I just got bit today from an 2009 Atlas reefer I bought at a show. I took the foam cradle out to inspect the car and trucks. Plastic overlay was taped down so I did as good of a visual inspection as I could. I tilted it in all directions to listen and observe for any loose components. All looked good so I gave the man $35 and went on my way! Got home and removed the car, still looking good. One coupler wouldn’t open so I pulled on the plunger and gave the claw a little pressure and it snapped off. Fortunately the rest of the truck was fine, but that’s not always the case. I’ve got a collection of these broken claws. Anyone know if the Lionel claws work? I’d like to pop the rivet on a few of these and fix them because as we shift to buying NOS, or watching pieces in our collections disintegrate before our eyes, I see this becoming quite common! Luckily I had a compatible replacement and was able to fix it without dropping $25 on new trucks. I feel bad for you guys that have big money pieces falling apart. So far so good for me on that!
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