Substitute trucks for Williams Heavyweight cars.

I would think Williams would be happy to trade bad parts for good.  Is it just the side frames, or is the structure inside involved as well?  I assume the wheels are steel, and still good.

If just the side frames, I bet you could have new castings made from brass for a lot less than fifty bucks per car.  MTH might have some trucks for half that, and they probably could be made to fit.

Bachmann I am sure has no interest and I am really think they are under no obligation.  I spoke with Jeff Strank at York their trucks (sprung) are $60.00 a pair.  The sideframes and wheels are VERY close in size when I look at them

As I piece and part things all the time for projects, I have some "advice":

1 - keep looking on auctions and find the trucks (or even complete, fire-sale cars) little by little.

2 - they don't have to be Williams.

3 - they don't all have to be the same brand.

4 - buy a nice set of heavyweights and try to sell the truck-less bodies at a train show,

and chalk it up to experience (Williams heavyweight bodies aren't the greatest anyway;

giant rivets; many of us bashers will buy bodies - if they're not too expensive.

5 - I have a set of older Williams heavyweights that I like well enough, though I'd

buy another brand (MTH seems to look the best) today - however: 3 or 4 of my 

Williams trucks were zinc-diseased, and lying in several pieces. I used epoxy to 

fit them back together, painted the trucks, and they have been completely stable for

years - no more crumbling. If your trucks are "simply" in some large pieces, they may

be very salvageable, and the contamination has done its worst. Mine were, and they

look and run just fine. If they are dust, well, see above. 

Like another person mentions, use a truck assembly from another passenger car, however stay away from K-Line heavyweight trucks as they had the same or worse problems with zinc breakdown with their truck assemblies.

Buy an old Lionel or MTH passenger car frame with decent trucks and go from there.

Lee Fritz