Okay guys, I'm losing basic skills, but what is the magic to get MT couplers 1015s to fit on an Atlas GP38???? The screw that comes with the unit doesn't hold it in tight enough, and forget trying the clip....... Help????
I have never owned an Atlas GP-38, but I own about 20 other Atlas locos; GP-7/9, RS-11, RS-3, Trainmaster, and H-16s, and they all have MTL couplers on them. Check the hole in the shell to see if damaged. It might be bent out of alignment or the threads could be stripped. You also have to make sure that they coupler sits correctly in the pilot and rests on top of the internally threaded part of the shell. Another concern I have run into many times is that the hole for the screw in the chassis is blocked by the pilot and sometimes I have to file away a little of the pilot, on the inside of the shell, in order to have the screw go in straight. Don't worry about filling the pilot because it will be on the inside where no one will see it, however be careful when you use the file, the pilot seems fragile on some of these locos when you take a file to them. I have tried to put in a screw without filing the pilot before and the screw will still go into the shell but when I look at the coupler it is drooping down too far. Take a look at my RS-11 in my avatar photo at the left. You will see that the top of the coupler is pretty much flush with the body and that the coupler does not droop.
I don't have a GP38 but don't Atlas engines have a black plastic clip that holds the coupler in place?
Well its been a while since I bought any Atlas locomotives, Spookshow says they went to the screws with the SD35 and Trainmasters (last Atlas locomotives I bought back in about 2001. So I checked my SD35's and Trainmasters and sure enough they had the screws. I still prefer the plastic clip. A lot easier to install especially for us older folks and never had a problem with them..
Okay Guys On most Atlas Locomotives the black plastic clip will hold the coupler in place. However it's the GP38 that has all the issues, still can't get the clip to function correctly, and the screw holds the original Accumate box but not the Micro Trains...I always get a "droop" in the coupler.....
Like mentioned above, use the shim that is provided with the Microtrains coupler. If memory serves me it is installed on the top of the Microtrains coupler when installed on the locomotive. There is a little nub on the shim and a small corresponding hole on the Microtrains coupler box. It can be a bit of a challenge at times to get them installed at times though.
