I have a a few Lionel Lehigh Valley hopper cars that have couplers that wont stay closed. I’m thinking of replacing the trucks. These cars have the plates that are held with scews though the middle of the car. The trucks are cliped with them U-clips. What is the best replacment trucks for the old post war cars?
Look for damaged hoppers at shows that have good trucks, but cracked or broken bodies and buy them for parts. They are usually available cheaply. Also, the coupler might need some oil to make it close. I just bought some old PW freight cars and discovered that the couplers weren’t closing all the way/staying closed because the pin that releases the coupler wasn’t going all the way back up. It needed to be oiled. Jim
Replacement trucks are available by most of the manufacturers. The Lionel cat. # is 6-14078 - die-cast metal sprung trucks @ $14.99 for 2, list or 6-14251 - die-cast metal sprung trucks with rotating bearing caps @ $15.99 for 2, list. Check the ads in CTT or your local store, I’ve never had to pay list for these locally.
Have you tried adjusting the spring tension by dis-assembling the truck assembly? Try adjusting the spring before replacing the trucks.
Lee