Disassemble Lionel Bar End Truck?

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I’ve search and I’ve found several discussions on fixing trucks, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for. Is it possible to remove the sideframe from the truck frame? I want to repaint the trauck frame, as it is very rusty, but I’d prefer to have it completely apart first. Its from a Lionel 6456, if that helps. Thanks for any feedback

2

Welcome to the forum!

Without the proper press, staking tool and anvil to reassemble the truck, do not take apart the trucks.

Dip the trucks in rust remover, and repaint the truck intact.

Larry

3

OR, blacken them with gun bluing, NeoLube, or Jax.

4

thanks for the reply… I kind of thought i couldn’t do it… since I couldn’t find something online.

5

I’ve never used gun bluing. Is that somethign that would need to be reapplied over time? Any advantage to that vs painting?

thanks for the info

6

ADCX, there is quite a difference in cost between the two. Do you or anyone else have experience to indicate which of these is a better value? Or are there other alternatives that provide good results?

Thanks, swede

7

I can speak from personal experience with gun bluing, specifically cold blues like Hoppes or Birchwood Casey. Both work well but the metal has to absolutely free of rust, and absolutely-positively free of oil or grease. Several applications may be necessary.

Or you can just paint it with Testor’s “Flat Black” paint. That works as well.

8

They are different products, I use the Neolube as I use it for other purposes as well, like lubricating center rail pickup rollers and transformer rollers.

9

I believe that the sideframe of a bar-end truck is attached to the bolster by deforming the top of the sideframe downward into an opening in the bolster. Even if you could get the sideframe off intact, I wouldn’t be confident that the brittle zinc casting would survive a second deformation to reattach it.

Any paint overrun from the bolster to the sideframe would be well hidden behind the sideframe (except for the bar-end itself).

10

I disassembled a bar end truck.

13

The side frame is soft enough that the bar end could be pressed out, shearing the tab that holds it on the bar. Reassembly method… glue.

14

Now to exit or logout. Where is the exit door. Help, I am being held hostage and can’t get out.

15

Found it.

Welcome back,
LOGOUT

What a strange place to put the exit. [:O]

16

What is there to be gained by disassembling to this degree?

17

Mr. SteamGreaterThanDiesel said,

It is easier to clean truck parts individually than when they are ssembled in a truck.

With this wheelset the axel does not turn, the wheel spins on the axel.
On this truck the axles are worn down and the wheels wobble. You might
want to replace the wheels and axle. The truck is supposed to be ridged
which makes it impossible to remove with the truck assembled.

I think you can see the problem in the photo.

18

No, All I see is a destroyed truck sideframe.

You do know the axles & wheels come out w/o removing the sideframes?

19

No, I don’t know. How?

20

I just figured out what you mean by “ridged”… “rigid”. The bolsters are not rigid. They have lots of flex in them allowing complete disassembly in about 20 seconds.