Geez…this lot of train stuff I received ,last weekend. There’s a few old roundhouse die-cast model kits,two are shot,the others…well not much better.
Then again ,these kits are from the 50’s. What makes them so brittle over time ?
Patrick
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}
It was usually impurities in the alloy used to cast them - pre-war Hornby-Dublo wagon chassis suffered from this too, as have a few other brands over the years. You might be able to save them by spreading a thin layer of epoxy resin over the inside of the car body - it should adhere to the shell and form a strong “inner shell” to support the brittle outer one. Just an idea though - not tried it myself but it might just work.
It’s called zinc pest, and it’s due to impurities in the metal at the time of manufacture. I thought most manufacturers had this all worked out by the 50s, though. Zinc pest seems to occur most often in prewar trains, from what I have read.
Oops, ya beat me to it, Matt!
Regards,
Clint
It can occur anywhere. Bachmann had this problem bigtime for a while. I still have 2 Bachmann diesels laying around in pieces.
The classic old Lionel Hudson from the 1930s – still one of the most beautiful model locomotives ever made – is usually now seen looking warped and broken due to this problem.
My old Varney F3 from the 1950s. which could pull anything, fell apart due to this problem. So did the trucks on the frieght cars of my first ever trainset, a Penn Line.
Some people thought you could arrest the deterioration with a bath in vinegar but I believe that theory has been discredited.
Dave Nelson
All metal deteriates over time. It starts the moment of manufacture. Zinc is one of the fastest to do this. Not only from impurities in the alloy itself, but also from the environment it’s in. It is so good at deteriation that it is used in the marine world on boat motors and sea water systems on ships to protect the metals in those systems. Just a tidbit of info here.
the cast in my cab foward turned to popcorn it disitegrated
strange thing to happen to metal
Ken
Thank you for your metalergy thought’s. I guess the EAF will have plenty of scrap to feast on…the zinc pest cars will be cut up and feed to the EAF to digest. LOL
Patrick
My father’s zinc alloy 1946 HO Varney Dockside is still in perfect shape but a Mantua Mikado from '48 or '49 went to pieces decades ago. Lead lasts, even if it is from old batteries (antimony creating hard spots) such as Penn Line’s original T1. But the hard spots make detailing a chore.
Don’t trust that plastic is the answer. While a good zinc alloy should last for a very long time and brass and lead should last for centuries, the Smithsonian Museum has plastic artifacts from the 1930’s and 40’s that are distorting as solvents slowly evaporate out of them.