to shorten the box of the Micro Trains 905 assembled coupler, turn the 905 assembled coupler box on its side, on a cutting surface, so you are looking down into the box with knuckle to your left you can see the back of two pieces that make up the knuckle coupler to the right the two pieces that make up the knuckle and hold the spring at the rear of the box, with an Exacto knife (new blade preferred) you can cut off the back wall on right side of the coupler box as it sits on a flat surface. Your cut wants to be just clear of the back of the two pieces of the knuckle coupler. When done when you can move the coupler, you can now see the back end of the two pieces moving at the rear of the shortened coupler box. If you need a bit more room you can use a file to reduce the spring pocket, but if you are too aggressive and open the pocket behind the spring, the spring will be lost and the coupler will not work any more. once you have trimmed the coupler box do not over tighten the screw that will hold the coupler box in place, with the rear wall missing from the 905 you can squeeze the top and bottom together pinching the coupler and it will be jammed and not free moving. I tend to but a pin head sized drop of nail varnish on the end of the screw thread before installing it. This will lock it in place once down in the hole. Make sure the knuckle moves freely before the varnish sets. The screw can be removed later if needed if you have to replace the coupler at a later date, the varnish just locks the screw in place so it won't vibrate loose in operation over time.
I did cut the MTL #903 coupler box flush with its guts befor assembling and gained approximately 1 mm. I 'glued' the coupler box to close at the coupler end with a soldering iron. You just have to pay attention not to loose the spring. Eventually the screw will keep the assembly together. It works as good as a normal full size coupler. See next pics. Now there is space to move 1 mm closer to the truck, which makes quit a difference in Z-scale!
Hi folks, I have installed the chopped MTL coupler approx. 1 mm closer to the truck at the front side now. See next pics: Next link to my picasa album shows all the GP 38-2 to GP40-2 conversion pics: https://picasaweb.google.com/108766641213050685068/AZLGP382ToGP402?authkey=Gv1sRgCLjplK2q2P3_Zw
John, I'll guess you have missed next youtube film which I have uploaded some time ago.. [video]http://www.youtube.com/embed/qE8t1OtWTeo[/video]
Looks great! Your details are fantastic. In short, open pilots look ridiculous IMHO. I don't find fault with peoples models (I get that model rr is your own thing). However, two things really bother me, open pilots on loco's and track that is ballasted, but the rails are all shinny on the sides. I can overlook bad roads, unweathered rolling stock, buildings that don't seem to really touch the earth and so on. But open pilots....yuck
Thanks Joe, I agree with you, but as long as people are involving in Z scale it is already great. If highly detailed models were offered by AZL, MTL our hobby would have been dead by now, since models would be too expensive. (I don't have Challenger.. the only bass I have is a SW1, ZTHEK kit) Most important is to keep having fun in Z-scale, no matter what detail level. I hope to encourage other modelers with ideas I showed here.
I still have to add some detail parts...I will try to build the railings as done for my SW1000, since I dont like the plstic ones. After primer, she will get some yellow (aspen gold yellow), but most of it will become black .. Eventually I hope to get it similar to next picture: This picture is linked from http://www.drgw.net/
John, you mean the micronart etched brass? I don't like the ends of the side rails, they are not bended prototypically as with MTL GP35 and AZL GP30. Even the AZL GP30 engineers side front rail is incorrect... Although I do not concider me being a rivit counter, the overall look must be right.
Of course they are not bent in the first place because they come of a flat fret. It's up to the user to bent them correctly. Micronart has missed to do so. BTW: you are a rivet counter, otherwise you wouldn't put so much effort into your models BTW2: no problem with being a rivet counter, I'm one too and quiet happy with it
Today, I made a start with the handrails: 0.5 mm brass wire and 0.25 mm bronze wire soldered together.