My “problem” as a collector of American Flyer is that I keep looking at the hardware from the standpoint of a lifetime model builder, and see ways to “improve” it in manners that many AF collectors would probably find sacrilegious.
There had been discussions on the C&TT forums about adapting the K-5 trailing truck to the various models of the Atlantic. But I was not aware that anybody had actually attempted it. The major obstacle to such a modification is that on the K-5 the trailing truck is attached to the rear of the frame, while a separate drawbar between the locomotive and tender attaches to a fixture on the back of the locomotive shell. On the Atlantic the drawbar and the mounting for the rear truck are one and the same. Looking at the two components I became convinced that it would be possible to integrate them into one unit.
After having purchased an aftermarket trailing truck on eBay, I began by removing the existing wheel set from the tender drawbar. I did so by simply drilling out the rivet that connects them.
It is then necessary to remove some material from the trailing truck frame in order to properly align the wheels on the track. Using a cutting disk in my motor tool, I cut a slot in the top of the bar that runs across the back of the truck to clear the tender drawbar.
After test fitting the assembly to the locomotive frame I determined it would also be necessary to remove some material from the pivot point on the front of the tuck. The depth of the cut there is exactly the thickness of the drawbar, and enough material needs to be removed so that the two mounting holes line up correctly.
With the material removed it is simply a matter of reassembling th