In a recent post, I started describling how to convert a Tyco or similar car from truck mounted couplers to body mounted couplers. In that post, part 1, I described installing removing the old post mounted trucks and replacing them with new screw mounted trucks. http://cs.trains.com/TRCCS/forums/t/194011.aspx
Some older horn-hook couplers were installed in a narrow body mounted coupler box that would not fit a Kadee 5, just cut and file away the old box and install a new one as described here.
Here, I will describe installing a Kadee #5 coupler box and coupler. Just to get our nomenclature straight, this is a picture from the Kadee coupler instructions with the parts named
The first thing to do after the new trucks are installed is to file or cut away anything that sticks out and would interfere with a flat area for coupler box installation. Once this is done, measure the height of the underside of the car to see if it is correct for the coupler box installation using the back side Kadee #205 coupler height gage. http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/380-205
The top of the gage should just fit under the end of the car.
If the gage hits the car, it will have to be raised or parts of the car body will have to be cut away to make room at the correct height. Kadee makes fiber washers: #208 for 0.015" thick (red)and #209 for 0.010 thick (gray). Remove the trucks and place a washer or washers between the truck and bolster. A third alternative is to use a #42 Overset Shank coupler where the coupler head is lower than a standard #5. http://kadee.com/htmbord/page42.htm<
I’ve done that with some older trainset cars that had truck mounted couplers. I found very quickly that it’s very important to put a shim between the car body and the coupler box. If not the coupler will be too high. Being that I don’t have sheet styrene laying around I use whatever is laying around, even card stock. Many times I use old coupler box covers from junk cars. I had one car (boxcar or reefer) that had what was for lack of better name, an abbreviated frame. The frame ran from one bolster to the other bolster leaving an open gap at each end of the cars underside. This presented a problem as there was nothing to attach a coupler box to. I cut a couple of pieces of scrap plastic to fill in the gaps and attached them to the existing frame with more scrap plastic bridging the pieces. I didn’t want it getting any ideas about going anywhere so I used JB Weld to glue them together. This gave me a surface to mount the coupler boxes to and the problem was solved. I ended up using two shims on each one as the bottom of the car was slightly recessed.
I no longer replace the trucks on train set cars.I bought one of the truck reamers and use it on any truck that does not free roll.I have discovered that these trucks can be extremely free rolling even with the origonal plastic wheel sets though I do prefer metal wheels for looks and staying clean longer.
As for body mounting the couplers I find the OP is dead on with his mounting method.Though when it comes to shimming the couplers I will put the car on the track and check to see if it sets to high itself.If that is the case I file down the bolster to get the correct car height and coupler alignment.
Take note of the pictures of the springs. That’s a common failure mode for the #5-type bronze pan spring. If you have a coupler that spring back from one side but not the other, take a look - I’ll bet your spring looks liek the one on the right.
If you think you will be needing a lot of these screws, ask at a good, old fashioned hardware store (not one of those all-computer boxbox ones). You may be able to order a box of 100 at a real good price compared to the bag of a few at hobby shop prices.
I bought a box of 100 blackened SS 2-56 screws from McMaster-Carr in Atlanta. The are less than $6.00 and ordered several lengths. Very handy and they don’t need to be painted!
You can get 100 screws from them for the price of a dozen from Walthers or Kadee. They also advertise in Model Railroader, one of the small ads in the back section just before the classifieds. Their tagline is something like “tired of paying too much for screws?” [:D]
