This thread is so funny on how to fix the problem. I'll add my two cents, don't put them on the track, problem solved It's a joke Oh and IF they really are Gremlins, don't feed them, right?
And we are worried about car doors opening. Hey, it happens on the 1X1 foot scale. One good bump and if the doors aren't latched shut they can roll open or closed. Take your pick. I'd never trade in my MT cars for Atlas $#)*. Not going to happen. Love threads like this. Get a laugh every time. LMAO Fun isn't it.
Not after midnight !! I can't decide whether Mrs Deagle or the traffic lights was the funniest part LOL
Yep, I have three or four that do this, also... I guess the fix is a touch of superglue, or maybe a little bit of the black mastic that is used to seal car seams.
So we got fine detail, we got wood floors but we haven't got working catches (latches) so Joe we want working door catches (latches) now
I’ve seen working latches in O and G scales, Alister, but not in the smaller scales. Maybe one of our creative scratch builders can come up with working N scale latches. That would be pretty cool.
I did actually take note of my Micro Trains 40' boxcar doors and their habit of mysteriously opening. It must be the paint because my silver SP Overnights cars opened their doors after about 300 feet of rolling along. 3 of 5 cars doors were fully opened. Next were the brown cars opening about 25% over the same distance. The black SP Overnight cars barely moved the doors at all .......... for me its gotta be the paint.
I do not see what is so hard about keeping boxcar doors closed, all you need is a dab of unobtainium!
I'm not so worried about my boxcar doors opening (which they do!)... it's the blasted STOCK CAR doors that are the problem... all my N-scale cattle keep escaping!
I usually obtain some fresh cow pie material before an operating session and place a blob inside the doors at the floor. This not only provides a "glue" between the floor and door but gives the benefit of authentic olfactory sensory qualities.
Wondering out loud why we are so concerned about the doors opening. It happens on the one to the one foot scale. Why not on our models? Russel, good one. I have my own story I could tell about cow poop in a stock car or two. Just wait until someone puts in a water reclamation plant. Won't that be delightful. Of course with some guys they smell like a water reclamation plant all the time. Wouldn't be a problem for them.
Nope, not using real boogers. Ever. Greta Thunberg might think it's better for the environment than adhesive. Still, nope. Also: 'OR. . . . . one could sell off all the MT cars and substitute Atlas ones' . Blasphemer!!!
One thing that worked for me in the past was putting a small drop of Solvaset decal solution in the lower track and letting it dry. I don't know what it did, but this would keep the door shut. If you used your fingernail to open it it was free again.
I used to use Solvaset to remove lettering*. I wonder if what's happening is that it's dissolving just enough paint on the lower track to make the door "stick." *Note: On Athearn Blue Box cars (Horribly Oversized, I know) the Solvaset worked better on the underlying paint than on the lettering I was trying to remove!
