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Looking for a good size screw kit with wide variety. I see several sets on the bay, but not sure that they are the best deal out there. Looking for a little bit of everything. I currently only need a body mount screw for a 2046 W tender, but I could use to have a wide variety on hand. Thank you

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Common Screws used on a layout.  Most would be available at a local hardware store.  Top #6 drywall screw, Middle #4 screws, Bottom #2 screws, long black screw is an Atlas track screw. Note the difference, some are pan head screws, others flat head.   #6 screws are available many lengths.  Smaller screws, longer lengths more difficult to find.

Last edited by Mike CT

Interesting thread.  Just last week, I was wondering if I could buy an assortment kit of the most common machine screws used in locomotives.   

In the gun repair world, there are dozens of different types of machine screws used,  going back for more than a century.  And yet, you can just buy a kit with a hundred or more of them, all black, in a very very wide assortment, for around $35.  And, if you need a really odd-ball machine screw, for a rare firearm,  most good gunsmith shops have a screw-making machine and will just make if for you right there.

You guys mean to tell me that after 100 years of Lionel and other model train engines being mass produced, there are not readily available screw kits?  Really hard to believe.  Plainly, the repair experts are not buying the screws one by one.

Mannyrock

I think a generic assortment is a waste of money.    If the assortment is not specific to Lionel products, it will probably not be as usefull as hoped.

I would take samples of screws I need to the local hardware, and see I could find duplicates and build up my spares that way.    maybe do a few sizes per month or something.

My hardware stored used to be willing to order special screws for me.    The store is still there, but I have not tried to do that for about 10 years.    But they did it then.   I just had to order a "box" which was usually 50 or 100.

I just checked a few of the Lionel screw sets offered on the bay. Most are common 6-32 and 4-40 which can be had at any hardware store. Get bright plated (not stainless) and they can be blackened with gun blue. Save money, buy boxes of 1" long screws plus a screw cutter and cut to size needed. 4-36 and 3-48 will likely have to be ordered from a specialty fastener outfit unless you have access to a local hardware store thats been in town for say 100 years. They might have some buried in the back storeroom somewhere.

Pete

Last edited by Norton

Len is the best source for specific screws, but I do not think he sells assortments. For assortments try David Laughridge, Dr. Tinker, at

drtinkertrains.com

His screw assortments are at the bottom of the parts lists.

I bought Dr. Tinkers first assortment (he has two).  He's included quite a good variety in that set of 18 screw types.  Many may not be precisely the screw shown in a parts list, but among those types I usually find one that will do the job.  Sometimes shortening with a saw may be necessary or the head may be not exactly right, but I can usually find something that will work.

Two of them are 4-36 and long enough for many uses.

Most important if you are working on an unpredictable assortment of equipment, as I am, never discard a screw.  I have a 15 (or 18) compartment box of random screws sorted by thread size and whatever else seems reasonable.  Between that and Dr. Tinker's assortment, I can find 97% of the screws that I need.

Malcolm LAughlin

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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