I was wondering if anyone can point me in the right way of what type of Kadees that I can use for an ho scale blue box Sd40-2. I need the #,box type,and screw size. thanks
All the info you need is HERE.
Be careful installing Kadees on Blue Box Athearns. On many the frame is used to transfer the power and a Kadee just put in the Athearn coupler box can and will short out at times. It is necessary on many engine to use the Kadee plastic coupler box to insulate the coupler from the frame which may require removal of some of the metal with a file to adjust the height. When I have two Athearn engines that will always be run together I use a drawbar between them. No one has ever commented that they saw it since it is painted grimy black.
The #5 works, but as mentioned above a metal shank uninsulated can cause some issues. I body mount all my BB engines.
If you plan on adding a plow/ specific pilot or footboard as well as any other specialized detailing (MU hoses air line/ anglecock, buffer plate etc), body mount the Kadee #5 draft box and coupler. The coupler frame lug is cut off and you add styrene block behind pilot to mount (coupler box w/ 2/56 screw into the styrene shim block. This allows shell removal w/o disturbing any pilot details.
Thank you some much for the info and help you guys
Go to the Kadee website and they have a list of what-fits-what. It’s a good list, covers every piece of rolling stock manufactured in the last 50 years. Although a #5 Kadee can be made to fit anything, doing so can mean a lot of filing, hacking, and messing around. It’s worth special ordering or ordering over the web to get the Kadee recommended coupler, it will save you a lot of hackwork.
As a general rule you want electrically insulated couplers on locomotives. Most locomotives use the chassis to conduct electricity to the motor, which means the chassis is connected to one of the rails. If the couplers conduct electricity, they are in contact with the chassis thru a mounting screw. When you double head locomotives, its a 50-50 chance that the chassis of one is connected to the opposite rail from the chassis of the other. When coupled, you have a rail to rail short thru the couplers.
The Kadee 30 series couplers are electrically insulating, and are the usual recommendation for Athearn and Proto 2000 locomotives.
Many Athearn locomotives want the Kadee coupler boxes secured to the chassis with a 2-56 screw set into a tapped hole in locomotive chassis. This is much more secure than the factory plastic snap on coupler box cover. Decent hardware stores will sell you a 2-56 tap and the matching tap drill, a # 50 drill. A pin vise will do the drilling, although I will admit to having and using a drill press for this chore.
Athearn’s sells the 2/56 screws in different lengths, and your local hobby shop should have the #50 drill bit and you can by the tap to thread the hole.
Ray
Kadee’s tap and drill set http://kadee.com/htmbord/page246.htm is a real asset to all your coupler installation projects. Bought mine 20 years ago and the only addition to these tools were picking up a 2/56 “bottoming” tap. I will use the Kadee 2/56 Delrin screws to mount couplers. The plastic screw is easily cut and starting thread filed/ sanded with ease. http://kadee.com/htmbord/page256.htm
While you’re ordering any of this, pu those fiber washers red and grey. They come in handy for all sorts od projects. The red washers esspecially, most Athearn BB rolling stock need them to shim the truck bolster to set coupler height.
Besides the info and links provided, here is a KaDee coupler conversion chart for future reference also:
http://www.kadee.com/conv/holist.pdf
With it you should be able to kind out which KaDee coupler you need for just about any MRR loco or RR car ever made.