I was changing out some some couplers earlier this afternoon and was clipping back on the covers and noticed that some of the tabs on the sides of the box were getting a little thin. They snap back on but that got me thinking what would I do if they broke off? Is there a way they can be screwed down at all? I don’t know if that pin in the coupler box can be cut off and a hole be tapped somehow? Doesn’t seem like there would be a lot of material to tap a hole
Any thoughts or tips you can lend would be fantastic
The key to those covers is to gently squeese them top and bottom with a pair of slack jaw pliars until you hear them click. Otherwise they might not be on tightly. Don’t understand why you would be taking them on and off repeatedly. I have never worn the plastic nubs out on a car so to my way of thinking don’t think there is a problem lurking there.
I screw mine on. I found a package of short 3/16 sheet metal screws at the hardware store. A small hole in the center of the pin in the coupler box works great. Just don’t tighten it too tight to strip it.
And yes the covers do pop off when you least expect it. I watched helplessly a string of 48 hoppers and a cabin careening backwards down the long grade of the clubs layout. Tragic results.
If you take a pair of pliers, and carefully bend the existing bends in the cover so that the sides are TRULY 90 degrees to cover portion, they snap on correctly and last a life time.
The a line jig looks handy for sure but I can’t find it at any local shops. I looked on a lines site and they don’t ship directly to Canada so would have to order from walthers Which last time I did was a little pricey too. I have taps so could maybe do it without the jig. My understanding is the two jigs keep the tap and drill bits straight And stops the plastic from squishing out… actually it seems very handy when I think about it haha
The A-Line drilling jig works on lots of different manufacturers coupler boxes. I trimmed mine down to about 1/3 of its original length. It was too long for my #50 drill bits of choice.
I used it on Proto-2000 tank cars with excellent results. I did not use the metal coupler covers after I used it, but the coupler box lids from Kadee coupler boxes held in place by the 2-56 screw.
That is also what I have done on upgraded Athearn flat cars.
As Sheldon points out, the problem (if one develops) is usually with the metal coupler cover, not the tabs. On a couple of cars I’ve put a tiny bit of Walthers Goo on each side of the coupler box when putting the cover back on, to help hold it in place. You could get the cover in place an put a drop of ACC on either side too.
Other than a drilling & a machine screw try a tiny dab of CA on each side of the coupler box, but be carefull to not get any inside the box. Bayway Termianl NJ
You could probably make your own version of it using various diameters of brass tubing.
An even simpler option, if the Athearn draught gear box is no longer suitable for the clip-on cover, is to cut it off, then replace it with one of Kadee’s various draught-gear boxes suitable for screw-mounting.
For the original #5 box, a 2-56 screw is appropriate, but I’d suggest using ones with a flat head, as it’s very easy to create a counter sink to accommodate such a screw, making it far less noticeable than the dome-headed screw.
A few twists with a #20 or 11/64" drill bit will create a countersink deep enough to make the flathead screw almost unnoticeable.
Here’s a 40’ clone of a Dominion-Fowler boxcar with counter-sunk flathead screws keeping the coupler boxes in-place…
