I have just spent several hours over two days re-assembling one of the bogies from a 8855 class BR 111 electric.
It started when test running several locos that had not been out for a while when I noticed that only one of the lights worked on this particular one. On removing the body I must have levered against the bogie frame and off it came shedding wheels, coupling and spring.
I have had several of these apart and back together in the past and although fiddly have managed OK.
This one was of the type where one end of the frame is hooked over a moulded bar and the other end snaps down over the coupling.
With this uncontrolled disassembly the coupling spring has been lost despite an extensive search and as I often do I superglued a new spring to the coupling.
The problem with this bogie was the frame consistently refused to hook over the bar and whilst simultaneously trying to keep the wheels in place with the pickups behind the flanges and the coupling in position trying to force it into position disturbed one or more of the other parts. I used a lot of oil hoping that would keep the parts in place and then mounted the bogie in a plastic vice to free up one hand. Even with the worm gear in place to stop the vice closing up the plastic it took many more attempts.
I suspect that the plastic parts have deformed over the years which made for the difficulties this time but I would like to know what sort of jigs they use in the factory to assemble these tiny locos.
HO locos are certainly much easier to maintain although the most difficult job I had was getting the lights to work on the all metal Rheingold HO stock.
ChrisG