# Wheels onto Micro Train trucks



## JEH41 (Feb 7, 2019)

Hello,

I was replacing truck/coupler on an old Atlas car with Micro Train trucks, following directions found on U-tube. All went reasonably well except on installation of the second truck set the wheels came off. It took a long time for me to reinstall. Is there some trick to doing this? I may be too old to try N scale repair work.

Jim Hataway


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Tips from a 70 year old N-scaler*



JEH41 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I was replacing truck/coupler on an old Atlas car with Micro Train trucks, following directions found on U-tube. All went reasonably well except on installation of the second truck set the wheels came off. It took a long time for me to reinstall. Is there some trick to doing this? I may be too old to try N scale repair work.
> 
> Jim Hataway




Jim;

Yes there is a way to get the wheels back into the trucks. Hold the truck frame in one hand, so that it can't turn. This can be done either with the truck mounted on the car, or loose. Hold one of the wheels in your other hand, and poke the tip of the opposite end of the axle into the hole in the opposite side of the truck frame. Then pivot the wheel & axle assembly (called a "wheelset" ) down to where it's other axle tip just touches the outside of the truck frame directly over, but not into, the hole yet. Now GENTLY push the whole wheelset toward the end that is already in the opposite hole. The truck frame will flex out enough to let the other pointed end of the axle pop into the hole on the other side. Don't push too hard, it's possible to break the truck. However, Micro-Trains truck frames are made of Delrin, a strong and somewhat flexible plastic. The possibility of breaking a truck frame is therefore lower with Micro-Trains trucks than with other brands, but it's still possible to break one.

Here are some other, general, "working with small parts tips",that can help make things easier and less frustrating. The first is mental, the others physical.

First, don't give up quickly, persevere.
When I switched from O-scale, to HO-scale and later; from HO-scale, to N-scale, there was a long, gradual, learning curve involved each time I went down a scale size.
At first, in both cases, it seemed like the new, smaller, scale was impossible to work with. If something came apart it was so difficult to get back together that I was ready to give up! Over time, the smaller scale got to be familiar, and "normal" to my brain. It also got easier to work with the more I worked with it. Now the larger scale looked positively enormous to me. So give it time.

Second, small parts are harder to see (especially for old farts, like me!)

So work in bright light. Work at a table, or workbench, while sitting comfortably.
Work on top of a white, or light-colored hand towel. The light color background makes it easier to see the parts, which are typically black, or a dark color. (Note: When handling white plastic parts, use a darker towel.)
The rough terrycloth surface texture of a towel is great for stopping parts from rolling off the table. Be sure to secure the towel to the table with tape, or weights. A towel full of little bitty parts can slide off the table and scatter parts off into "Never Never Land" (somewhere you will never, never find the $%^^&* little things!)

Use an Optivisor. This handy magnifier fits on your head like a hat. The magnifying lenses will fit over eyeglasses, and can pushed up out of the way when you don't need them.
Also consider getting some more powerful reading glasses. I recently bought two pair one 4.5 power and the other 6 power, from Amazon. Neither was expensive.

Small parts are also difficult to hold.

Have tweezers, miniature needle-nosed pliers, mechanical fingers, etc. available to grasp things.

A locomotive cradle is also a very useful gadget. (see photos 1 & 2) It can hold a loco, car, or even a peaked-roof structure, while you work on the bottom.

A rail ramp (the yellow item in photos 3 & 4) makes getting all the wheels of a car on the rails much easier.

Another useful item is one of those "third hand" gadgets with alligator clips attached to positionable arms and a heavy base.

Screw starters, or "mechanical fingers" (photo 5) are an essential tool for handling tiny screws and nuts.

The paint holder (in photo 6) was made from scrap wood. It keeps expensive model paint, or cement, from spilling out onto a project.

Finally, photo 7 shows an N-scale structure I built. The only commercial part used was the wood bin, which started out as a dumpster. Everything else, right down to the colored lenses in the semaphore, is scratch built. So don't let any Yahoo tell you that, "You cant do that in N-scale." Yes you can, it just takes some experience, and patience. 


Hope that helps;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## CV-62 (Dec 9, 2018)

Try putting a wheelset back on with one of those itty bitty friction springs on the end of the tip. It makes the process just that much more interesting. LOL.

I have one of those mag visors with a LED light and I could never do this work without it. Sometimes if doing something that does not require magnification, the LED light comes in real handy. Also, I recommend a nice quality magnifier lamp. Anyone over 40 will get their monies worth out of one of those.


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## traction fan (Oct 5, 2014)

*Good advice*



CV-62 said:


> Try putting a wheelset back on with one of those itty bitty friction springs on the end of the tip. It makes the process just that much more interesting. LOL.
> 
> I have one of those mag visors with a LED light and I could never do this work without it. Sometimes if doing something that does not require magnification, the LED light comes in real handy. Also, I recommend a nice quality magnifier lamp. Anyone over 40 will get their monies worth out of one of those.


 CV-62;

That's good advice. One exception to the "nice quality magnifier lamp" suggestion, that I found didn't work for me, is the large, spring-arm-supported lens surrounded by a fluorescent lamp ring type. The thing seemed to be constantly in my way, and the lens fogged up practically every time I breathed. A smaller lighted magnifier, off to the side, might be a different proposition though. Since getting my Optivisor, I have not needed another magnifier.

regards;

Traction Fan:smilie_daumenpos:


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## lilleyen (Mar 19, 2019)

traction fan said:


> CV-62;
> 
> That's good advice. One exception to the "nice quality magnifier lamp" suggestion, that I found didn't work for me, is the large, spring-arm-supported lens surrounded by a fluorescent lamp ring type. The thing seemed to be constantly in my way, and the lens fogged up practically every time I breathed. A smaller lighted magnifier, off to the side, might be a different proposition though. Since getting my Optivisor, I have not needed another magnifier.
> 
> ...


A couple of tips while we're at it.

The Lychee headband magnifier is great, I got one last week.
Comes with 5 different diopters that you can combine if necessary, and an LED light (very bright), that swivels up or down etc.
https://www.amazon.ca/Lychee-Headband-Headset-Magnifier-Magnifying/dp/B00USPI5X6

Secondly, my trick for dealing with small screws is to snap a tiny rare earth magnet onto the miniature screwdrivers shaft, not too close to the tip.
The screw can then be put onto the end of the screwdriver and it will stay there while you screw it in (or out, then it won't get lost)
I picked up a whole tube of tiny rare earth magnets at Lee Valley Tools. but they are available almost anywhere.

Hope this helps someone.


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