Well, I went out and bought new kadee #502 trucks (with integral couplers), and some #5 couplers. I installed the trucks on an old atlas gondola car which mostly wouldn’t run with its original trucks and plastic wheels. I also installed the #5’s on my Athearn GP-35 BB engine. The Atlas car required drilling out the original mounting holes and inserting styrene tubing (1/8 inside 3/16), trimming and filing flat .
In then end, I had the engine, the revamped atlas car, and the rest of the train connected with a McHenry coupler, so I guess I was successful. But, it wasn’t easy.
Those trucks, with the kadee couplers with the tiny coil springs and pins were just plain tricky. The first one took probably 1/2 hr. The second one went much faster. I also bought a kadee coupler gauge, which showed the coupler being a little low. Come to think of it, the car didnt stay on the rails at first, and I discovered the trucks were tipped. I tried to adjust the bolster hubs and loosened up the mounting screws a bit, and then it ran pretty well. That could have raised the couplers a bit too. I’ll have to recheck. I think I have an Athearn caboose which may need to be loosened up a bit too - same problem, doesn’t stay on the track well, especially with cars behind it.
Installing the #5’s on the engine was a bit easier, but I could have used at least 4 tiny hands to do it. The coupler box is not as long on the Athearn, so some of the brass spring hangs out the front. These couplers also gauged somewhat low. I guess the most important thing is that all my stock is at the same height. We’ll see what else I run into. As a minimum, the trip pins will need to be raised a bit. Maybe I need to find the kaydee pliers to get them adjusted.
I know these couplers are supposed to be “to die for”, but they sure seem difficult to deal with. I may re-evaluate upgrading all my old tyco cars and maybe just change them to McHenrys or maybe ez-mates.
You’ve gone through the struggle that so many of us experience with Athearns. The first one or two seem to be a bear…then after a while you can do with your eyes closed as you find little short cuts here and there.
Athearn BB coupler boxes generally tend to sit low, so shimming or using underset couplers to match the NMRA standard often comes into play.
It’s up to you, but I would not recommend Bachmann EZ Mates nor McHenry’s. I’ve got them and am replacing all of them with Kadees. www.kadee.com Check the HO conversion charts.
Jim,
Sounds like you doing fine on the conversion. Just food for thought here, I would stick with the Kadee’s. I am just telling you from first hand experience that you will regret installing other brands of couplers. I just removed all the different brands of couplers I had on all my freight and put the Kadee’s on, it is a very time consuming task, but has a big pay off. No more problems with cars coming unhooked, cars not hooking up, and cars not unhooking when I need them to. Good luck!
The KDs are a bit much when you first try using them. The more you use them the easier it will become so stay with it.
As far as the uncoupler, I always use the electric one on my mains. With the magnets, if you stop for whatever reason you will uncouple. This gets old real quick.
It’s the truth!! Once you go Kadee you won’t want anythng else, when thoes Mchenery’s give out in a few months or maybe days!! You’ll want tht kadees. Anything else is a waste of time and money.
Having now slept on it, I think I did ok. I had at least one or two unexpected uncouples (and I dont have the uncoupler installed yet), but I think the trip pins are dragging in a couple spots. I’ll raise them a little and see how it runs. I’ll also look harder for an electo-magnetic uncoupler. Thats what I wanted anyway, but I didnt find one at the hobby shop.
For my next trick, I’m going to try installing a #5 directly to an old atlas freight car. I dont have new wheels for it yet, but I think I can make it go.
This is a lot of work. I’ve heard rumors that there are tyco collectors out there. Maybe I can get enough $$$ for my stuff to just buy some better stuff
Forgot to mention something important regarding Kadee couplers.
One “little headache” that occurs with them is that every now and then a coupler spring will pop out. [:0] These are the tiny copper colored springs that actuate the knuckle.
Always keep a pack of Kadee springs handy and make sure you buy the Coupler Spring Pic tool (Kadee Part #235)! I spent years using my fingernails to install springs on Kadees. Talk about time consuming torture! Half the time they’d pop out just as I “almost” had the spring installed. [banghead]
That little red tool is worth the few dollars. It makes life so much easier when installing springs. Takes me less than 30 seconds. [:D][:D][:D][:D]
I had about a dozen Kadee couplers with missng springs sitting in my work box for nearly a decade! Now they all have springs and are ready for installation in my newer freight cars…
But, it wasn’t easy. 