First Roundhouse kit

I just picked up a Roundhouse boxcar kit from Ebay. Those coupler springs look awfully small. Anybody have any tips?

 

Good fun kit. Putting the spring on a sharp pencil has always worked for me. Good magnifying goggles are nice as well. Jim

 

these work great:
Fancii Headband LED Illuminated Head Magnifier Visor - 1X to 3.5X Zoom with 5 Detachable Lenses – Hands Free Head Worn Lighted Magnifying Glasses for Reading, Jewelry Loupe, Watch & Electronic Repair

 

Thanks, Sears has a magnifier like this for $10 with free shipping. So I ordered one.

 

Oooo -- I like that it's lighted DD99. As my eyes age, I find that good light is as equally important as magnification. I'll have to look into getting a pair of those.

 

If you are still using Rapido couplers, the factory trucks and couplers are allright. If you are using knuckle couplers, the MDC knuckle couplers will not stay coupled.

If you use knuckle couplers, you have some options. If you are going to retain the manufacturer's trucks, you can substitute Unimates for the MDCs. There is also the option to retain the manufacturer's trucks and body mount Micro-Trains. Take care when drilling with the pin vise, lest you break the bit. In addition, sometimes it takes a couple of screws before one will go all the way into the metal without stripping or breaking. Usually, you can tell when the screw is about to break so that you can stop, then back out the thing with a pair of needlenose pliers. Finally, you will have to cut off the coupler tongue from the manufacturer's trucks.

I generally like the MDC kits. I do not have any of the modern ones, I have only the nineteenth century cars. On some of them, the MT trucks with couplers will work. On some, they do not, so I have had to body mount. On the nineteenth century passenger cars, you must body mount, but, as the platforms on those are plastic, tapping the hole for the MT is not difficult or hard on your pin vise bits.

 

This is the best bang for the buck I've had. I've tried the optivisor and clip on's but these are far superior.

 

I have a lot of those old kits. I think how to apply the spring with a sharp pencil is a great way to do it. I used that method or a small wire and even a super small screwdriver. All worked well and the trucks were fine. In the end though, I ended up switching them all out for M/T trucks.

 

MT is the only way for me with those kits.

 

I'll also add that using some flat black,or any black paint really, to paint the underframe of these cars is a super easy way to improve the look of these cars. I personally did this to most of the Roundhouse cars I have.