Pins for connecting rods ?

[unsoundmove]

Hi, grateful for advice… I have some connecting rods for the wheels of a 0-6-0 diesel shunter (oo gauge)  that I need to fix in place. I can see from pictures that these con rods  were originally attached to the small holes in the wheels by tiny pins. Is there a simple way to fix this / recreate the pins eg with fine wire, cut to length and tapped in? Thanks…. 

[cypherman]

Hi,

Depending on the size of the holes in the conrods and the mounting holes I have heard of some people using small pins and track pins cut to size and either held in place with glue or just friction if they are tight enough. You do not say which engines they are or how old they are. If they are from the big 2, Hornby(Including Lima) or Bachmann you may be able to get them direct from the manufacturer. Or you could try suppliers such as Peters Spares, Hattons and TMC to see if they can help.

[micklner]

Use a rivet Markits and Gibson make them.

[Bucoops]

Do you mean these?

 

 

 

 

If so, in 4mm they would be extremely small?

[Flying Pig]

1 hour ago, unsoundmove said:

Hi, grateful for advice… I have some connecting rods for the wheels of a 0-6-0 diesel shunter (oo gauge)  that I need to fix in place. I can see from pictures that these con rods  were originally attached to the small holes in the wheels by tiny pins. Is there a simple way to fix this / recreate the pins eg with fine wire, cut to length and tapped in? Thanks…. 

 

I mean, RMweb will carry on giving answers from all round the compass, but it would be far more helpful for you if you could tell us precisely what kind of locomotive you have.  If you don't have a box and can't find a makers name on the model, a photo of the wheels would be useful.

[Michael Hodgson]

It sounds to me like you may be lookijg for Romford crankpins.  These screw into the wheels (also formerly made by Romford and common on kits built locos).  Having fixed them to the wheels you pop the con rods over them, and the little washers are then soldered to the brass pins so the side rods don't fall off.  To stop the washer being soldered to the con rod and thus preventing it from rotating as it has to, you slip a thin piece of paper onto the pin before adding the washer, and rip it off afterwards.

 

https://www.wizardmodels.ltd/shop/wheels/rm1/

[unsoundmove]

Thank you, all for your kind replies. I thought I had given plenty of info but realise that more would have been helpful, and I also don’t know all the right terms ! I actually have two shunters in need of conrod fixes, a Bachmann 08 and a Heljan 07. Thanks, @Bucoops for going to trouble with a picture - it is actually more like the larger pin between the yellow rectangles you added. I think I will try @cypherman’s suggestion first and see how that goes. I can see that Bachmann and Heljan both do spares, but as the pins are so small I wanted - in the spirit of RMWeb! - to see if there was a homemade solution first. Thanks again. 

[Flying Pig]

1 hour ago, unsoundmove said:

Thank you, all for your kind replies. I thought I had given plenty of info but realise that more would have been helpful, and I also don’t know all the right terms ! I actually have two shunters in need of conrod fixes, a Bachmann 08 and a Heljan 07. Thanks, @Bucoops for going to trouble with a picture - it is actually more like the larger pin between the yellow rectangles you added. I think I will try @cypherman’s suggestion first and see how that goes. I can see that Bachmann and Heljan both do spares, but as the pins are so small I wanted - in the spirit of RMWeb! - to see if there was a homemade solution first. Thanks again. 

 

As they are both recent models, OEM spares are probably the best idea.  Note that many rtr models (including most Bachmann) use screw in crankpins, but the 08 with its separate cranks may be different.

[cypherman]

13 hours ago, unsoundmove said:

Thank you, all for your kind replies. I thought I had given plenty of info but realise that more would have been helpful, and I also don’t know all the right terms ! I actually have two shunters in need of conrod fixes, a Bachmann 08 and a Heljan 07. Thanks, @Bucoops for going to trouble with a picture - it is actually more like the larger pin between the yellow rectangles you added. I think I will try @cypherman’s suggestion first and see how that goes. I can see that Bachmann and Heljan both do spares, but as the pins are so small I wanted - in the spirit of RMWeb! - to see if there was a homemade solution first. Thanks again. 

Hi,

Make sure that the holes that there are not threaded. If they do use small shanked screws I would advise that you try and get the proper screws for them before you glue pins in. If you use the pin method with the smallest amount of glue you will never be able to go back to using the original pins as the threads will be completely gummed up. Or you may never be able to get the pin out again. A couple of tips I was given was to

1/ Either put a very thin piece of paper between the coupling rod and the hole when you put the crank pin into the hole in the crank/wheel so that you do not glue the coupling rod to the wheel/crank. Then pull the paper out.

2/ Or put a very thin smear of grease on the inside of the coupling rod to stop it getting stuck to the wheel.

If you are going for a pressure fit make sure that the pins are the right size. If they are too big you will damage the hole. Pushing a pin in that is too large for the hole may damage the wheel.

I would suggest several dry runs before committing to the final gluing in place of the pins. 

Edited March 25, 2023 by cypherman

[BachelorBoy]

Bachmann spares for 08 are here

 

https://Bachmann-spares.co.uk/category/1-branchline-diesel-parts/class08

[cypherman]

Hi,

Have you managed to fix the engines crank pins?

[unsoundmove]

Not yet - going to order the correct parts and have a go. Thanks for the tips. Will post when progress!