Eventually, I plan on buying an Athearn Blue Box locomotive and adding details to it, such as painted hand rails, grab irons, etc. One question I have is how would you make a new coupler box on the locomotive? Already having a dummy unit, I know that those coupler boxes already there aren’t the best for kadee’s and they could probably fall out at any time.
Most of the blue box Athearn’s I run are F units. I drill a hole through the coupler pad, mount a Kadee 242 draft gear box to the coupler pad, put in a Kadee 147 undershank Whisker coupler, add the cover and screw and I’m done.
Go to the Kadee “what-fits-what” list here:
http://www.kadee.com/conv/hocc.htm
Go with what ever it recommends for what ever you have. Turns out a #37 fits my GP-38-2 and F7 bluebox models. You have to drill and tap the frame for a 2-56 mounting screw. This can be done with nothing more than a pin vise. I will confess that I used my drill press to drill the frames, but you can do it with a pin vise should you lack a drill press.
Depends on the units. All I have left are the F7’s.
For those I added Walthers grabs, and windshields and portholes. I then was recommended a close-coupler modification that removes the current coupler mounts for the after coupler mount of a F7A and both for a B unit. It then has a modified box constructed that tightens the gap between the units, add baffles of your choice and units actually look good together. Rather than a little odd with the extended gap between the units.
My nephew has a PA1-PB1 set and I am debating stealing it to give it the same treatment.
Most of the newer blue box locos already have a hole drilled all tou need to do is tap it for a 2-56 macine screw.Check before you try to tap though as not all of the holes go all the way thru.
I body-mount the couplers on Athearn diesels. To do so, cut suitably-sized pieces of .060" sheet styrene and use solvent-type cement to affix them to the underside of the loco’s end platforms, building up the layers until the thickness reaches the proper height for coupler mounting. Drill and tap as appropriate for whichever Kadee couplers you’re using. Use a hacksaw to remove the original coupler-mounting pedestals from the loco’s frame.
This allows you to fill-in that unsightly gap below the couplers, yet still leaves the body shell removeable. If you’re careful with the glue when filling in the below-the-coupler gap, the couplers will remain removeable for servicing, if required.
Here are a few of examples:
SW7 converted to SW1200RS
SW7 re-done as an NW2
GP7 re-done as a GP9:
U33-C:
The body-mounted couplers are at least as strong as Athearn’s frame-mounted ones: two of those U-boats moved an almost 22lb. train up a 2.5% curved grade (equivalent to 3.44%), with no noticeable deflection of the locos’ end platforms. [swg]
I agree w/ Wayne on the body mounting, Athearn BB locos have an extremely strong shell, so cutting off the frame lug and body mounting has no effect for even some excessive drawbar pull. Body mounting allows for shell removal w/o coupler removal if using pilot and plows. The large pilot openings can be filled in to a more prototype appearance and this allow for placement of other pilot details.
Wayne describes the install. I would use Kadee 30 series couple boxes for most of my early Geeps as the curved box face and placement of buffer plate resembled the prototype better than any other option.
I also body mount. Its pretty easy to do, just locate the new pad at the correct height. Never did like the Athearn mounting pad on its locomotives.
I dont body mount the couplers too much work. I use the existing hole in the coupler lug and use a trimmed standard draft gear box. I use whichever coupler gives me the proper Height. My BB SD40-2 i use the long shank offset coupler works great just drill and self taping screw