I must replace the springs on a Kadee Bettendorf truck.
Can anyone recommend how to do that? The truck’s in pieces, and everything seems dependent on everything else for re-assembly.
Thanks.
Rick Krall
Steady hands and a big magnifying glass, I have a draw full of couplers and trucks that need new springs, not with these fat arthritic fingers. I have a friend who does em for me in exchange for soldering on his layout. He is god awful at it no matter how hard he tries or how much I show him. So it’s an equitable arrangement.
Aren’t those fun? I’ve done a few in the past. I assembled the trucks sans springs – I then used a #11 exacto blade to insert the springs. Slip the tip of the blade between the coils near one end. Insert the the spring end without the blade onto the spring post and use the blade to compress the spring far enough to slip the end with the exacto blade over the other post. Gently slide the blade from the spring and voila! It may take some practice, but it is rare that I have a spring go flying into the beyond never to be found again. Good luck! Chuck
I have used a Kadee Spring pick.
Rich
Rick
A tiny dab of Vaseline or other thick lubricant on the tip of a #11 blade will keep the little bugger from going into the same void as the missing sock and grab irons that have disappeared.
Another trick is a piece of thread through the center of the spring and worked in with the tip of the old #11 blade. Then just carefully pull the thread out while holding the spring in the void with your thumb.
Pete
Thanks, guys! As usual, some neat tips here. I fully expect to bombard my workroom with flying objects, but I have 36 springs (2 envelopes’ worth) to source the 1 I need!
loco|1sa: Congratulations on your new granddaughter! Grandchildren are the one thing in life arguably better than trains.
Donning my safety goggles…
Rick Krall
Let me close the loop on my own thread with the thought it might help someone.
I’ve just replaced 2 springs on 1 bolster; the other bolster had the springs intact. This was my first time, and I didn’t loose a spring, which I can attribute to unbelievable skill and coolness under pressure or beginner’s luck. I’ll go with beginner’s luck.
As barrok recommended, I assembled the truck sans springs and held it together with thin strips of masking tape.
Neither the Kadee’s spring pick nor the #11 blade worked for me. I wasn’t confident I could control the spring on the pick, and the blade picked up the spring nicely but slipped too far into the spring when I tried to compress the spring in the truck. Vaseline might have helped, but we didn’t have any in the house.
I ended up going with needle nose tweezers and a flat-head jeweler’s screwdriver. I used the tweezers to grip the spring firmly and insert it over the bottom dimple. I then kept the spring in place by covering it from the outside with my forefinger from the hand holding the truck. I replaced the tweezers with the 2MM screwdriver so I could tease the top of the spring over the other dimple, working by feel since I had to keep my finger in place to retain the spring. I learned I had to manhandle the assembly a bit to get the spring in place–it takes more pressure than I anticipated to compress it sufficiently to clear the second dimple. When it felt safe, I moved my finger a bit to see if the spring were seated. It took a few repetitions with both springs before I secured them properly.
It took me about 1 1/2 hours to replace these two springs, but this was my first time. The next time I could probably do it in, say, 85 minutes.
Rick Krall
And you can also use the Spring Pic as an uncoupling tool.
John Timm
Used both of these, good tips!