Not too long ago I posted a question regarding operations of a set of passenger cars I recently traded for: https://www.trainboard.com/highball...-car-operation-and-diaphragm-question.149253/ I got a smoking deal on the cars because the guy I got them from wanted a narrow gauge locomotive I was getting rid of. HOn3 has gotten expensive!! Anyway...this is the sixth layout I've built and still managed to make a rookie mistake and inadvertently incorporate an S turn--a major no-no with passenger cars. My S turn is 20 degrees of a left hand 34" radius turn immediately followed by a #6 right hand switch. The reverse side of the switch (curved portion) is the mainline. Oops...I never even noticed the S turn before because everything else I own operates just fine. I considered ripping out several feet of track and scenery and redoing it, but a friend and fellow model railroader who has owned a machine shop for 40 years made a suggestion that was worth a try. His idea was to modify the sides of the draft gear boxes by cutting off a little of the vertical side at the end so the coupler had more side swing. gjslsffan here on the forum also thought it sounded like a plausible solution, so I tried it. And it worked like a champ!!!! The cars now operate without a hitch. So, if you have any spots where passenger cars don't like the turn radius, or you have made a dumb move like I did and accidentally incorporated an S turn, try the coupler modification. It's not difficult and it works great.
I'm glad that worked for you. I used, Kadee HO Scale #451 ~ Extended Swing Gearbox & Whisker Couplers For Long Cars. They work very well. Glenn
That's a great and elegant solution. It uses what's already available and adds to it - by lopping off a bit of it!
Your solution would be great for more recently manufactured models. Look at the photo of the bottom of the car and you'll see why I did what I did.
The Golden State consist is just about done. They make the S turn no problem. The only remaining operational issue is the continued derailment of the baggage car on switches. Haven't figured out the problem yet, but I will. Cosmetically, the train is done, and looks fairly decent. It's not prototypical for either Rock Island or Southern Pacific, but represents the Golden State train that ran through NM and W Texas on it's way to LA or Chicago. After completing the window tinting, I added passengers to dome car. The other nice thing about the train was the price. The prototypical SP motive power consist would have been either an AB or ABB E7 lashup. I couldn't find a B unit anywhere, so I bought two Proto 2000 A units. Both run well, neither had been run much from the condition of the wheels, but one had been handled roughly in a former life. I had to replace all the lift rings, most of the handrails on both sides, the pilot (for some reason there were five pilots in a parts bag with the locomotive), etc, etc. All total, my cost for two powered A units--detail parts, shipping and tax included--was $140. Now to diagnose the derailment problem...
Paul, I included a photo, of the bottom of two passenger cars I converted, to the #451 couplers. I actually, did four or five of the Tycos. I have included notes about what I did and some modifications were necessary because I also changed the trucks. I mentioned the #451 because it may help others considering a similar project. Glenn
