A couple of months ago, Cody Grivno did a piece on the A-Line coupler drilling jigs. They are used to drill the coupler pivot in Athearn Blue Box kits to eliminate the stamped metal coupler lid. I just got to use the set I ordered and they work like a charm!
This is the stock coupler box.
The A-Line “Bullseye” drill and tap.
The A-Line “Bullseye” centering jig.
A-Line drilling jig. This is used to drill the hole that will later be tapped for 2-56 screws. The hole in this jig is smaller than the “Bullseye” jig.
Drilling jig in use.
Tapping the hole.
A-Line also makes coupler box lids, but I didn’t order them, I just used the lid from Kadee draft gear sets, with the pivot removed, and flush filed. I c
I love Tools & Tooling!!! Especially the ones that work ‘right’ at the right time! hah hah!
If someone would ‘break in’ here & looked around, I doubt they would realize the small fortune I have invested in my hobby & metal working tooling. Even if I have one that I use only once a year, it is worth having, cuz I needed it & eventually used it!!!
Congrats, I am glad you tried it out, like it, & gave us a step by step demonstration! Thanks!!!
Chad, I know exactly what you’re saying about buying tools. I had a roommate that would buy any off the wall tool at swap meets. Sure enough, when you needed that tool, you always knew who had one.
I checked out A-Line’s coupler box covers, and they are metal ones that look just like the Athearn ones, only they are priced at $6.98 for 12. While the Athearn ones (directly from them) cost $3.98 for 12.
Would it be possible to use the coupler lid that originally came with the car? If you snapped the cover back into place (if possible after the drilling/tapping) would this work. Having a large fleet of Athearn cars I am very interested in a more positive securing of the couplers as my train lengths have grown with a larger layout.
Thanks for taking the time to post this thread, it is very informative and nice to see a fellow hobbyist having success with upgrading their rolling stock using aftermarket products.
I checked out A-Line’s coupler box covers, and they are metal ones that look just like the Athearn ones, only they are priced at $6.98 for 12. While the Athearn ones (directly from them) cost $3.98 for 12.
Have both the same A-Line drilling jigs with 2-56 tap and #50 tap drill as I have several blue box Athearn rail stock. The jigs work like a champ, no problems, no sweat. [Y]
I also ordered the 25 pack of 2-56 screws ( 1/8" long I think? ) to go with the set.
Nice tool, nice work, but I’m sure why it is needed?
I have hundreds, and hundreds of Athearn cars with the metal covers, never had any problem with them.
Two simple steps make them work perfectly. Make sure the bends in the metal cover are nice and square, bend them a little more if they are not.
Then, after installing them, squeeze them in place with a pair of pliers. And, if you install genuine Kadee couplers in them, the likelyhood of coupler failure and a need to open them back up is small.
But they can be easily popped off with an exacto knife in any case.
I’ve had problems with the little “ears” that hold on the factory clips get worn off (esp. with used cars). I’ve moved to installing #5s with #14 whisker couplers. I’ve noticed that the little brass (or whatever it’s made of) Kadee centering spring needing to be trimmed so that the snap on cover doesn’t interfere with the spring.
Well, I have to say that even though I have been at this for 40 years and have hundreds of Athearn freight cars, about 700 freight cars of all brands total, I can likely count on my fingers and toes the ones that I have come to own that were previously “used”. I just generally don’t buy used stuff - unless it is prestine, unbuilt, etc.
So being the first and only hands to touch/assemble mine, I have had virtually no problems following the methods I recommended in my previous post.
My experience with the Athearn covers is similar to that of Sheldon, although I’ve had lots of used ones, too. All but a handful of those were easily salvaged with pliers.
If you’re going to go with screw-on covers, use flat-head screws. Countersink the lid using a drill bit sized to the screw head - #19 seems to work well. I’ve done most of my older Accurail cars, and am now working my way through the Train Miniature ones - this may prove never-ending, as I can’t seem to resist TM boxcars. [swg]
The right tool always makes the job easier, no doubt.
However, my experience mirros Sheldon’s. My little ‘trick’ is to bend the metal lids in a little before installing them, and then using a long nose needle nose pliers to make sure they snap down FULLY over the plastic ears on the sides of the boxes. If not, they WILL fall off, and havign them fall off then get repalced over and over is what wears away the palstic. One good solid fit and you really should never have to touch it again, especially if using real Kadee couplers, I’ve NEVER had one break, even on a car that fell 4000+ scale feet to the hard concrete below (note - don’t run locos with momentum setings when the layout is not finished).
The only other alternative to this tool is to cut the whoel thing off and mount a complete Kadee coupler box in place. Since I tend to buy bulk packs of couplers and they don;t come with the draft gear boxes (since they aren;t needed on most rollign stock these days), I don;t have a huge surplus of those laying around.
The A-Line “Bullseye” drill and tap.
The A-Line “Bullseye” centering jig.
A-Line drilling jig. This is used to drill the hole that will later be tapped for 2-56 screws. The hole in this jig is smaller than the “Bullseye” jig.
Drilling jig in use.
Tapping the hole.
A-Line also makes coupler box lids, but I didn’t order them, I just used the lid from Kadee draft gear sets, with the pivot removed, and flush filed. I c