[*-)] Has anyone purchased any of the High Tech Diaphragms and attached then to their passenger coaches. The question is, “do they work well; any problems with these diaphragms?”
They look interesting and the pictures on the web sight look good.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line
I do not know these, I like the American Limited diaphragms
What High Tech Diaphragms are you talking about. The only diaphragms I’ve been able to get to work with out problem are the Walthers 933-429.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
I’m beginning to realize that aging is not for wimps.
I suppose Robert means these:
[:D] Big Daddy’s information is correct, you go right to the picture of the diaphragm. The site also depicts how to assemble and attach them to your coaches. They look good. Precision Scale make a nice bellows diaphragm with brass stricker plates. The rubber is very soft and collapses nicely betwen cars especially around curves. I put five on this past week. They look great to me.
I also use the Walthers paper diaphragms which are also bellows type and look good on my brass coaches as well.
I have tried American Limited, at first I liked them but the more I looked at these other diaphragms I began to like them better, plus my eye sight make it more difficult to assemble the America Limited brand. But I just like the realism of the bellows type diaphragms.
Thanks,
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line
I tried a couple of pairs of those on Athearn 72’ Streamline cars and I had random derailing problems on my only 26” radius mainline curve, they work very good on a 30” and above radius. I have 20” radius feeders to my #4 turnouts in my yard and I’ve yet to find any diaphragm to work there.
All of my mainline curves are more than 30” except for the one 26” leading into my station and yard. I didn’t remove the High Tech Diaphragms I just can’t approach my station from the west without a problem.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California
[I][:P]
Mel: One thing about the Walthers paper diaphragms, they are too may bellows in the diaphragm. Chuck Hitchcock explained that you may need to remove a complete section of a bellows to make the diaphragm more narrow. That is what I had to do and it improved the running of my coaches on sharper curves. You are right though, you do need nice curves to make things look good, but try removing a section the diaphragm, I just use a pair of scissors to cut off the section then using contact cement I attach it to the coach then I attach the striker plate to the diaphragm.
Thanks,
Robert Sylvester,
Newberry-Columbia Line
I’m using the stock Athearn Heavy Weight trucks with truck mounted couplers and Kadee #119 SE couplers and Walthers #933-429 Diaphragms, the diaphragms just barely touch without making them any shorter.
Since my earlier post I added (or tried to) another Athearn HW sleeper (new in the box BB kit) and it constantly derails with the diaphragms, works OK without the diaphragms. ??? I use Athearn metal wheel sets on all of my Athearn passenger cars and Kadee #119 couplers, this is the only car that’s had a problem using those diaphragms.
I remove or don’t use the stock Athearn weights. I use 2 ounces of #8 birdshot in the depression in the center of the car bottom and 2 ounces over each truck plus full interiors in every car so my cars are heaver than a stock Athearn car.
I haven’t given up, just frustrated.
Mel
[I][:P]
Oh, I forgot, if you look closely at some of these videos like Allen Keller’s and the like you will notice that the diaphragms have some space inbetween the striker plates and of the curves they still maintain that space because they removed a section of the bellows and another trick is to glue a piece of clear thin plastic over the striker plate so the striker plates won’t grab on to each other in the curves
The plastic allows the striker plats to glide or slide over each other and not catch on the edges or the corners.
I have perfected the distances between coaches and with the soft bellows of Walthers or Precision Scale the diaphragms don’t cause derailments on the curves. And on some of my coaches I do place a piece of clear plastic as I suggested to keep the diaphragms from grabbing each other.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line
My Walthers diaphragms barely touch and look pretty good. I changed the trucks, wheels and couplers on the new car and it works OK now. I changed them all at once so I don’t know what was causing the problem and don’t really care, its working.
Now I have a switch machine to replace so I’m still frustrated. The under table Atlas #55 throw arm is puny so the Atlas Custom Line #6 turnout will get my Peco PL-10 switch machine and spring conversion.
Mel
My Model Railroad
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/
Bakersfield, California