Tips - Repairs - USAT Diesels | Show Menu |
by Paul Norton
Pilot Steps
The pilot steps on USA Trains diesels frequently come unglued or get damaged. Often the little plastic nubs that are supposed to be glued into the pilot are sheared off.
The nubs can be sanded down and drilled out of the pilot steps with a pin vice and a small bit. The pilot steps can then be tapped with small screws.
The holes in the pilot should then be drilled out with a larger bit to allow the screws to pass, so the pilot steps can be easily mounted or removed for replacement.
Handrail Stanchion Tabs
The small tabs on the bottom of the stanchions on USA Trains diesels are susceptible to damage. When they break off, they can be replaced by an L shaped piece of brass rod soldered inside the channel. The repaired and painted stanchions are shown in the next photo.
Cutbar Loops
If you are like most people, you will break some of the fine plastic loops that hold the cut bars in place on USAT diesels. Fortunately these loops can be replaced with the ends of number 6 Aberdeen fish hooks. They are ten for a dollar locally. Thanks to Fletch of mylargescale.com for this tip.
Pinion Gear Axle Sleeves
If your USA Trains diesel is running lumpy at slow speed or frequently derailing, the pinion gear sleeve in the motor block may be cracked. You should not be able to turn any of the wheels with your fingers. If you can the wheel will slip under load and may not stay properly gauged.
Although a pair of the entire axle assembly are available from USAT for $10, the sleeve can be repaired with inexpensive monofilament fishing line.
Pull the half axles out of the sleeves of the pinion gear. Clean the gear and sleeves to remove any grease.
Tightly wrap the sleeves with monofilament fishing line and coat it with CA (superglue). Keep the line tight until the glue has dried.
When the glue has completely cured; trim the ends of the fishing line. Then push the half axles into the sleeves until the wheels are properly gauged.
Thanks to Dave Goodson (The Old Curmudgeon) of mylargescale.com for this tip.
NW-2 Plastic Stanchion Bases
On USA Trains NW-2s, the small plastic bases that hold the side stanchions to the frame are very susceptible to damage. On the bottom of the bases, the little plastic nubs that fit into holes in the frame can often shear off. Ordinarily a nub can be replaced with a small piece of brass rod, but unfortunately the bottoms of these bases are too shallow to hold a piece of rod firmly. As the two stanchions are different, one is a brass channel the other a brass rod, two methods of repair are required.
A piece of brass rod is soldered inside the channel extending out the bottom. A hole, just big enough for the rod, is drilled through the base to let the rod pass through the bottom and into the frame. The hole in frame is drilled deeper to let the rod get a more secure grip. The base can be glued to the stanchion and both touched up with paint.
A length of small brass tube is sweat soldered onto the bottom of the rod shaped stanchion. A hole, just big enough for the tube, is drilled through the base to let the tube pass through the bottom and into the frame. The hole in frame is drilled deeper to let the tube get a more secure grip. The base can be glued to the stanchion and both touched up with paint.
Fastening Parts with Screws
Here is a hint for fastening parts that are held on with a number screws, such as locomotive hoods, cabs and fuel tanks. ALL the screws should be placed in their holes with only a few turns before tightening any of them. That allows the part to line up with ALL the screws. If you tightened the screws as you went, the last few could be hard to place and the plastic threads could be stripped.
I have two, number 1, Phillips screwdrivers for working on trains. One is a regular size with a long shaft to reach deep in the holes of USA Trains diesel frames. The other is a hobby sized screwdriver that provides more feedback and prevents me from stripping any threads or rounding out the heads of small screws.
The small #1 (3.8mm) screwdriver is part of a six piece set of precision screwdrivers from The Source in Canada (stock number 640-1962) for $8 or from Radio Shack in the USA (stock number 64-2969) for $6.
Despite my best efforts, I sometimes find a screw that starts all right but does not tighten. Fortunately JB Weld epoxy from the auto section of Canadian Tire can be used to repair the threads. Simply mix a small amount and apply it with a toothpick to the stripped threads. Let the epoxy dry for a full day. Drill a hole about 1/32nd of an inch smaller than the screw and use the screw to tap new threads. Because JB Weld contains powdered metal it will not crumble like ordinary epoxies.
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Last Modified 4/27/08 11:31 AM