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Post by bncascadegreen on May 2, 2024 23:25:23 GMT -8
Warping on freight cars. Finally have a front runner from Walthers that did it. Cars like 20 years old. Any others do it? Flat cars? spine cars?
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Post by packer on May 3, 2024 6:03:09 GMT -8
I have one of the Walthers 89' flats that did it. I wound up making it a parts source for one that had a straight deck but busted details
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Post by Colin 't Hart on May 3, 2024 6:38:11 GMT -8
Just saw this one on Facebook: a recent run Walthers crane with an extremely warped frame due to zinc rot.  |
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Post by upcsx on May 3, 2024 7:08:25 GMT -8
I have two GP 38-2 from Proto2000 that are warped but the Walthers flat cars I have so far are ok.
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Post by edwardsutorik on May 3, 2024 7:26:46 GMT -8
I've shown a photo here of one of my Walthers trailer flats with warpage caused by zinc rot.
There can also be warpage NOT caused by zinc rot. That showed up in the first run of Athearn's auto-racks. It's pretty easy to fix--I did it.
The former happens over time, usually years. The latter "comes that way".
So if your brand new item has a warped metal part causing a warped car, you can usually fix it.
Not so, with zinc rot. Also called zinc pest (from the German).
Ed
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Post by tony on May 3, 2024 8:04:20 GMT -8
What causes zinc rot? chemicals used in the alloy or something else?
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Post by packer on May 3, 2024 8:21:51 GMT -8
snip There can also be warpage NOT caused by zinc rot. That showed up in the first run of Athearn's auto-racks. It's pretty easy to fix--I did it. /snip Is the fix to take apart the car and bend the weight back? |
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Post by edwardsutorik on May 3, 2024 8:34:45 GMT -8
What causes zinc rot? chemicals used in the alloy or something else? Impurities, mostly too much lead. Ed |
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Post by edwardsutorik on May 3, 2024 8:36:19 GMT -8
There can also be warpage NOT caused by zinc rot. That showed up in the first run of Athearn's auto-racks. It's pretty easy to fix--I did it. Is the fix to take apart the car and bend the weight back? Yes. And if you are "over enthusiastic", you can break it. I recommend applying incremental increases until it's fixed. Ed |
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Post by NCC42768 on May 4, 2024 7:04:58 GMT -8
What causes zinc rot? chemicals used in the alloy or something else? Impurities, mostly too much lead. Yup. Either the factory is intentionally mixing in some lead into the alloy to cut costs, or they simply don't "clean out the cauldron" very well when switching from lead to zamac/diecast alloys. |
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