Help with Williams by Bachmann J class

Use a thread locker designed for small screws such as Loctite 222.  See details at website link below.

Ron

http://www.loctite.co.uk/locti...nodeid=8802623422465

Make a drawing or take photos of where the screw came out of and how the engine comes apart. Take a similar screw out of your engine and take it to your local hardware store and see if they can match it up for you.

To keep the screw from coming out again use some thread tape like plumbers tape on the screw. Don't use glue or the screw will never come out again.

Lee Fritz

Thanks for the replies I will take the new screw the hardware store when it arrives and I like that 222 Loctite. Thanks again.

Keaton.

In my opinion, Loctite is too powerful for our trains. I do the same thing, but use clear fingernail polish on the threads before inserting the screw. It holds them in place, but they are still easy to remove.

I see many posts here involving getting "the right screw". Certainly, not every screw or bolt that we need is going to be readily available at the corner hardware store.

But, some are. When I'm looking for a screw for a RR repair, the first place I go is my nearby Ace Hardware. Sometimes the screws are right there; I needed 3 "body" (boiler) mount screws (I had one - a great help with matching) for an MTH Dreyfuss Hudson former basket case that I was finishing up a few months ago, and Ace had them - in brass, even. Screwed right in. This was not the first time that the hardware store (I'm not pushing Ace) has had just what I needed for RR bolting/screwing. My nearest Ace isn't even a big store.

My point is that these screws that are used by the RR manufacturers/importers are not exotic or special - just not common out in the world. They are there - and if it's too long, cut it off.

So, check your nearby, easy sources first, before you go looking far and wide.

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Yes, Loctite is probably overkill in this case, and may cause removal issues; any thread-fouling glue (I've used white glue for this) should stop this kind of casual loosening.

I had another Williams J class that parts just fell off of. Not to rag on Bachman/Williams but their stuff does that a lot. Screws fall out, holes are stripped, boilers fronts crack, and on and on.

Of course even though they do a good job of documenting the parts in the manuals that come with the engine none of these parts are available. When I inquired Bachman told me to just buy a second engine as a parts source.

With the exception of the boiler front I found Lionel postwar parts can be substituted. Same goes for the missing screws. I took the engine into my local hardware store and found similar replacement screws.

I avoid running the J anymore. It just doesn't hold up.