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I was lucky enough to find one of the Atlas Pratt truss bridge kits, but some of the support girders need to be glued back together.  I have made a couple of attempts but with little success.  Testors styrene glue is ineffective (so it's probably not styrene or ABS) and super glue is also not particularly effective.  Anyone know what type of plastic this is and/or a glue that works for this application?

I also the same question for Weaver boxcars for gluing the bottom back to the box sides.

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

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I'd say to try the Gorilla super glue or a longer set gel type super glue on it. I have not glued mine yet so I'm not sure. I would also recommend clamping any joint to apply some pressure while it sets. Even if it's just with a clothes pin or tape.

 I'll be watching to see what people recommend here from ones who've worked with the Atlas bridge. I also need to glue mine together.

O Road posted:

Testors styrene glue is ineffective (so it's probably not styrene or ABS) and super glue is also not particularly effective.  istance.

 

Styrene glues are not effective on ABS; CA is not very good for ABS either. So, it actually might be ABS.

Only thing I know that works well on ABS is a solvent glue that has a high percentage of MEK in it or an ABS specific solvent glue such as that sold by Plastruct.

O Road posted:

 ...snip... I also the same question for Weaver boxcars for gluing the bottom back to the box sides.Thanks in advance for any assistance.

I would not want to glue the floor in on a Weaver car, at least with any kind of permanent cement/glue just in case I have to get inside to repair/change something. Servicing/replacing the trucks, adding/removing weights comes to mind as examples.

We just used ACC on ours - we have like a half dozen on the layout..... not to start a rumor, but I am thinking we will see these again from Atlas - maybe this year yet.... 

Not to be off topic, but Lionel issued a terrific bridge under Mike Reagan's design and it has been a terrible seller - I just don't get it..... while it has Fastrack, it's easy to connect it to other track systems at both ends.... the first few that came in blew off the shelves so I went heavy on them and pretty soon I am going to have to figure out how to cook them..... 

Lionel 6-82110 - Fastrack - Extended Truss Bridge 

Thanks for all the info and the link.  I worked a little more with the super glue and was able to have more success but I really need to get some of the gap-filling type as I was just using some of the thin stuff that I had on hand.  I also found some old ABS glue I had left over from a plumbing project (the black goop) and that also sorta seemed to work, so a good ABS glue like Bondene should also do the trick, if I can find it locally or order it.

Re: the Lionel bridge, it looks great.  Maybe they haven't sold well because no one knows it exists.  I won't go into all the issues with Lionel's website that makes finding anything impossible, but suffice it to say that If I had been able to find that nice bridge, I probably would have bought it rather than scrounging the Atlas bridge on Ebay.

 

MrMuffin'sTrains posted:

 

Not to be off topic, but Lionel issued a terrific bridge under Mike Reagan's design and it has been a terrible seller - I just don't get it..... while it has Fastrack, it's easy to connect it to other track systems at both ends.... the first few that came in blew off the shelves so I went heavy on them and pretty soon I am going to have to figure out how to cook them..... 

Lionel 6-82110 - Fastrack - Extended Truss Bridge 

Perhaps a video devoted to how they are installed and used on your layout might help if you haven't done so already would help guys with a use for this formidable bridge to pony up the $$$--it sure isn't cheap.

Engineer-Joe posted:

I think the Lionel ones would be better for me if they could be made into double track versions. They do look good though......

If you look at that Lionel bridge from the side, it's obvious that it's composed of two of their older short bridges with a filler piece on the top of the joint.  Hence, it looks like it should have a pier in the middle, which sort of defeats the purpose of the longer length.  It does have some nice features, such as the 'liftoutness', the modularity of the support piers, and shoes, so it's unfortunate Lionel didn't go with clean sheet of paper tooling -- in my opinion, of course.

Best rgds, SZ

Steinzeit posted:
Engineer-Joe posted:

I think the Lionel ones would be better for me if they could be made into double track versions. They do look good though......

If you look at that Lionel bridge from the side, it's obvious that it's composed of two of their older short bridges with a filler piece on the top of the joint.  Hence, it looks like it should have a pier in the middle, which sort of defeats the purpose of the longer length.  It does have some nice features, such as the 'liftoutness', the modularity of the support piers, and shoes, so it's unfortunate Lionel didn't go with clean sheet of paper tooling -- in my opinion, of course.

Best rgds, SZ

Wow. Painfully obvious if you look. I hadn't noticed it and never saw the bridge close up in person. That's a shame. They could have learned from Atlas's example. Making the bridge convertible that is.

O Road posted:

Re: the Lionel bridge, it looks great.  Maybe they haven't sold well because no one knows it exists.  I won't go into all the issues with Lionel's website that makes finding anything impossible, but suffice it to say that If I had been able to find that nice bridge, I probably would have bought it rather than scrounging the Atlas bridge on Ebay.

 

That Lionel website really needs a redo in my opinion.  The Sunset 3rd rail website flat out works fine!

As far as a popular price bridge that will do a clean unsupported strong span, my experience says the Atlas bridge.  It is a fragile bugger but it has full length steel vertical stringers.  If you do not touch it,  it is great.

The MTH bridge is a multi piece along the line  of the Lionel.  I was able to install a MTH with out the center pier by running the track along a wall and mount a shelf bracket to replace the center pier.

It seems as though many accessory designers never really built a model RR and then ran it for any period of time.

clem k posted:

For a better way to attach boxcar floors to the body. Glue wood columns in each corner, then drill hole in the floor in each corner and insert counter sunk screw.  The trucks are removed from outside the car.

I missed this on the first read to busy spruiking the ABS glue.

clem k...Now your talking! Great idea only way to go. Roo.

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