I've found the "Micro-mate" solution to work pretty well, i.e. putting Accumate couplers in the MT coupler boxes. If/when Atlas finally gets the spare Accumates back in stock (... crickets ...), it wouldn't be a huge cost at least to get a start on converting your fleet.
Oh, gosh! Here we go again. I'll leave you to your fantasy toy train world. My favorite coupler bar none is Micro-Trains. The action I see with my trains copies the "Slack" action I see on the 1X1 foot scale. I won't be making any changes to my MTL knuckle coupler equipped train cars and locomotives...any time soon. I do appreciate Bryan9's input here on TB. However, I respectfully disagree with his conclusions. Sorry about that. Grumpy out.
My $.02 on why the yoyo effect is bothersome (to me, at least). Prototypical slack action is fine, but I find the frequency of the slack action is what destroys the illusion for me. By that, I mean that the MT slack action has the cars bouncing back-and-forth at a rate that is not prototypical. It makes the car in my mind lose any illusion that it has any "weight". If the frequency was lower, I'd be more willing to overlook it. As it is, I like MT's enough to accept it, but would rather it wasn't there. Mike
For the modern era modeler there is the Firefly Fred. This is an EOT device that is totally truck contained. Take the truck off and put it on any car you want. Because it has electrical pickups there is some rolling resistance. These are made and sold by a member of our Ntrak club. They are also patent protected. Take a look here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/N-Scale-EOT...601674?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1e7804d5ca
I am with the last three posts here. I wouldn't swap my M/Ts for any thing else, even for free. I am NOT gonna' sit here and change over 1,000 couplers !!! I will try the axle springs, if I ever discover the trick of installing them. 'Til then, I'm just fine !!! I thought I would share a few ideas that I had heard about, but never tried. Some seemed to get a bit "whiney" about it, but I'll let that be THEIR problem, ya' know ??? Barstow, you called yourself "grumpy". I guess that makes me an all-out a$$hole, and I don't mind !!! Ha,ha,ha !!! For now, I'm gonna' grab a beer and "ruin" about half a dozen engines with M/T 1015s !!!!
Run8Racing, Well from one of us @$$holes to another... LOL. I liked that...good one. We are good, not to worry. I do agree with one thing the "Slack Action" is a bit over stated or exaggerated. However, with a smooth hand on the throttle and cars with serious drag placed toward the back of the train you can obtain a realistic and prototypical action for your trains. That's why I wouldn't change it. Glad to hear you see it in a similar fashion. I see my railroad, from the same eyes as my family of rails did. Seeing the slack as they did and pointed out to me as a youngster. Slack can be extremely dangerous to railroad workers. One of the reasons the 1X1 foot scale decided in conjunction with insurance underwriters to remove the crummies, hacks, cabooses and way cars. If I'ma going to model a railroad I want to model the real deal. No toy train operations on my layout.
I've no problem installing the springs over the needle point of an axle. Just take your time and it will happen. For me this is just enough drag to eliminate the "slinky" while keeping slack action around. As far as modern trains with no cabooses, each car I have with an EOT has a spring on one axle. Now for switching, I have a rather small layout in my apt, so I tend to switch out the same cars from a local so it's rather easy for me to keep a car with a spring here and there. There's probably several ways to help eliminate the slinky effect. If it doesn't bother you, that's fine too.
Thank you,bman !!! I have to ask, how do you install the axle springs ??? I probably have 40 of those springs living in my carpet, laughing at me !!! What is the trick ???
Hold the chosen axle set vertically. Place the sprng on the axle point. Pick up your truck frame, and guide the sprung end quickly into place. Maintaining pressure in the sprung journal, slip the other axle end into place. That is how I have done hundreds of these. No matter how hard you try, now and then one will get away... Off into outer space, never to be seen again...
Putting a dab of grease (such as Labelle 106) on the end of the spring, before installing it over the end of the axle, will temporarily adhere it to the wheelset and help prevent it from going airborne.
3/4 of an axle spring on my caboose and the yoyo is reduced to the point where I am not seeing it unless I examine closely. A full spring caused too much drag up the hills, so was a trial and error type solution. The caboose is definitely underweight so that is probably the cause of most of the yo yo. It also has truck mounted couplers whereas most of my rolling stock has body mounts.
As an Electromagnetics specialist, I would be happy to work with you Charlie on this. PM me and we can get started.....
Well actually to make an engineering lecture out of this there would still be a Free Body Diagram, present the generic solution in a series of Mesh Loop equations and then solve them.
