Lionel freight cars

[Madman]

Would anyone know if LGB hook and loop couplers will fit Lionel freight car trucks, without too much cutting and bashing?
And also what about LGB or Bachmann wheels as a replacement for the Lionel wheels?

 

[GlenF]

From what I remember the couplings are not a straight swap and do require some cutting/filing. Can't help you with the wheels. It's been a few years since since I dabbled in Lionel G-scale and I've since sold it all.

 

[MR SPOCK]

I chopped a lot of Lional couplings off my boxcars but they looked very much like bachman,​

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The wheels have axles that are about a millimeter narower than the USA / Aristo type but cut easy with a junior blade,.​

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[Waldgrun]

Sometime back my other half obtained via e-bay (Cheap) a Lionel Christmas bogie wagon, trucks where both broken so replaced then with L.G.B. looks and works O>K! I know this is an expensive route if you have several vehicles to do, but if it is a special or one off, it's worth bearing in mind!
Quick question for Mr Spock are the metal wheels sets you are using Accucraft ? I like the way you have turn then into disc wheelsets.

 

[Madman]

Wow, 2012 ! I purchased a Lionel large scale caboose. The plastic wheels are just shy of 27 mm diameter. I'd like to replace them with metal wheels. Bachmann's small wheels are 24.5 mm diameter. Maybe just a wee bit too small.

Would anyone know where to purchase wheels that are closer to the size I need ?

 

[Edgar]

I have a few of the Lionel cars that I fitted with standard lgb couplers. It wasn’t a serious pain, but still not worth the effort. The US made plastic is good quality and seems to take the uv abuse as well as lgb. The problem is the trucks are too narrow to accept lgb and Bachman axils. If I recall correctly, there was also an issue with height; in one direction the couplers would drag or hang on my track magnets. I really like the caboose with the operable side door, to my eye it is nicely proportioned to the stanz. For a while I had the trucks off a Bachman coal tender on the Lionel caboose and that worked well until the Chinese plastic broke in a slight mishap. I now have lgb trucks and Bachman axils for the Lionel cars. The having won the lottery feelings of buying never run condition cars for $25 each wore off permanently enough after spending the nearly $40 per car for trucks and axils.