another little issue that is bugging me… Is there a trick to getting the 2 little springs back into a side frame truck on Aristocraft car?
I wrapped a thread around one of the springs incase it went flying I wold be able to find it then compressed it with a pair of needle nose and carefully got it into the opening and nearly in place but it is the last fraction of an inch that makes it spring off. I have tried many times to get it in, and this is only the first one!!
There has got to be a better way or maybe a secret trick ot getting these things back in place.
Thanks in advance
Todd
I used to throw away those danged trucks rather than deal with those infernal springs.
Then I found a small drop of CA (I use ZAP thick) applied in the “depression side” would hold the springs in just fine. Apply the glue, gently apply pressure to the springs for a minute, re-assemble the truck. Since I have been doing this I have not lost a single spring.
Mark’s suggestion is good, and I’m sure I’ve done that myself at one point or another. I like your thread trick, Todd - where were you when I needed you?
I give the spring a handle. I first did this with H.O. Kadee coupler springs when I was a kid. It also works on these Aristos.
For a handle on the spring, I use a small flat screwdriver inserted into the first or second coil from the end, I try to get the first coil, and to have a full circle of springwire above the screwdriver blade. Then I poke the lower, long end of the spring into place, using fingertips to ensure that it doesn’t go flying at this point. Now with the screwdriver I compress the spring, my fingers still restricting its movement, until the top coil, the one above the screwdriver blade, can be slipped over the tooth on the truck part, and then I slide my screwdriver out, leaving the spring in place.
Your screwdriver has to be about the same width as the spring, and thick enough for that spring’s coil to grab it fairly well.
Mind you, there’s more to the story, and here goes: I’m not above tossing the springs entirely, and shoving a scrap of black plastic or hardwood in there, held with C.A. or whatever.
The springs don’t do any good anyway, as far as I can tell. They’re either too strong for the weight of the car or else the sideframes/journals/bolsters won’t ever slide without extensive reworking/filing/cutting/ and maybe even lubricating as well.
Test the truck to see just how smoothly these parts do or don’t slide. Set the car on the track and see how much the spring gives or doesn’t give, and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Aristo has a reputation, in my humble opinion, for making things unnecessarily complicated. (It’s important to note that they’re not alone - I think humans have some kind of built-in weakness for adding unnecessary complications… ) You can see how I feel about that sort of thing by reading my little slogan below! Just toss the d–mn springs!
When I’m comparing equipment, I tend to look for the simpler, less complicated item. It’s a rule of thumb! Less to go wrong, less time ‘fixing’ stuff trying to make it work right, and way more time having fun playing!!! Hooray for that!
I am to the point of tossing them but the springs actually hold the truck together or at least the brake shoe assembly. I also think they are over complicated. They look neat but there is way too much tension on them to actually work. Another issue is what if the car is left out in the weather and the springs rust and rot and fall out. last night while watching a silly movie I worked on getting these silly springs back in place and actually succeded with one or I thought, when I went to place the other the first one sprung out of place. UGH !!
I will keep trying.
Thanks for the ideas.
The CA glue will work, just be sure to hold them in place with slight pressure until the CA fully cures. They are overly complicated, serve no purpose, and irritate the bajesus out of me.
Given the difficulty many experience with these springs one would think it would be good PR for Aristo to throw a few extra in the box. I really like Bachmann’s effforts to supply spares for parts they feel likely to break or get lost with their Spectrum line. I have been thankfull for that on more than one occasion.
Todd & Mark;
I used to have similar problems with the Delton truck springs. I would compress the springs using a hemostat (sometimes also called a surgical clamp). The jaws of the hemostat are small enough to allow you to grasp the center section of the spring, leaving a few coils on each end uncompressed. This way I could maneuver the outer coils over the spring retainer pins while still having a secure grip on the spring. Once the spring was secure on the top and bottom retainer pins (or depressions, depending on the truck’s manufacturer), I gently released and removed the hemostat.
I also like the thread idea as a fail safe device.
Another idea I have used on Kadee 831/833 coupler pockets is to put a dab of Walthers Goo on one end of the spring, then press that end into the coupler pocket. The Goo keeps the the spring from flying away until I can mount it to the pin on the coupler. That method should also work for truck springs, but you would probably need to allow a couple of minutes for the Goo to set up. Since the Goo stays flexible, it will not inhibit the spring from flexing.
Yours,
David Meashey
Success! After spending hours attempting to get the springs back in place I figured a relatively simple way to do it. I did try a hemostat since it seemed like a good idea like Dave Meashy described but without luck.
Finally with a slim screwdriver blade I held the spring in the center and put one end in near where it goes and compressed it with the screwdriver then I used my finger to compress and slide the other end near where it should go then I carefully removed the screwdriver and slowly moved the spring ends one at a time with the tiny screwdriver into and onto their mountings. Then pulled the thread out.
It took about 3 attempts on each spring to get them in. That Was EASY.
Thanks guys
Todd said:Obviously, you have overlooked something. :P
That Was EASY.
Todd Haskins said:I've tried that method...It usually started with the sound of the spring landing somewhere in my shop followed by a string of profanity and ending in an order for USA/LGB replacement trucks.
...Finally with a slim screwdriver blade I held the spring in the center and put one end in near where it goes and compressed it with the screwdriver then I used my finger to compress and slide the other end near where it should go then I carefully removed the screwdriver and slowly moved the spring ends one at a time with the tiny screwdriver into and onto their mountings...
Yeh I thought so Steve so I Ain’t Fiddlin Wit it No more! They are in place and hopefully they will stay.
Mark V. “I’ve tried that method…It usually started with the sound of the spring landing somewhere in my shop followed by a string of profanity and ending in an order for USA/LGB replacement trucks.”
that is why I wrapped a piece of thread around the spring to keep it from flying and getting lost. Just loop it around once or twice and it is a easy way to keep track of the spring. I don’t know where I heard of this idea but it works.
A combination of the thread and surgical clamp works very well for me. I got a cheap hemostat at Harbor Frieght and ground the nose pieces as thin as I could and still compress the spring. A piece of thread or dental floss keeps the spring from being launched into a black hole when you slip! Slip the flat ground nose into the spring right at the first coil,compress the spring and you should be able to finagle the spring easily into place.
Back in the HO days, I used Kadee knuckle springs to replace the coil springs in my trucks. They were stiff enough to hold everything together, but would flex easily enough to allow the trucks to float over rough places in the track, and even accurately sag when a load was added to the car. So far, I only have one pair of sprung trucks, but I know I’ll be getting more in the future and I’m sure I’m going to want to find springs that are a bit less robust. I used the screw driver and finger technique described by John. Anyone ever tried ball point pen springs?
William Whitlow said:Yes. I use them to build the Delton trucks I buy on eBay. They work fine on light cars like skeleton log cars, but are to weak for heavy cars. Spring sag on my battery car was causing constant derailments. I replaced the pen springs wit actual Aristo/Delton springs and the problem went away.
Anyone ever tried ball point pen springs?
For HO trucks, I used an exacto knife and had no problems with installing the springs. For Aristo in G, even easier with my exacto!!
No glue, no strings attached. works for me.
Bill Wright (above post) has got the method.
I have used tweezers with a flat face by holding, as he said, the lower portion of coil and then compress the top portion sliding the spring into the truck spring cavity. The use of thread is also a good idea.