AZL Releases Bettendorf Trucks!

American Z Line has released Bettendorf trucks! The Bettendorf trucks feature blacken metal wheels and AZL's all new AutoLatch couplers. The couplers come on a 8mm coupler arm. The Bettendorf trucks come 4 to a package. They are part number 90011.

What is the AutoLatch coupler? The Autolatch couplers are an all new design. The couplers join together with ease. But, they feature AZL's legendary coupler strength. Ease of coupling, strength for pulling power... this is AZL's AutoLatch coupler! Plus, these couplers will work with MTL couplers!

Please contact your authorized AZL dealer to order, or purchase direct at:

Ztrack Center

Rob

 

Got mine !
.

 

Not to put too fine a line on this, but using the term "working" with MTL Couplers presents a bit of a mine-field here. I'm getting feedback from folks who are thinking the Autolatch couplers "operate" like Micro-Trains couplers via the under-track magnet and what they need to do to make it happen when it doesn't with their existing rolling stock. I have no idea. Yes they "latch" up to ours when pushed together, but you cannot do hands free coupling and uncoupling to MTL Couplers. This is an operational point, not one of quality or their ability to hold fast. Hopefully this will answer the questions I'm getting at work.

Cheers

Joe
MTL

 

Joe,

You are absolutely correct. These are not Magne-Matic couplers and will not uncouple as the MTL couplers will. But, they will couple automatically. I would call this hands free since you can have your locomotive push the cars together and they will couple. But, they do take a bit more force to do so than MTLs. If you are trying to auto-couple a short train a finger behind the last car may be needed.

Here is a photo showing one of Full Throttle's Union Pacific two-bay hoppers upgraded to the AZL Bettendorf trucks. The MTL trucks are on the car back ground.



I just love those metal wheels! They add detail to the truck area on the car.

Rob

 

So they are hands free, not finger free?? 0p

Joe
MTL

 

Would these trucks work to convert some Marklin cars?
I'm thinking of the american style hopper cars & others Marklin has made.
I'd appreciate any helpful hints.

 

Glenn,

no, it is not easy to convert. The Marklin truck and coupler were more aligned. The MTL (and now AZL) have the coupler higher set. To place them under the exsisting Märklin chassis, you will need to provide a new bolster pin receiver and the car will ride higher.

The best thing to do is simply take any one of your MTL cars and buy the hook from MTL (002-004-010 I believe). Simply pull the bolster pin out, lift the truck off, drop the hook coupler over the bolster pin receiver and replace the truck and coupler.
.

 

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon with Jim Thomas at our train club. Jim was running a fabulous coal drag of over 40 Full Throttle two bay hoppers with a few Pennzee three bay hoppers mixed in. The train was mostly black cars with dark brown and deep red cars intermixed. The drag was being pulled by a pair of Nickel Plate GP7s. It was an incredible looking train! I added the cars you see above to the mix. For over an hour and half, the train ran flawlessly. Not one derail or uncouple. So I would say it is very safe to say the AZL couplers work great with MTLs in mixed consists.

By the way, on the next track was a nearly 30 car train of AZL's new ACF 3-Bay hoppers and 60' high cubes pulled by a pair of UP SD70Ms. Now that was a contrast as the trains past! About 40 years difference between the inside rail and the outside rails. LOL!

Rob

 

Rats. Couldn't we get a little standardization. NMRA is not doing anything as far as I can see other than to say "We are a voluntary group - so what do you expect". Marklin came out with couplers and they work only with their own couplers. Next MTL came out with couplers and of course they won't work with Marklin. AZL has come out with two different types and it appears they "work" with MTL only in coupling - but not uncoupling and of course the first style wouldn't even couple with out some finger gymnastics on the couplers and trucks at the same time.. If I read this thread the new AZL won't mount with existing MTL rolling stock unless you are willing to "rebuild" the car. Lee English says Bowser is ready to release another version - although from what I saw last summer they appear to be the same as the new AZL's although I don't know about the size.

The same problems occur with the Containers. Marklin came out with some. FR made more to fit with Marklins. MTL came out with Containers yet they are a tiny bit different in size than the Marklin so the MTL won't properly fit on top of a Marklin Container. This is the real pits as I can't tell one container from another except to know if if pick up a Marklin or MTL or AZL in that order they won't fit together. It is a real pain to try to fit a 53' AZL on a 40' MTL and frankly on my layout it is a bear to find a "Marklin / FR" 40' container. Obviously one brand or another is correct in size [or maybe they are all wrong] but for the difference in measurements for pin location doesn't amount to "two smithereens". For the headache it causes the users, "Couldn't we just get along - until NMRA proposes some suggestions" and not have every manufacturer march to their own tune.

This same problem appears to be happening in DCC in other scales and yet there there is a "Standard". Somehow manufacturers have to realize they are NOT going to control the whole market. FWIW I have NOT purchased a couple of items, just because it is a headache to incorporate with what I already have.

That makes it bad for me as I don't have something I'd like and obviously a lost sale to a manufacturer.

...my dimes worth...

...don

 

MTL -> AZL or AZL-> MTL

No - you can swap out your MTL trucks for AZL without any "rebuilding" just pull the bolster pin, swap the trucks, and replace the bolster pin. Bingo: metal wheels and automatically latching (autolatch) couplers.

You are correct that the AZL couplers will not automatically uncouple with under rail magnets. This is the advantage of MTL.

AZL has metal wheels - MTL does not. These are the two major differences.

Now if you have AZL cars and you want to automatically uncouple, you can always swap out the AZL trucks for MTL trucks.

Cheers!

 

Does anybody know if the new AZL wheelsets will fit the MT frames...steel wheels with MT coupling or un-coupling. Or MT could come out with steel wheel axles, they'd sell thousands of them. Joe????????

 

Don,

Reread the posts. AZL and MTL cars play very well together. No rebuilding involved. It is the Marklin cars you will need to work on in order to upgrade the trucks to either AZL or MTL. I know we all would like to see standardization, but that ended when the decision was made not to allow manufacturers such as Marsilius and Full Throttle to use MTL trucks and couplers on their releases. This has forced these manufacturers to come up with their own solutions. AZL had already been going down this road when the announcement was made. Bowser is doing the same thing for Full Throttle. The good news is that couplers from AZL and MTL work just fine together (except for the magnetic uncoupling). I am sure Bowser's couplers will also work with AZL and MTL. No need to rehash the whole MTL OEM decision. It is water under the bridge. Time to move forward. AZL's Bettendorf trucks are just one new product on the market that will give operators and modelers options.

As for containers, it is only MTL who has a different standard. Marklin's containers were out first. Companies like FR followed suit and used the Marklin pin standard. The FR pins fit just perfectly on the Marklin containers (both 20' and 40'). The new 53' containers from MCZ models and FR also match the Marklin standard. They fit beautifully on top of Marklin's 40' containers. I do believe AZL will be following the Marklin standard. Also, Ztrack Intermodal products will follow the Marklin standard.

No, AZL's metal wheels won't work in the MTL trucks. But, AZL designed their trucks and couplers to match MTL's dimensions when it came to the bolster and coupler box. This allows some parts to be interchanged. So if you want to use MTL couplers on AZL trucks, it is easy to do so. Read John Mui's article in the July/August 2008 issue of Ztrack Magazine. John's article is a how-to on converting AZL's truck mounted couplers to MTL. It is a fairly easy process.

Rob

 

Rob -

I'll take back the comment regarding new AZL couplers and MTL. It appears the statement should have been the new AZL couplers and Marklin.

The rest of my comments I believe are factually correct but if you can be specific I'll take a look again. It is STANDARDIZATION I am after. Let's not blame Eric on the whole book of non-standardization problems. Yes, that may be one problem - but I believe Uncle Will said he had dispensation - at least for a while.

Z is small in quantity - this is the time to get organized. Manufacturers should not be going in "40 directions"

Lastly, I do not believe I said anything what-so-ever about the wheels.

...don

 

Well *that* figures - that’s the *exact* list I tried them on!!!

 

Quick question: why is AZL spending money on development for a new coupler and not implemanting remote uncoupleing? The Magne-Matic patent must have expired, or?

 

John, I have upgraded a number of my MTL 50' boxcars to AZL roller bearings. Also a few of the gondolas. I have not noticed any problems in operations. But then again, I am only running on modules with 195mm and 220 curves. Here is a thought to try. Have you tried slightly flaring out the stirrups? This is a trick I picked up from working with locomotives that have a stirrup that extends down along the truck. If you flare it out slightly, it increases the mobility of the truck. This may be a very easy fix.

Don, the comments on the trucks were in response to chooch's question. I am not blaming anyone. The fact is that there is quite a bit of standardization out there. I guess I will simplify it even further. The fact that AZL and MTL work together shows that a standard US style coupler design works since different products form different manufacturers work together. The magnetic uncoupling is a feature of one manufacturers.

Gerd, easy answer. They couplers were designed for operators. The concept for AZL couplers came from watching the module clubs and operators struggle to pull long trains. They were not interested in magnetic uncoupling. They wanted couplers that were strong enough to handle 50+ cars without uncoupling. The AZL couplers are extremely strong and can handle long trains while remaining coupled. This is very important when running modules at shows.

Rob