I have about twenty or so of these cars made by Atlas. Does anyone know of a draw bar I can buy for these. I would like to group them in groups of 4 and use a micro trains truck and coupler on the ends only. Maybe someone knows an easy method of making them as well? I’m open for suggestions.
Thanks
Al
You should be able to make drawbars fairly easily from brass or plastic. Try to start with something about the same thickness as your couplers (or a little less), and wide enough to allow you to drill holes in the end that will slip over the post in the draftgear box (use the end of a coupler as a pattern). I’d measure the distance between two coupled cars and use that measurement to determine the length of the drawbars. If your curves are broad enough, you may be able to shorten the distance between cars. You’ll probably need to narrow the centre part of each drawbar to allow for swing on curves, so that there’s no interference with the sides of the draftgear box, too. My first choice for material would be suitably-sized brass barstock, followed by something similar in Plastruct’s product line of grey plastic (I think that it may be ABS). Years ago MR ran an article on this subject, duplicating drawbar connected sets of four ore cars as used by the prototype DM&IR. They called them "mini-quads, and you may be able to find some more info by using that term.
Wayne
I’m not sure if I can find the article again but one way it has been done is to take the rapido coupler and cut it into an I shape then insert it into the coupler pockets of the rapido trucks and there’s your draw bar.
Maybe we are talking about the same article and maybe not; I seem to recall an article - I am almost sure it was N Scale because the author was referencing talgo trucks - in which a hole big enough to fit a very small screw was drilled completely through a coupler pocket - a short narrow length of plastic - the drawbar - with two holes drilled close to the end was then fitted into this coupler pocket - then the above mentioned small screw was dropped through the completely through the coupler pocket and fabricated drawbar.
If you can’t find Rapidos to convert, try Unimates. You get 8 couplers per sprue. The short ones will work fine. I like to use them to makeup strings of hoppers. Once coupled, they stay coupled.
I tried the making the I from the rapido but found it was actualy too close together in my oppinion. It will work unless you are using a very sharp turn. What I found unapealing was the difference in spacing between using the shortend rapido in the grouping of 4 to where the micro trains joined. The spacing was a very significant difference and just didn’t look good in a large train.
I have only heard of the Unimates before and was told they were not made anymore. Guess this information was not correct. I will most likely look into this as I may even use the for my passenger trains.
Thanks to all this has been a great help.
Allan
Precision Masters/Unimates was purchased by Red Caboose. They s/b available at any good LHS, or from some Etailers.
They are available @ 4nscale. List $2.50, Sale $1.95. You get 8 couplers per sprue. With some work/filing, you can get them to fit. They mostly are used as a replacement for Tshank Rapido couplers.