Recently got a couple of Athearns older style SD40s...in trying to get them road worthy I ran into problems with the couplers. Athearn supplied some really cheap brackets to hold the couplers in and they don't work. So I tried to put some Kadee #5s on. They look better, but they are at the wrong height. I put them on with the coupler box glued to the metal frame where the bracket normally would have gone, but they are just too low to stay connected in a consist. What's the scoop here? Any suggestions would be appreciated greatly. What are my options?
Well, I was always able to get the Kadee 5 and spring held on with Athearn's setup. Ok, if you want to keep it from being too low, you will have to grind or file away part of the Athearn coupler mount and then seat the Kadee box. The other way is to remove the coupler mount completely and make a mounting pad out of styrene for the Kadee box right on the shell itself. The first suggestion is the quickest IF you can get the mount square to the world. Part of the problem is the fact that some of the older Athearn frames warped downward slightly creating a coupler mismatch no matter what you did. Roger Roger Hensley - rhensley@localnet.com == http://cid.railfan.net/eci_new.html == == East Central Indiana HO Scale Railroad ==
You might also check with K-D. I seem to remember seeing adds stating they made couplers with off-set shanks for the height problems, maybe they still do?
KD does make height differing couplers.... I use them as well alot myself... Heres the numbers for them... They are the 20 series KD couplers. You will need as follows in numbers: Long Shank Underset is #21 Medium Shank Underset is #27 Short Shank Underset is #24 These couplers are for low mounting with a high knucle. You may want to do your own judgememnt on how long you want it to extrude from the frame mount to the knucle (long, medium, or short) the short one is the basic length like the regular #5 coupler... Hope this helps.
Thanks a bunch guys! I knew there was an easier way to get this done right! I had totally forgotten about the offset shank options. I will head towards the shop and get me something that will work.
BNSF4354, DO REMEMBER to take your engine with you and actually try the couplers for correct height while there. It has saved me a couple of extra trips! Any hobby shop worth their salt will assist you!
And remember, use only Kadees- those plastic couplers can't hold up to the stress! (oops, started something, I did....) [ 06 September 2001: Message edited by: friscobob ]</p>
Bob, I'll agree with you on the "not holding the stress" I bought both Mchenry and EZ-mate by bachmann which are the same but will not hold the stress that KD couplers do but then hey KD's are metal! So.. Understandable to the plastic! Anyway Being I run long consists I am strickly KD so..... Much agreed! I have broken almost every plastic knuckle I ever used except for the ones on my caboose's or is that cabeese? anyway I guess they should hold out under just one car!!! If not thats saying something???? A REALLY heavy caboose or well.... HA!
Well guys, I went and got some KDs and put them on with the offset shank. I used #37s and they work great---they are more difficult to put together, but they look better and work great. I really appreciate the help and suggestions given here---now I have a more colorful lashup with a BN SD60, BNSF H1 C44, and a SF SD40-2. Some helpers include a BNSF bonet C44, SD75M, and a Kodachrome SD45. Now I can't wait for P2K to bring out their white face BN SD60m.
BNSF, The hardest part is mounting KD couplers! I went through all types of mounting procedures to get mine right! I know it can be fustrating! But in the long run and when its complete its well worth the work!!!! ENJOY 'em they are alot better then the XF2's will ever be! And don't break in long consists! That was my biggest problem with the XF2's. I broke them as fast as I could replace them with the same ones before I went to KD I don't even use McHenry or EZ-Mates being they are also plastic so.. I want the strength and preformance of the metal KD's they're reliable as most ever could be! And look good. I mean some members here have older ones that just as good in preformance but aren't like KD's but don't break! Thats my main reason for converting. I always had trouble with the couplers breaking. KD's cured that problem. [ 09 September 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]</p>
<font color="336633">I have never had the proplem with couplers on Athearn units, I have always body mounted the couplers by cutting off the athearn mounting pad and building up a new one out of plastic gluded to the body, then drill a 1.8mm hole and tap it 6BA. </font>
Mat, Did you use XF2 couplers??? The old unscaled things that were made from slippery machine plastic? I am in the process of converting from those to KD's. All because when you have a string of 30 to 45 cars the stress on those couplers is more then the plastic can tolerate and break. I always run long consists like that for proto typical running and all and the XF2's just wouldn't stand up to the fact of the stress involved. So I went to looking for better couplers to allow that and also a decent "back-the-train-up" in reverse. Instead of derailing cars with the XF2's my trains can be pushed and backed up without a problem with the KD's. Body mounted mostly as well, but I still have a few "Talgo" mounted couplers and they seem to work pretty good with the KD couplers... They have "give" or "play" in them from side to side motion to let the truck manuver in reverse opperation and all where the stiff rigid XF2's wouldn't allow that. The KD's seem to do pretty good for me as far as this goes for the Talgo mounting But in any avent I like the frame or body mounted ones alot better... Its solid to one fact and the coupler only swings when needed in a curve. not just any time special on not completely plumb and straight track being its hard to lay PERFECTLY straight track. The Talgo mounted couplers move and swing when they are on a slightly different pieces of uneven and not accurately straight track and all where the body and frame mounted ones don't. Just better designed.... And proto typical.. [ 09 September 2001: Message edited by: 7600EM_1 ]</p>
The only problem I have with the KDs is that they are more complicated than they have to be to put together. The whole centering spring mechanism is really pretty sad. It works, but it is just more complicated than it should be especially for the #30 series couplers. The #5 coupler centering spring mechanism is better in this regard, but the square mounting box is asthetically inferior to the #30 series mounting box. I had no problems just mounted the box to the Athearn metal frame---perfect height! The metal coupler does eleminate the problem of broken knuckles---that's for sure.
BNSF, Think the #30 series KD coupler is bad to install. The #4 is as bad with the little spring thats like the knuckle spring that is inserted inside the draft gear box and in any case pushes or pulls the couple in or out and with the steel dowel that keeps the spring from depressing to far to hinder its preformance I use alot of #4 KD's on the pilot of steam loco's being I can mount it so that the small spring pushes the coupler out and if not out I mount it the regular way where the spring tention pushes the coupler back in like a cusioned freight car with the coupler pushing back into the draft gear box! And the #4 is the best i've found for working pilot couplers in the long line of KD's on steamers... All depending on what loco I'm converting I'll mount the #4 opposites for reasons of helper service loco's and head end power.. All depends on the pilot so...
I have had problems when changing from Bachmann EZ mate to KD #5. The copper box walls reduce the swing angle of the coupler and the KD shank length is slightly shorter than B'mann. This can pull longer cars off the track in 18" radius left-rights. It can be fixed by tedious shortening of the coupler box and by reducing the shank width in the area that hits the box end. This is not obvious at first glance because the dimensions are "pretty close" and it could be a problem with other brands. Good luck, Herb
Hey, you can always throw a couple esymates into a string of cars...then you can have prototypical breaking of couplers
<font color="336633">I have used KD's from the outset, only ever had one coupler break and that was because of a low trip pin and a fast moving train , i have had no luck with any other make, they all seem to either break or aquire a set position, so kd for me, although i might be trying out some of the scale ones soon....</font>
Any suggestions on how to upgrade couplers for my new Atlas C300-7? Will #5s work? How do you go about removing the old ones and putting in the new ones?----Any help would be greatly appreciated.
To BNSF...: I assume that was a typo and you want information on what coupler to use for your Atlas C30-7. I have four such beasts and per the suggestions at the Kadee web site, I used the #33 as well as the coupler box that comes along with them. It is a perfect fit. However, you might want to replace those plastic push pins, that Atlas uses, with with a small size (2-56) screw. Of course some drilling and tapping will be required. But those pins will work okay for a while. My C30-7's were put in heavy club use with two of them pulling 25-30 car trains up a 1.9% grade in our club.
