Repairing a plastic pin, 9304 coal dump car

You could try drilling a hole where the pin used to be, and gluing in a short section of brass or steel wire/rod of the appropriate diameter.

I've used this technique to repair the valve motion on an LGB locomotive where one of the rods had broken.

Try Chuck Sartor or start a post "Need 9304-14 Dump Frame". Parts list attached.

I have a couple of the frames, what color do you need if you don't want try Nicole's repair.

Nicole is spot-on. 

I've used this technique on two of these cars for customers.  Easy.  Fast.  Forever (brass wire).  In fact, for the one customer...knowing the level of 'play' the youngster in the family is accustomed to...I went ahead and broke off the other pin and replaced it with a brass wire at the same time.  It's the 'nature of the beast' of this dump car....manually resetting the box...that those plastic pins are going to take a beating.

FWIW, always...

KD

Thanks for the great suggestions. I have a total of 5 of these cars and I have 5 grandchildren. I think I will try the drill a hole and replace the pins with a brass wire since they will take a beating from the grandkids and me.

Thanks Nicole and KD. I have several of the rare LOTS Milwaukee Road log dump cars and one of them has a broken hinge pin. I've thought of fixing it in exactly that manner, but wasn't sure there was enough meat there for the repair to work. Replacing the dump bed isn't a good option because the car is painted an unusual color that isn't likely to be available as a spare part. Now that I know it works, I'll do the brass rod repair when I get the time.