Another one Bites the dust

Bummer.

don't send them back. They'll never admit it, or blame you, or maybe....?

crumbling, poor rolling trucks??? | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogaugerr.com)

Part of the hobby I'm told.

BluelineC4, As DMASSO said that's a real bummer.

Ben , did you buys those at Dauzers on Dekalb Ave for 4.95, maybe they need a drop of oil LOL 😂

Glad you have the replacement frames  

Alex

Sheesh. It sure seems like Atlas is the leader in disintegrating trains.

I wonder if their H.O. stuff crumbles too. Sure would be easier to clean up.

I have a K line RS3 that the battery/ speaker cover completely disintegrated. That’s when I was educated about the zinc rot thing. It’ll be interesting to find out in the end just how many products were produced with this issue.

Same thing happened to me with some H21 hoppers recently. Unfortunately Atlas didn’t have any replacement frames anymore for a H21 hoppers

Don and Jim  It definitely is a bummer  I can barely keep the lights on spending so much on parts

Joe  Our problem was leaving them packed so long that we didnt realize they are junk

Alex  I dont care if you dipped them in Texas they are junk

RickO  You wont see it in HO because there isnt as much die cast in that scale

OBXtrainman    There are definitely a gaggle of products   The absolute worst one is the MTH P5 Box cab  A $500 hunk of cracks

MR-150  The H21 hopper has a different type of frame   There are two pieces  One on each end over the trucks and you may be in luck as I think I have a few stashed away somewhere  I will look for them and let you know

It took me a while to find those hoppers in Rutland. 3 out of the 5 I found were bad. New in the box. 2 just had the truck mount broke off. I was able to repair them. One was beyond hope. The 2 that were perfect had the same rd. Number.  I’ve had a couple others and went to Atlas’ archives and found they were all built in the same run in the mid 2000’s.

@obxtrainman posted:

I have a K line RS3 that the battery/ speaker cover completely disintegrated. That’s when I was educated about the zinc rot thing. It’ll be interesting to find out in the end just how many products were produced with this issue.

"In the end"...?  I'm afraid zinc rot, zinc pest, ...whatever name you choose...will never "end".  At least not as long as the products are made far, far away, without metallurgical analysis/control/concern, in a land of dynamic labor and sourcing.  It's not a guaranteed certainty, but it is so widespread among manufacturers in that environment that the odds are sometimes rather dismal that you'll just be lucky in your purchase to have avoided it...sooner or later.

"How many products were produced with this issue"??...If it's die cast from that land far, far away, it could easily find its way into your whatever treasure...rolling stock, freight or passenger, locomotives (diesel, steam, electric), accessories, ...you name it.

Zinc pest, as it's commonly called, was the bane of some Pre-War Lionel in-house production until the metallurgical anomaly was identified and corrected.   Dad's 1835E tender, ca mid-1930's, got bit...badly. (I've shown the photos in prior threads.)  Lionel stepped up and provided a pest-free replacement wiki-wiki.  Then 'the pest' seemed to disappear as an issue in this hobby...until we became obsessed with having our choo-choos made in that land far, far away.  No experience, no knowledge(?), no control,...no care..., pretty certain what happened thereafter.   The other exciting characteristic is that sometimes it manifests itself within the warranty period, but sometimes not until long after.  Oh joy.

Want more on this issue as it affects us all?.....search the Forum on "Zinc Pest".  Keep the aspirin and vino handy, pal.

3D printed replacements ?

Mr. BluelineC4,

Although I am not a fan of yours since you recently called my friend Alex M. a bum, in the interests of friendship, I bet my friend Ben Fiorello can fix your zinc pest rot problem. He is a smart and talented guy who I know bought extra replacement frames for just this sort of situation. In my opinion, Atlas should step up to the plate and take care of your problem.

Let me know if you would like Ben to help you.
Erol

Ben,

I would be happy to buy you a beer at the next York since you are spending so much on parts to reduce some of your costs.

Erol

I would have hit the "dislike" button on this thread if there was one because, well, it really stinks to read this.  Sorry Ben.

My stomach turns every time I read another thread about zinc pest.  It makes me think about how many freight cars I have stored away that haven't been examined since I originally purchased them.

Atlas--and all the other manufacturers/importers--should stand behind every single one of these items.  Why?  Because they're all very aware of the zinc pest issue yet they continue to pump products into the market produced with this low-quality "metal".

A big "thumbs down" if you ask me!

I got a prewar Lionel signal, and it had a lot of, and I assume zinc cracking. But still together. I decided to coat every crack with super glue. when dried you can't tell the glue is their...

has anybody ever tried that and  found out it either it worked or didn't? 

Queen

Has anyone ever seen a Lionel 18" Super Chief set that the truck frames haven't crumbled?

@RickO posted:

Sheesh. It sure seems like Atlas is the leader in disintegrating trains.

I wonder if their H.O. stuff crumbles too. Sure would be easier to clean up.

All of the manufacturers have pesty stuff out there. I have Williams with trucks, side frames, pilots that had it. I have a premier Veranda with both smoke units that have it and a gondola that had pesty trucks. I had K-Line freight cars with pesty trucks and wheelsets and a loco with bad wheels.

Most smaller scales use plastic so they don't have this issue. I have lots of N-scale stuff, lots by Atlas, and I don't have this issue with any of it. I wish O-gauge manufacturers would use plastic on their stuff so the O-gauge community wouldn't have to deal with this issue any longer.

This topic comes up a couple of times a year and it doesn't have to be like this.

Ben, I agree, Bummer!!

I think I'm glad I sold my Atlas hoppers, because they were so heavy on my steep grades.  Maybe mine were made later than yours.  Now I am wondering if the problem will show up on my Steam Era Classics boxcars.  I'm afraid to look!