where to start here…i was running a train around the walls and i have almost all micro trains cars that i use. i just now bought an atlas mkt ev caboose with microtrains trucks and couplers. it is very nice in my opinion. i have several old school atlas cars from the 90s that i converted to pizza cutter microtrains trucks and couplers. since i changed to atlas 55 rail, i put them away. i got some out and noticed that they closer coupled than the microtrains. i really like microtrains, not faulting them, but the atlas cars seem to be more accurately spaced. am i wrong? im guessing at about 1/2 less space between the cars. opinions wanted!!..thanks
You are probably talking about Atlas 40’ cars, am I correct? Just because the cars are closely coupled doesn’t make them more prototypically coupled. If you want to get nit picky compare the model with the same prototype car in a photo or scale drawing. You may find that they may be too close and the trucks are too far to the inside. It isn’t too wise to get real nit picky with Nscale. Nscale is right on the edge of scale vs. practicality and durability.
It depends on the car. I have a fleet of Atlas 55 ton hoppers, which are equipped with Accumate trucks and couplers. I find the spacing there to be too wide, so I clip the coupler box off of the truck, then body mount them to get more realistic spacing.
Standard truck mounted Accumates…
Body mounted for closer coupling.
On some boxcars, the longer couplers look fine as they represent cushion underframe equipment.
On your “pizza cutters” you can easily replace the oversize MT wheels with wheelsets from Atlas or Fox Valley. MT also offers low-profile wheelsets. That way you can put your fleet back in service on the c55 rail.
Lee
You might be able to change the couplers on the MTL cars to a shorter shank version. That would give you closer coupling and might be more prototypical. (As WP 3020 said, you may want to check them against a photo of the prototype.) MT offers a variety of shank lengths. I think they even offer a sampler kit which could allow you to find the look you like best. Changing them out isn’t hard (after the first few [banghead]). Easiest way would be to just buy new MT trucks with the couplers you want already installed, although these are a might spendy.
no, im that that picky about this, i just found it odd, with all the improvements with n scale now, that those older atlas cars with mc truck and couplers looked better spaced than the newer stuff. lee, thanks for those pics, thats exactly what i was seeing on my cars. im sure the manufacturers have to consider 9 3/4 radius curves also. all the new cars have been changed to low profile wheels. cant believe microtrains even uses pizza cutters this day and time. i still have my postage stamp train set from the late 60s. if i get too picky, i’ll just get it out and run it and then see how great n scale is now!! thanks to all…