# What does it take to fix an o-scale truck?



## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

Picked up this Pullman on eBay but when it constantly derailed, I discovered the axle isn't in the truck properly. What special tools are needed to repair this kind of problem?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You can usually gently spring the truck sideframes apart and slip that back in. Gentle is the operative word here, you don't want to try to bend them any more than necessary.


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## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

THanks John...Will that metal tab holding the side frames pull out or are you saying to bend the side frames?


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

The frames should be pretty well secured by the tabs holding them on. Carefully bend the side frame outward from the bottom, just enough to slip the axle back in. There should be enough spring in the sheetmetal to allow them to bend out slightly and go back to shape.


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## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

The photo appears to be either the 2440 or 6440 Pullman. I had a spare truck of the type you show, and I tried to see if I could pry the side loose. I couldn't do it by hand, so attempted using a flat blade screwdriver and pried against the wheel and couldn't force it open enough to pop the axle. You may have better luck than I did. How is the truck attached to the frame?? I don't have any passenger cars to know. You may have to replace the whole truck.


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## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

Yes, it's a 6440 pullman and the couplers are different from mine. I think they were replaced maybe. Mine have wire coils. Anyway, the truck is attached with a rivet. If I can't pop the axle back in, is there a good tutorial on replacing trucks?


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## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

The side plates on your truck are pretty stiff, and I doubt if you can push it apart just by hand with your fingers. What I would do is use a flat blade screwdriver to use as a pry against the truck side and against the wheel face. I was able to exert enough pressure to pull the side plate away from the axle end, and pop the axle out of the hole in the loose truck assembly I have. I wanted to see if it could be done. The trucks you have are referred to as Staple End trucks, and are pretty forgiving when trying to pull the side plate away from the axles. Looking at the 2440 and 6440 series cars of the bottom view, they all appear to have riveted trucks onto the frame. Also, from ones that I could see online (eBay photos, etc.), they also appear to have originally used coil couplers, where yours appears to have a magnetic coupler. 

If you can't get the axle back in, and wind up having to replace the truck, I suggest you find a truck assembly that has a stud (cp-58 part number) that is part of the truck, that uses a horseshoe clip to hold it in the frame. You would have to drill out the rivet of the old truck. The bottom plate of the original truck can come off, by bending the tabs on the corners of the bottom plate, away from the axles, to gain access to the rivet. It sounds complicated, but it really isn't that hard.


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## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

Thanks for the informative posts. I was able pry the side plate out enough using a screwdriver to reseat the axle. All said and done, my goal was to finally add a second Pullman and Observation car to my childhood 6440 and have the classic 3 car 644x cars on my 1666 locomotive. Buying the additional cars on eBay was a mistake. The green colors just don't match and the newly acquired cars have magnetic couplers vs the coil couplers on my childhood 6440. hwell:

Need to pay attention. Lesson learned. Those $300 sets are worth it.:eyes:


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## teledoc (Oct 22, 2014)

*Coil coupler vs. Magnetic coupler*

Ernesthouse, I did some reading in Doyle's Catalog of Lionel Trains 1945-1969 and there is a notation on the 6440 Pullman that says the following:


"In 1948-49, the green sheet metal cars were offered under a different number system that began with a 6 rather than a 2. This denoted that the cars SHOULD have magnetic couplers rather than coil couplers. These cars were painted in a scheme itentical to the 1946-48 2440 Pullman........"

Then I remembered about a list that I posted, that was taken from one of the Model Train magazines explaining about Lionel Postwar NUMBERING. The list explains what each number represents, with the first digit denoting the type of car. The number 1xxx is Scout cars with scout style couplers. The number 2xxx (i.e. 2440/2441 etc.) would have coil couplers. The 3xxx denotes an operating car, i.e. 3454/3656 etc., and a 6xxx would have magnetic couplers.

Your 6440 with magnetic couplers are not necessarily wrong, as Lionel often used whatever they had on hand, at the time of assembly, and often used older parts to deplete their stock of that item. Your newest purchase could have been assembled in 1948, when the magnetic coupler was made.

There is a post that has about 6 PDF files that would help explain a few things regarding "0" gauge trains, both Prewar and Postwar. Just use the SEARCH function and search the following: "O" gauge PDF files combined or "0" gauge PDF files combined, (not sure if it was the letter O or the number 0 in the title of the post. It explains the numbering system in #4 of that post. These were created by me, for anyone to use and download, for your own reference. I did these because of the repetitive questions of certain topics, that would constantly pop up.


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