Planning to replace the couplers on my Atlas HO diesels and rolling stock with #5 Kadees. Can I just drop the Kadee couplers into the Atlas draft gear boxes or do I have to replace them with Kadee draft gear boxes?
jack
My LHS just swaps the #5’s in. When he runs out of the 5’s is going to use the 148.
Always check the height.
Flip
Most are just drop in. Some of my older rolling stock have real cheesy boxes so I replace them with KD’s. Just make sure you check the coupler height with a gauge to be sure.
Terry[8D]
Most of the newer Atlas engines will take Kadee #5 or #58 couplers as a drop in replacement, and the height usually works out right. All you need are the couplers and the copper springs.
The only thing to watch out for is not to pinch the cut levers and other small pilot details when re-inserting the coupler box. The lip on the upper side of the coupler box tends to catch things. I usually nudge the details out of the way with a small screwdriver while putting the coupler boxes back in.
Thanks for the info! I appreciate the quick response.
jack