So I have an HO scale single-dome tank car, and somehow the wheels fell off. How do I get them back on?

Quote from: TheTrainGuy4479 on August 23, 2019, 05:38:03 PM
So I have an HO scale single-dome tank car, and somehow the wheels fell off. How do I get them back on?

Is this a Bachmann tank car?
Just to be clear, the truck fell off the car or the wheels fell off the truck? I have heard of both.

Rich

If the truck frame is still on the car, snap the wheels back in.  If the truck itself fell off , screw it back on with an appropriate screw.

No idea how the wheels would "fall" off but I will give a suggestion.
Just spread the plastic side frame slightly and put the wheel tip in. Do the same to the other side. Take your time.
It will be easier with the truck removed from the car.
When putting new wheels on a car I have removed the truck first.

Rich

Yes it is a Bachmann. I can't seem to get out the plastic screw.

Just a guess right now.
I have never seen the car but I suspect the trucks "snap" in.
You did say plastic screw. Do you actually see what looks like a screw head with a slot for a screwdriver? If not, then the truck snap in.
I remember some rolling stock I had many years ago that would snap into the bottom of the car. I had to gently pry the truck out. They might have been Bachmann old time or Tyco old time.
The trucks had a split plastic stud that fit into a hole on the bottom of the car. It kept the truck in place when you lifted the car off the track.

Rich

Older Bachmann cars from the 1970s used neither screw now snap in trucks. They used a plastic kingpin similar to AHM cars, but the Backmann pin fit into a recessed area of the truck bolster so its head was flush with the truck frame. If this is what you have, you car remove the truck by using a small screwdriver between the car frame and the truck bolster to gently pry while you rock the truck. Don't force things lest you break the pin off in the car frame.

Thanks for the details Jeffery. It has been many years for me. I gave much of those away to a place in my little city that sells used stuff.  I know the owner. They went fast.
Time's fun when you are having flies.
I forgot to mention a small screw driver to pry.

Rich

Accurail also did press fit truck mountings early on. Couplers too.  They came to their senses and went to screw mountings.

Screws cost money on train set cars that typically have a short life and don't last long enough for the wheels to "fall off."  Plastic truck pins hold costs down but eventually cause aggravation over time.  If you seriously want to keep the car over time, do what experienced modelers do.....

Pull off the train set  trucks and get the plastic pin out of the bolster.  Fill the hole in the bolster with appropriately sized styrene rod, sprues from a plastic kit usually work well and are free.  Buy some better quality trucks with metal wheels, like Kadees or Walthers. Match the style of the original truck with a picture of the new, it is 99% certain to be the modern "Bettendorf " but could be a roller bearing type too, check.  Drill, with a small bit in a pin vise,  a hole in the sprue filler and tap for the appropriate mounting screw, which more than likely will be the hobby-standard 2-56 available from any LHS or internet supplier.  If I'm not mistaken Kadee sells a complete drill and tap set specifically for jobs like this.

This sounds like a lot of work but it's not really, a basic skill to improve your rolling stock ("cars") that will infinitely improve their performance and add to your hobby enjoyment .  You'll use the tools over and over again, and eventually use up the rest of the universally used 2-56 screws fixing something else.

It doesn't want to snap but if I try a screwdriver it doesn't work either

This video is a Bachmann boxcar. Does your car have a similar screw?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xzkjxRoJUu4

If not, then you have to carefully pry.

Rich

Until you post some photos, trying to help is like driving a car with the windshield painted over.

I guarantee you that the truck will come off.  It got on, right? You may have to destroy it in the process though.  If you really want to keep the car, consider the truck replacement procedure outlined earlier.  Truthfully, a car that cheap may not be worth all the trouble to fix it though, your call.