Athearn RTR question

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Hi Fellas,

I bought a few Athearn gondolas today as my hobby shop is moving to a new location and there having a sale at the moment.

Anyways, I want to change out the couplers on them and I noticed that they still have the older style coupler covers that snap over the little tabs. Does anybody have a trick to getting them off without mangling the cover or breaking off the small tans on the underframe? I assume a small screwdriver and pry them off? but maybe somebody has a tip on the best way to get them off

Thanks

Jeremy

2

I just pry them off from the side with a hobby knife.

3

Yes, using a pointed xacto knife blade, gently pry off a side. Its just no big deal to do so.

HOWEVER, please wear safety glasses. The points of an xacto blade rarely break, but it is possible and you need to protect your eyes.

4

Cheers guys, I have put hundred of those coupler covers on just havent taken to many off[:P]

5

Jeremy, you sure they are Athearn RTR? Only time I seen they style was with there Blue Box engines.

See you in the Dinner.

Ken

6

yep there a RTR models, thats why I was shocked to see them on there as I only remember them on the blue box kits.

7

I just recently bought one of the RTR gons. Mine doesn’t have the clip-on covers though. The covers are held on by screws.

8

huh, thats weird.

Maybe it was one of the first runs of the RTR rolling stock. It has been in the shop for a while as I have seen it there for quite some time. It is in a RTR box and the instructions for them say Ready-to-Run right at the top.

9

Yeah, I’ve come across that before including a GP38-2 that was packaged as RTR. It had a well detailed shell but underneath was the classic blue box drive. Spline shafts, noisy gears, fry the crew in the cab headlight, etc.

10

maybe thats the case with these gons. Oh well, two gon’s with scrap steel loads for $30

11

That price sounds about right. I paid $12 for mine. It has a load of four steel coils.

12

Some of the RTR stuff still has the coupler ‘clips’. The PS 4740 3 bay grain hopper and the ACF 5250 4 bay covered hopper still have the clips. Most of the new RTR stuff is improved MDC car and has a scew mounted coupler.

After removing the clip and tossing the McHenry coupler that is supplied, I cut off the ‘boss’ in the coupler pocket and drill a #50 hole. 3/16" long #2 self tapping screws right through the ‘clip’ will securely mount the coupler. I usually trim off the plastic tab that the clip hooked onto.

Jim

13

Note to all - many current Athearn Ready to Roll models still use the metal clip-on coupler pocket cover.

AND - many are simply blue box kits, with a few improved details, metal wheels and better paint jobs.

Some are brand new tooling, some are tooling that came from MDC. Some of that MDC tooling is fairly new, some is as old as the BB stuff.

Which Gon are we talking about here? Athearn makes a lot of gons.

If I recall correctly, the 40’ gon is an old MDC item, the 50’ is an old blue box item and the 52’ gon is newer MDC tooling (corrected).

Anyway, fact is each piece in the currewnt RTR line has its own “history”, they did not just tool all that stuff up over night just for the RTR line.

And for those that don’t know, the whole BB line, as it existed in about 1960, was offered RTR back then for a number of years in the late 50’s and early 60’s.

The MDC and the new tooling likely have screw on covers, the BB 50’ have the metal clips.

14

Here is some more info - not a complete list, but the following RTR cars are from BB kits:

All 34’ hoppers, 40’ quad hopper

50’ flat car (with or without varous loads), 50’ flat car with vans, 40’ flat car (with airplane or boat and other loads), 40 derick car, 40’ plupwood car, 50’ Evans auto loader flat, 85’ flat and the 40’ heavy duty flat car

Bay window caboose, wide vision caboose, western offset cupula caboose

All the reefers except the new 50’ ATSF ice reefers - those are new tooling

40’ chemical tank car, 40’ single and triple dome tank car

250 ton crane and the rotary snow plow - but the plow now comes with a MDC tender.

40’ stock car - ALL the passenger cars

The following cars are from MDC tooling:

Eastern center cupula cabooses, ore cars, 3 bay hoppers, PS2 2003 covered hoppers, 60’ flat cars

A great many of the box cars are MDC tooling and some are new tooling, a few may yet be BB tooling.

I know there are a lot of cars I did not cover, especially more modern stuff that is out my era, but this should give you some idea of how the current RTR line is made up of both older Athearn and MDC tooling as well as new tooling.

And some of the older pieces have recieved big improvements - caboose end railings for example.

Sheldon

15

The 52’ mill gon is the old MDC Railgon with some upgrades.

16

The one I have is the 52’ mill gondola. It’s a nice looking model.

17

Heck, those little metal clips can be removed with your fingernails.

The real problem is that, once removed, it is tough to make them stay in place when you put them back on.

Rich

18

You are correct, I forgot that was a MDC piece. I quess ones pespective on “old” has a lot to do with how long you have been in the hobby.

Many of the MDC pieces were tooled in the last few years before MDC was aquired by Horizion.

Having been in this hobby since the 60’s, stuff from the 1990’s is not what I consider old.

Sheldon

19

The simple trick to get them to stay on is to “square” the bends more with a pair of pliers before installing them.

I have nearly 100 Athearn 50’ flat cars alone, not to mention other BB cars, never had any problem with those covers.

Sheldon

20

Never?