What is the best way to convert cars to MT couplers

I do have some cars and locomotives already with MT couplers, but I have many more cars that have the Rapido coupler (and some I will leave this way). I model the 40s through the 70s. Truck mounted coupler suit my layout better than body mounts. There seems to be a number of choices (short, medium and long) (different type of bearings). Is there a MT conversion that just replaces the Rapido coupler instead of the trucks, or is the truck and coupler unit the better way to go. I have converted a couple of locomotives with older Kadee kits and added a couple of truck and coupler units, but that is the extent of my conversion experience. Thanks for any assistance. Jim

 

The MT truck coupler conversion is the easiest one. You can buy the bulk pack of truck/couplers in short, medium and long lengths. Most cars will take the short length. This length looks better as it has the shortest coupling distance between cars. Consult the MT website for their conversion table for each brand of car you have.

 

Trucks and couplers are the easiest way to go.
Compare the trucks on your cars, with those listed below:

https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?_route_=n-scale/trucks-815912933

This should cover all cars/eras you are searching for.

 

With an eye toward economy, I used M-T's truck mounted "Universal Coupler" conversion kits 1128 (Short Shank), 1129 (Medium Shank) and 1130 (Long Shank). These fit into the Rapido style coupler pockets and adapt well to most brands.

To save money on converting rarely used equipment or semi-permanently coupled equipment like A-B-A Fs, I reverted to Red Caboose Unimate Couplers (formerly made by Precision Masters). These are non-working couplers, but are inexpensive, are a cinch to install and mate with M-Ts just fine.

 

Microtrains does sell a universal conversion in short, medium, and long that will work with most truck mounted Rapido couplers. I had converted all my rolling stock using these in the mid-90's. But when I switched to Atlas code 55 I ditched those old metal wheels with pizza cutter flanges. Seems lately I've just been converting cars for older club members. And it's been a couple of years since I've done that. There's a little work involved in the conversion and a small learning curve that goes with it.

https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?_route_=n-scale/magne-matic-couplers

 

Start in 1968, like I did, and gradually convert everything as you buy it.



However, I STILL have some cars with the original Rapidos still on them.

Doug

 

I'm not sure what MT # is the one that fits in the Rapido truck housing?

 

Read Hardcoaler's post above. It is either the "...1128 (Short Shank), 1129 (Medium Shank) and 1130 (Long Shank). These fit into the Rapido style coupler pockets and adapt well to most brands." Most cars will take the short shank. This will give you the most prototypical coupling distance between cars. If in doubt then go to Micro Trains conversion list which was posted above by bman.

 

Thanks. When I read the Hardcoaler's post originally I somehow thought it referred to body mount. Sorry about my misread.

 

This chart should give you the correct conversions for just the coupler, retaining the original truck that came with the car.
https://www.micro-trains.com/index.php?route=information/information&information_id=10

 

Me too. I have a box labeled "cars to convert to Kadees" that I may never get around to completely emptying. You and I have been in N the same number of years. For me it was a small Arnold Rapido train set for my birthday, with the Baldwin switcher in C&NW. Can you believe that the 50 Year milepost is passing us by in N this year?! I like that a number of us N Scale elders still enjoy our old stuff and make no apologies for it.

 

I second the Unimates. Work great and are cheap for refurbishing older stock (A1G etc. gons, select hopper groups etc. and other stuff that doesn't warrant the expense.
Regds davew

 

The Unimates are a great economical way to lash together cars that will stay in permanent groups, and I use them to make cuts of ore cars with a MT on each end of the cut.

 

I'll throw in another for Unimates. I started using them as a quick conversion back when they first came out. Still have a few cars that got them when new that still haven't been converted. They are great for unit trains and work well for passenger consist as well. My one regret was as I would convert to M/T's, I would remove the Unimates from the old trucks and eventually got rid of a large zip lock bag full of the old trucks. I'm now wishing I had saved those so I could do a quicker temporary replacements on cars I buy now that have the non M/T knuckle couplers. You know what they say, hind sight is always 20/20.

 

Exactly. Not that I've done much yet, but small strings of 1940's gons look better immediately.
You can 'carefully' trim half (the bottom) height/ depth of the knuckle portion too, making them less pronounced.
dave

 

Back when I was modeling full sized and length passenger I had a number of cars that needed converting from Rapidos so most of the cars in a consist got Unimates except for the headend cars which would be switched out. The cars that were first in line to the power had a MT on one end and a Unimate on the other if it wasn't a car due to be switched out during operations. And since I used American Limited diaphragms the longer shank Unimate was used. If memory serves me right they came in a short, medium, and long length. They also came with the T-shank for use in the truck, or a body mount. I will say that any uncoupling that occurred was an extremely rare occurrence.

 

I use Microtrains and Atlas on my rolling stock but I would be careful with Atlas cars their pins can get hung up thats why I convert them on cars no longer made.

 

On some manufacturers cars that get retrofitted with MTs there is a tendency for the trip pin to get caught on the bottom lip of the car body on sharp curves. Old modeler's trick is to file or sand the bottom edge of the ends flush with the underframe.

 

That's funny. I don't have a box but I do have a list I wrote up about forty-some years ago with cars that still needed to be converted. Some still aren't. The ones not converted are the first ten or so I bought. For some odd reason, I just feel those earliest ones should be kept original.

My first N was Atlas and not a set. I saw the cars in jewel boxes in Nichol's Hobby Shop and my heart was pounding. I bought the Norfolk Southern composite gondola and rigged my Treble-O-Lectric stuff so I could run the Atlas gondola in a train. A couple of months later, I bought a Santa Fe E8 and the rest is history.

When I saw the advertisements for Kadee couplers and the review in MR, I began to convert to MT's immediately. Well, on new purchases, anyway.

And yes, I make no apologies for my liking the old stuff. In fact, I even bought a large lot of Treble-O-Lectric (via eBay) equipment and I'm thrilled. The auction included the Montgomery Ward double loop expanded styrene bead layout (made by Life-Like in 1963) I had as a kid and gave away later. It is now set up with all the Gulliver County structures on it.

I have never acquired much Rapido stuff but I think it's mainly because the local shops didn't carry it. I have no locomotives and do have a few cars. I was recently surprised, from forum discussions, that the same basic drive (with the cup gears) used in the Con-Cor PA was used in some of Arnold's diesels.

I know one of the MT conversions is a Rapido Pennsy gondola with the substantial sheet metal underframe and those couplers will break long before coming loose from the frame!

Doug