question. The postwar Lionel stuff didn’t use metric screws, did it?

Not to my knowledge, that is why I spoke of classic toy trains. 

Post-war Lionel is almost entirely #4, and #6, screws/bolts, with a scattered few #8 screws/bolts.

There ain't no metric postwar. None

@romiller49 posted:

On page 5/5 the metric screw assortment is a good choice.

How so?  They're charging a premium for each screw, and they don't specify the sizes!

@woodsyT posted:

Post-war Lionel is almost entirely #4, and #6, screws/bolts, with a scattered few #8 screws/bolts.

Actually, a bunch of the Lionel stuff used #6-40 thread screws and oddball size as opposed to the standard #6-32 thread screws.

Oddball 6-40 and oddball 4-36. Rarely if ever found in hardware stores these days.

Pete

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Actually, a bunch of the Lionel stuff used #6-40 thread screws and oddball size as opposed to the standard #6-32 thread screws.

True!

More than once I have started the wrong thread pitch - gotta be gentle sometimes 😉

It's not easy keeping track of them tiny thread pitches with my eyes 🙈😳👀

#6/40 aren't easy to find

I think there was a #4/36 on some locos...?

@Norton posted:

Oddball 6-40 and oddball 4-36. Rarely if ever found in hardware stores these days.

Right, I forgot about the 4-36, I don't do much with the old pre-war or post-war stuff nowadays.

@texgeekboy posted:

@romiller49,

I’ve been following this thread and have a question. The postwar Lionel stuff didn’t use metric screws, did it?

The metric certainly won’t help with post war. Very helpful with the new stuff from China.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

How so?  They're charging a premium for each screw, and they don't specify the sizes!

The poster was asking for a screw assortment. If he’s working on modern stuff he’ll find this assortment very helpful. I bought mine from Ted when he was at York. Looked like a good deal to me. I’ve dug into mine several times with perfect results and also was able to help a forum member and saved him 10 bucks on shipping costs from the manufacturer.

@BamaTrainman posted:

I don’t think they have an assortment but I will put in a plug for my old stand by McMaster Carr when it comes to odd but standard supplies.

Agreed.

For instance, McMaster Carr is my go-to of choice for shoulder screws.  Large variety available.

The website can be a little troublesome though.  The reference photo pictures a very big one with a long shank, which is quite misleading because they also sell very small ones with short shanks ('O' Gauge train size) as well.  You'll have to enter your dimensions to see if what you want is in inventory.

If there's been any downside it's that, in spite of this large variety, for some sizes they have limited choices for the head type on these.  For instance you might have to accept allen head (internal hex) when you may really want a standard external hex.

Mike

@romiller49 posted:

The poster was asking for a screw assortment. If he’s working on modern stuff he’ll find this assortment very helpful. I bought mine from Ted when he was at York. Looked like a good deal to me. I’ve dug into mine several times with perfect results and also was able to help a forum member and saved him 10 bucks on shipping costs from the manufacturer.

I spent a total of around $22 on Amazon on three metric screw assortments.  I got black flathead, pan head, and round head screws, around 600 in each box.  The sizes range from 1.4mm through 3mm in lengths up to 16mm.  That's my idea of a screw assortment.

@RickO posted:

Thanks for all of the input guys!

Surprisingly, between this thread, and general searching I ran across Monster Bolt.

They have excellent reviews and online ordering is easy peasy.

They have many different sizes of the metric and standard screws found on our trains.

I skimmed through Lionels parts site, and took note of shell screws and smoke unit screws across a few different models I currently own.

Typing them in the search at Monster Bolt brought up all of them except for the tiniest smoke funnel screw.

For less than the price of 1 screw at Lionel, you get a bag of 10.

While still more than I should ever need, I didn't have to buy a hundred of other screws that might be included in a set that won't fit anything.

Great post Rick. I had just ordered a screws from Lionel because I was worried with all the discontinuation, I would not ever be able to find the right ones at some point in the future. Shell screws and smoke unit are the ones I most order from Lionel and I will keep this alternative in mind. This thread has great info.

Ordinary full thread screws will always be available. If you are concerned about parts becoming NLA look up the shoulder screws on your engines. The ones that hold the rods, valve gear, and trucks. Many of them are already out of stock.

Pete

Pete is right, I stocked up on rod screws as well as the shoulder screws that hold pilot trucks on.  The shell and the common ones internally are all in the screw assortments I bought for peanuts.

Hi John,  Where did you buy your assortment of screws? Do you have a link for it?

Thanks Rich R

Well, OGR frowns on product links, I bought them on Amazon, just search for metric screw assortment, they have hundreds of choices.  I wanted the three different head styles.  I also bought some metric and SAE set screw assortments.

Thank you

Rich R

One of my tools is a plate of tapped holes for checking threads used in PW lionel.  It has bolts also so I can check the threaded holes.   It takes longer to double check but saves screwed up threads.

2 x 56, 3 x 48, 3 x 56, 4 x 36, 4 x 40, 5 x 40, 6 x 32 and 10 x 32

The documents are not always perfect. so this helps.    I agree, the "shoulder" screws and special thin Hex hed screws for side rods are the ones that are not standard.  These are the ones you should have a few extras of.

One of the best presentations I saw on design was from an Engineer in a major printer/copier company.  His 2 week assignment that became a 2 year journey to standardize the size and length of bolts used in the product line.  Most screw into platics studs.   In his study he found that 80% of the storage area of the service vans was nothing but 100's of variations of screw sizes.   It was a major quality problem.  It was too easy to use the wrong screw and strip the threads or split the mounting stud.   In the end it was down to a handful of screws, streamlining supply, design and support.

@RickO,

Would it be possible if you could cut an paste the list of screws you ordered here?  If it's a pain, never mind.  Thanks in advance.

Is Len Carparelli still around? I haven’t seen him at York the past couple meets. I used to always stop and buy various screws from the display.

@texgeekboy

M2x6mm.        6/32×1/4

M2x8mm.        6×32 x 5/16

#4-40x 3/16

#4-40x 5/16

#4-40× 1/4

These were all pan head screws and iirc , cover the most common shell screws etc, as well as some smoke unit screws.

There may have been one or two others that were either out of stock or they didn't carry.

@RickO,

Thanks.  You were right, ordering was easy-peasy and they take PayPal.

Don't forget a JIS (Japanese industrial standard) screwdriver to fit foreign made Phillips head screws,it makes a difference.....