Wanted to share a successful part fabrication that went well for me on the Lionel Drawbridge. You can't get a new bell hammer anymore and finding a used one not broken is rare. I made my own using a piece cut off a piece of 1/8" key stock from the hardware store. The original Lionel part snapped in the middle with all the spring tension. Take the square shaped plastic shaft out of the trigger end. Grind a round pin on each end of the key stock. Slip it through the trigger arm. Use a piece of the hammer end that broke for filling the gap and so the spring can fit around it and not the key stock. Drill it out and slide it on. Solder a nail on the key stock for the hammer. To get the shaft back in place you'll need to go underneath and carefully grind the tip of the end shaft retainer to remove it, then place it on the end of the key stock and assemble securing underneath again with a heated knife to melt it back in place like originally. To get the best ding on the bell you'll need to experiment. The nail should be about 1/16" away from the bell at the closest position on the trigger end. Try it and bend the nail back or forth til you get the strongest ding. Best to wait on melting the end retainer down til the hammer is adjusted. This fix will never break like the original part. Any hardware store should have a long strip of 1/8" key stock.
bell hammer fix for Lionel #2317 Operating Drawbridge
- Thread starter impalaman
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