I have a Athearn dummy engine with the cast metal frame broken. Any ideas on who to fix it short of replacing the frame?[?]
What type of engine is it from? i’m assuming it’s a blue box right?
It probably isn’t worth fixing when you figure your time investment in doing it. You don’t say how it is broken so a couple of thoughts:
- If the piece the truck fastens to is broken you will always have problems if you fix it
- You can use some brass on top of the frame with clearance holes and drilled and tapped holes in the frame to hold it together but getting a frame at a show or on E bay will still be easier and cheaper.
I’d agree about getting a new frame for this loco - whatever repair you do will always be weaker, and when you compare the cost of a new frame to your time in repairing the old one replacing it is a very sensible idea.
it’s not worth repairing…I accidently spilled glue on the gears in the trucks of a brand new athearn engine once that locked them up tight as a drum and after purchasing the replacement truck and gears it was about $5.00 less than the original cost of the locomotive…not to mention the time involved to rebuild the unit …won’t ever do that again!
A new frame will cost about $8 ( http://www.athearn.com/home2.html ). J.B. Weld cost about $5.50. However if the epoxy doesn’t hold, you will end up having to buy a frame anyway.