I saw an old tip recently regarding using sew-on snaps to replace missing Lionel brakewheels. Reproduction brakewheels generally are available, but sew-on snaps work well, are readily available at any store that sells sewing supplies, and they’re cheap.
As an example, I purchased the Lionel 652 gondola on the right at a train show for a very low price. It was missing the trucks and brakewheels, the frame had lost most of its original paint, and it was pretty beat up. I repainted the frame, put two cast-off postwar trucks on it, and glued #1 sew-on snaps in place of the missing originals. The brakewheels make the car look more complete and less like a beater. It’s still not a prized piece but now it’s a useful car, allowing me to run mixed consists of Lionel and Marx cars.
Prewar cars often used grossly oversized brakewheels; a #4 snap is a reasonable approximation of those. You can get mixed packages or packages of all one size.
The snaps generally come in black or nickel finish. I used nickel, but black may be a bit more realistic if realism is what you’re after.
In my example I used a Lionel car, but of course, if you have similar cars of other brands that are missing brakewheels, you can use sew-on snaps on those just as well.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.