Permanent bolster pins/car retainer pins for Walthers articulated well cars

I am looking for a way to connect my Walthers (or any other brand of articulated well cars) that use the bolster pin to hold the adjoining car on. I want to put a bolster pin that will not drop off or come apart. I essentially want to make it a permanently assembled unit train. I don't really want to, because if I ever have to remove a truck, it will make it difficult, but I have never found replacement pins, and it is such a pian in the A when you lose one on the layout(and never find it) and the cars come apart. I will sacrifice the easy removal of trucks for a unit train that is always together and ready to roll! I was thinking of puting a rod of styene though the bolster hole and mushroming it on both ends with heat, but I didnt know if that would work or even be noticeable. any ideas?

 

Can you tap the inside of the bolster hole and use a screw? I've replaced troublesome pins on other cars with 2-56 screws, any even mediocre hobby shop should have screws and tap sets.

 

The problems with using heat to make plastic rivets, even if they don't show, is the risk of melting part of the car, and removing them for maintenance.

But if you ever bought the Kaydee HO coupler mounting kit back in the day, you already have a 2-56 tap...

 

I replaced the wheelsets with MT trucks and used the MT bolster pins. No problems. These cars need a free rolling truck/wheelset combination due to their weight (made of metal) and the precarious coupling to the next unit. When you put the bolster pin in apply some Aileens tacky clue to the top of the pin to help hold it in place.

 

Oscar,

I too have used the screws and they work well.

Carl

 

Well what I used to do something like this, mine still detach but the thing that I used was small, it was a screw, if you can find the right size you could put a very small nut on the other side, I honestly have no problems with any of mine as the walthers are heavy and stay down even on uneven track

 

oh yeah Walthers ones are easy... Nut and bolt, and some sort of brass tube to fit over the threads and narrow enough to act as a sleeve for the trucks...
but try that on a DI set, you will break off the bolsters on them, as they are plastic... And no tenax 7r won't work as the stress will snap them again. I did that, and now I have to custom bash a new bolster system since they designed them terribly... I mean who puts a 70t truck on a set of well cars... Should be 100t minimum... And Atlas makes them!! /rant