What is the easiest way (if any) to convert Athearn N scale rolling stock (boxcars etc.) to Micro-Trains trucks and couplers? It seems like the screws Athearn uses are not compatible with the hole in the Micro-Trains trucks?
Looking for any advice - I have a nice fleet of Athearn cars (got to love those Hamm’s boxcars with the beer glasses - my favorite) but I prefer the running qualities of micro-trains.
A question, then some suggestions.
Does the screw position the Athearn trucks to the bollsters of is there a shim or spacer involved?
Microtrains trucks come with bollster pins and shims if the car height needs adjusting.
If the truck sits directly on the under frame bollster, the easiest thing to do is to drill out the screw hole to accept the Mircotrains bollster pin.
I don’t have any Athearn rolling stock, but I converted all of my Kato covered hoppers to Microtrains trucks and couplers.
Carefully drilling out the screw hole with a # 47 bit (.078) will make a perfect hole for the Microtrains bollster pin. Use a pin vice to drill the hole and you can get it right every time.
Any Athearns I’ve dealt with whether it be mine or friends, I just cut off the molded bolster with a pair of rail cutters. Then take a file and clean up the area that was just cut to make it flat and finally drill out the hole for the micro trains bolster pin to fit snuggly. After that is all done you now have a MTL equipped car. I’ve done this with boxcars, bethgons, auto-racks just to name a few.
Good advice. I will give cutting the bolster off and drilling a hole a try.
Thanks!