I have this Varney HO boxcar, made about 1950. As you can see, the plastic coupler housing on the underbody has been sheared off to a flat surface. Now, I am wondering how to install KD couplers on this beautiful MKT car. Has anyone done this? What size KD? Number 4? Will I need a pin vise? Except for the mangling, this looks like an easy fix, I hope.[:)]
Looks like simply drilling and tapping for a 2-56 screw to attach a Kadee #5 and its box to the under frame where the old coupler box was would do the trick. And, yes, get yourself a pin vise and 2-56 tap…they have countless applications, as in this instance.
CNJ831
Okay, well, I see this question is probably way too far out, because no one has any ideas. I think I can just CA a Kadee coupler box onto, and drill a hole in, the existing plastic. Answered my own question! This is a super forum, even if this was not a super question!
Thanks, CNJ831. You’re the only one who had a suggestion, at least so far, and I see I’ve thought of pretty much the same thing. This car, and an almost identical Maine Central, are going to look great mixed in with all those newer plastic cars. I can’t wait to get going. If I screw it up, they’ll both become yard offices made by converting boxcars! I can’t lose! [:)]
Geoeisele,
I hope you already have a Kadee coupler height gauge. You may want to shear that old coupler housing down a bit more so that once you mount the new coupler box, the coupler will be at the correct height, contingent, of course, on the trucks you use.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543
Yes, mount the car on trucks and use a Kadee gauge before doing anything further - there is a surface ont he Kadee gauge that if the mouting area on the car is the same height as that surface, a #5 in its mouting box will result in the perfect coupler height. If it’s too low, you can remove more material. If it’s already too high, then you can look into one of the various offset shank Kadee couplers which put the knuckle slightly below the centerline of the shank.
–Randy
There is an article on the NMRA Beginners Pages that can giude your right through the process and yes, you should have a pin vise.
See: http://www.nmra.org/beginner/retrucking.html
Thanks a lot Rinker, Hensley, and Barney. You forum guys are great. I had not thought about installing trucks first and using a height gauge. That will really help make these classic old cars perfect. I really appreciate your advice. GE
I am glad you appreciate this find old car enough to want to do this work.
If you have a dremel tool it might be possible to use the router or the circular sander to mostly remove the remains of the coupler housing because I think you will find just adding Kadee coupler box will hang down too low, perhaps so low that even the offset coupler won’t be the right height. The ideal would be for it to be gone entirely and start over with a new Kadee coupler box. But that may not be practical.
Whatever you do I strongly urge you to lightly wrap cloth or thin foam rubber around the car perhaps holding it lightly in place with a bit of tape so that nothing you do with the car causes the metal to be scratched. The car has to be handled with some care to avoid pressing or denting the sides
The lithography on those old Varney cars was beautifully done and nothing looks like painted metal better than painted metal.
Dave Nelson
Thank you, Dave. You’re right. The cars are still beautiful. They have been handled a bit roughly over half a century, so they are kind of natually weathered! But they are surely worth the work, even if only as conversation pieces. Thanks again.[:)]
Okay, one more stupid question here. If I simply drill a hole and insert a KD coupler box, should I use CA to cement it to the car body, and also screw it on? Seems like the screw might work loose and cause the thing to rotate on that flat surface. Just wundrin’.
Whoa! Just found my own answer on your totally excellent web page about retrucking cheap old train set cars, Roger. Sorry to waste space here. The same advice about using glue no doubt applies here.
I would not try to glue the Kadee coupler box to the bottom of the car with CA. That stuff has a bad habit of glueing everything except what you want it to stick to. I would try a clear silicon such as Elmer’s Stix-All or Loctite Clear Silicon Household Sealant; or better yet, just drill a hole and use a 2/56 machine bolt and nut.