I have a number of these cars and the problem is that when the trucks turn so does the coupler box.
From time to time this cause a problme with the the uncopler hook getting stuck on a rail or tie. This is most prevlent when backing up and the passenger car is the last car of the train…no other trailing cars.
I would like to take the car apart and disconnect this arrangement but can’t seem to get the car apart. Each car has an anterior and has lighting.
I see several tabs on the bottom of the car but they don’t move with moderate pressure applied and I can’t pry the body apart from the bottom.
Any one who might have these cars, prehaps you have some suggestions.
Neutrino,
Not all the windows and car roofs are one piece on the Bachmann Spectrum passenger cars. The Pullman cars are seperate, while the coach (for example) is one piece.
(a) Talgo trucks enable cars to navigate sharper curves. What is the size of your layout, and the radius of you curves?
(b) Talgo trucks don’t back up well. It’s side pressure exerted against the trucks.
Body mounting couplers cure the above, but want wider curves. How wide depends on the legnth of you car. Bachmann’s 72’ should work on 22" radius .
Problem 2. Low couplers.
KD 505 Coupler gauge and KDwashers to raise the car to NMRA height is the answer. Clipping off the decoupling hoses under the couplers is another. Cars will still couple together.
I BODY MOUNT my Kadee couplers using JayBee pads, but I also have 28"r. curves. I would suggest that YOU get your cars and couplers up to NMRA height, first, before going further.
PROBLEM 3. ‘Taking CAR APART’. Is this necessary to get the trucks off?
They aren’t TALGO trucks. The couplers are body mounted and pivot through a bell crank mechanism connected to the trucks mounting post. The coupler pocket turns with the trucks, but the the two only connect with the aforementioned mechanicals.
I simply replaced the stock couplers with Kadee #5s and they run just fine with no derailments. We don’t use magnetic uncoupling on our club layout, and passenger cars would not be uncoupled that much anyway, so I clip all of the “hoses” off short so they don’t snag on anything.
My main complaint with the Bachmann Spectrum heavyweight passenger cars is their interior lighting – a single bulb in the center of the car and a plastic light pipe that is supposed to diffuse the light to the ends – these things never work right, and the bulbs don’t last long, either, especially on a DCC-equipped layout.
cacole,
The major problem with just swapping out the stock couplers for No. 5’s is that the moving pockets are very sloppy, and allow the couplers to vary widely in height.
The best way to fix these are to use the Jay-Bee coupler pads made specifically for these cars. Then use the provided screw with a No. 5 box. Problem solved!
I agree with the lighting…it’s horrible. I ripped mine out completely. If I ever light 'em, I’ll paint the interior first, add people, then add decent LED lighting so I don’t have to replace bulbs forever.
BTW, why aren’t your passenger cars routinely uncoupled? Passenger operations can be a lot of fun if you try to emulate the real practices of the railroads. Sure, it’s not as many moves as with freight train switching, but you can still do a lot. For example, it really does matter where the coaches go in the train vs. where the diner is. Or where the sleepers go or the parlors. It’s also important to determine what day of the week it is, as real passenger train consists could vary daily.
The trick is to find a “Passenger Train Consist Book” for your favorite railroad (I have a NH one from 1953). It’s chock full of interesting passenger train operation tidbits that can make running the passenger terminal just as much fun as running the freight yard (IMHO).
See if you can tighten up this bell drive mechanism when you get the roof off. I saw these in a MR issue and thought they would work great.(might be wrong, I only saw pictures) From the pics it looked like you’d have a hard time mounting a KD box to the underside anyhow. I’d try getting the slop out before I did surgery.
I put #118 Kadees on mine and dont have any prob at all. I have 12 0f these cars and the lighting does need improvement. But with the shelf couplers no they run great forword or backward.
I have many Bachmann heavyweight Spectrum passenger cars. I put all Kadee #5 couplers on them. I needed to bend the air hoses up to prevent the problem that Howard has. You don’t need to do anything else. All will run right. The cars come apart by releasing the tabs on the underside and pulling up. I agree the lights really don’t last long, especially running with DCC.
Bill