Hi all. I recently purchased a circa 2000 Atlas SD-35 with I believe Accumate couplers. Can anyone confirm this as I wish to make a transition car which would enable me to run cars with rapido couplers. And, if it is indeed an Accumate, can they easily be substituted for the rapido type?
According to the Atlas web site they are Acumate #23015 assuming that the links below are the correct ones for the loco in question. From my experience you can use just about any knuckle couple to make your transition car. You may find it easier to find a Micro-Trains coupler to make your transition car. For atlas parts check out these links http://www.atlasrr.com/nparts.htm http://www.atlasrr.com/pdf/N EMD SD35 DIESEL LOCO A.pdf http://www.atlasrr.com/pdf/N EMD SD35 DIESEL LOCO B.pdf Gary
So, based on what you're saying it may be easier to fit a Micro Trains coupler on one end of my transition box car and it would hook up to the Accumate on the locomotive?
Leave the Accumate on the loco and put a MT (or the brand of your choice) on one end of one of your cars and leave a Rapido on the other end. The transition car will always be next to the loco. Some time or another you will most likely change out the Rapidos to some type of knuckle coupler. You will be amazed how fast you can convert them doing only a hand full at a time. 26 years ago I started with nothing but Rapidos and I after I purchased my first MT car I had a transition car and started to change things over. The first thing I changed was a loco and as I added more MT couplers the Rapidos where farther in the train. I have never regretted making the change. Now, on the rare times I find a car with Rapidos that I want, I also purchase some MT's at the same time. At this time I no longer have a transition car. Accumates and MT's are compatible with each other for the most part, Athearn has their version of a knuckle coupler that should also be compatible with the other two. I have not run any of the Athearn couplers, but have little trouble with mating the other two. My personal preference is MT's and others favor Accumates. When the time comes and I need to replace the couple dozen Accumates they will be changed to MT's. Some people have had trouble with the Accumates exploding, my biggest problem is the trip pins fall out. If you are not using magnetic uncoupling that you don't need the trip pins. Some have just removed or cut them off of all their couplers, both MT and Accumates. Hope this helps, Gary
If you get a pair of MT trucks and couplers for about $5, you can change out one truck to have a transition car, and use the other truck and coupler on another car so you won't have to have the same car behind the locomotive all the time. Most of the Atlas engines have a Rapido coupler set inside the box with the locomotive, it should be a clear plastic baggie with two Rapidos, two flat brass springs, and two coupler mounting clips.
I've started to exchange my rapido couplings of Farish, Peco and Dapol varieties for the Kato units within a train, so that the couplings on outer end of the set are rapido, but the others are Kato. Any thoughts, please, on the best way of changing couplings on Farish and Union Mills locomotives? Regards, Pete
