Can someone provide with some help. I just recently purchase a micro-trains car, actually it’s two (2) 50 ft. flat cars with a steel beam load (MTL 045 00 290). The flats are set up to run coupled together with the steel beam load mounted to the flat cars. The steel beam rotates on the two flat cars are they proceed thru curves on the railroad.
Here lies My question: The Micro-trains instructions say the cars(flat car) must be coupled together before mounting the steel beam onto support beams. The support beams are permanently mounted to floor of the flat car and the steel beam in fixed to the support beams by a pin. The pin is used as rotate point for the steel beam. When coupling the cars together for proper placement of the pins in the support beams for steel beam. Do I have the cars coupled together with slack in the couplers or is the couplers placed in a pulling position (as if the flat cars are traveling along the track)?.
I would greatly appreciate any help provided. Thank You
Simply place the cars on the track, then install the long beam on one of the support pins. It should become apparent, when you try to place the other end on its support, if you need to introduce slack or not.
Do I have the cars coupled together with slack in the couplers or is the couplers placed in a pulling position (as if the flat cars are traveling along the track)?.
Neither.The cars will couple as soon as you make the joint-railroad speak for coupling cars.
If I understand your question correctly, you are having trouble getting the pivot pins to fit into the load when the cars are coupled. If that is the problem, I wonder if the cars have the pivot pins located towards one end of the cars instead of being exactly in the middle. If so, the load will only fit with the cars in pointing in the right direction. Try turning one or both around.
What I’m inquiring about is this: “As per Micro-trains instructions I have to place the two (2) flat cars together on a straight piece of track coupled. Located the pivot pins on the underside of pipe load and then drill a slightly oversize hole. Do not glue the load to styrene pins and be sure the ends of the load do not hit the brake hardware.” The side mounted brake wheels have to located on opposite ends so the pipe load does not hit the brake wheels as the cars travel thru curves on the railroad.
What my question is do the coupled cars have to slack in them or are the cars and couplers pulled to remove all the slack while locating and drilling the oversize holes on the underside of the pipe load?
I think why they say drill an “oversized” hole is to allow for the couplers to move from one position to the other. You can either determine when they are at mid point or make a mark when at each extreme, those marks become the outside of the hole you will drill.
Okay, I didn’t realise that the holes had to be drilled by the modeller. I’d mark them for drilling with the couplers neither compressed nor stretched. If the holes are oversized, the couplers will find the right position as the cars negotiate the track.
You could probably remove the couplers completely on the mating ends of the flatcars and let the load function as the coupling - sort of an extended drawbar. [swg][(-D]
Saw a similar situation, but can’t remember where. The hole was elongated so that the the load could slide back and forth, but not sideways. Rather than an oversized hole all around.
One thing I think is important to note in the picture above is the flat surface around the pivot hole. Without that, the load could wobble all over the place.