Cold Weather Warning

[Glengrant]

OK maybe I should have known better, but over the cold weather spells I left certain items of rolling stock outside, I didn't see that they would come to any harm. I have just been out back because I am hoping to decorate my mini HLW oilcans, what you guys call "puds". The one I have taken into the house I note has has become distorted, presumably due freezing water. The sideframes seem to have expanded and have bent the car bed. One frame popped out, so the wheels have come out of the axle boxes. OK I don't think any permanent damage has been done, but I had better just keep an eye on the other stock out there. Any comments, apart from "Stupid Git!!!!!"

 

[ntpntpntp]

Should go back together ok. If the frame seems permanently bent, try warming in hot water and bend back to shape.

Did you glue the frames to the floor? Must admit I made sure I used a good dose of Pro-Weld to bond all the parts on my bunch of HLW hoppers.

 

[Glengrant]

Should go back together ok. If the frame seems permanently bent, try warming in hot water and bend back to shape.

Did you glue the frames to the floor? Must admit I made sure I used a good dose of Pro-Weld to bond all the parts on my bunch of HLW hoppers.

Good question, no I didn't use any glue, just depended on the tight fit. Now I might have to shave a little off the end of the frames and this time they will be bonded with a cyanoacrylate (wow that's a big word for a little old man) adhesive. You just live and learn in this game. Of course I got a very "well, what do you expect" sort of remark from her

 

[minimans]

I don't think it was the cold especially mate! I had a rake of 20 or so of those and they all eventually did that and the climate here certainly 'aint that cold!!

 

[dunnyrail]

I left some Bachman USA wagons outside for many years with no damage whatsoever, oh perhaps the Steel Skrews went rusty but were still usable.
JonD

 

[DoctorM]

I recall that when I got some Hartland "Take & Make" wagons a few years ago the assembly instructions (from a UK supplier) recommended that the sideframes be shortened slightly before assembly.

Naturally I ignored that advice, and then noticed that the frames were bent slightly, but in the vertical direction.

Filing a little plastic off each end did the trick.

It may be that in the cold weather the brown plastic body contracted more than the black sideframes.

 

[garrymartin]

Hi everyone, mine have done this as well, as I noticed this last spring I do not think it was a temprature issue , mine were glued. Does the immersion in hot water work? Anyone else managed to get them back into shape? Mine are all but useless as they are ( All 8 of them!)
Cheers Garry

 

[KeithT]

I have a dozen of these. Someone posted about this problem around 18 months ago.
At that time I commented that none of mine had warped but towards the end of last year I noticed that on 3 of them the frames had distorted laterally.
I haven't 'dealt' with them yet but I propose putting a screw through the frame and up into the base of the wagon body to bring them back in line.

 

[Spule 4]

Yes, probably a distortion due to teh size problem and bending over time, while you can have expansion/contraction problems with plastics due to cold, it is often a problem of dis-similar plastics (eg, one styrene and the other acrylic) and would result in cracking. Or at least what the engineers at work claim and warn us with our equipment come winter.

Heat can cause warpage. Sometimes it takes forever (the blue GSM Neqida passenger car's roof warped after a year of sitting in the sun) or a short time (a warped Accucraft car after 1/2 hour of being in the sun).

 

[JRinTawa]

ON all of my Hartland wagons I've found it neccessary to trim a little of the end of the solebars for a more comfortable fit. Gulp, no warping here so far

 

[Glengrant]

Yes having digested all of this I am now coming to the conclusion that indeed the cold was not necessarily to blame. I am in the process of doing just what some of you suggest, filing the ends of the solebars down a wee bit, a touch of glue, and they slide neatly into place. Interesting and useful little topic, thanks all