I didn't want to sidetrack the debate you guys are having on the other thread. Sorry if it was wrong to post a related topic. Thinking about body mounting couplers. As you guys are well aware by now, I'm new. I only have a few cars. I have some decisions to make from day one about things like metal wheels or plastic, coupler choices, and coupler mounting positions. Before anyone says I don't have to do it now, I do. I have read many times where people want to do certain things but the fact they'd have to change so many cars over prevents them from doing what they really want to do. I want to learn from that and just do what I want as I go. It will help financially too I think. So I guess my first question is, when you guys speak of switching to body mount couplers... Is it a matter where you are cutting the coupler pocket off the talgo truck and just adding a body mount coupler and voila, you're done? Or, are you guys changing trucks also. I tell you one reason I ask this... I have a few books here on N Scale. Some dated, some not. One of the big books kinda says something about body mounting couplers lets you lower the car so it sits closer to the wheels and more realistic like HO scale. I'm confused (as always). Anyone care to explain? Thanks, Bill H.
Bill: I would rather you pay more attention to changing all your rolling stock trucks to Micro Trains trucks and couplers. Also You should consider either MT low profile wheelsets or Fox Valley Models metal wheel sets. I prefer the FVM metal wheel sets. If you start early making these exchanges, it would be easier monetarily. Get started first and get the "feel" of your rolling stock with good trucks, couplers and wheel sets.
Thanks Bob, I like everything I've seen/heard about the FVM wheel sets. I figure that is the way I'm going. Making sure I understand you correctly, are you saying I should buy MT talgo type trucks for now?
I would just buy MTL truck/ couplers for now. If you decide later to body mount the couplers, I have taken those trucks and carefully cut the couple and box from the truck, clean up the cuts, and simply mount the cut off coupler draft box under the body, resulting in no additional cost. Food for thought.
As a general rule, your equipment will operate much better if you "standardize" on trucks/wheels/couplers. So for example, I made the decision about 10 years ago to body mount couplers using MicroTrains couplers, and to use MicroTrains trucks (whichever one was appropriate; mostly Bettendorf for my layout era) with MicroTrains lo-profile wheels. With only a few pieces of rolling stock, now is the time to make these kinds of decisions, so that you don't need to do it 5 years from now with 200 cars. So here is what I did. If I had a MicroTrains car, then I already had the appropriate truck. I cut off the truck-mounted coupler and threw it into a box for future coupler parts use. Then I body-mounted an MT 1027 (the recommended body mount for MT boxes, reefers, hoppers and such) or whatever other coupler MT recommended, and switched the pizza-cutter wheelsets out to MT lo-profile (1004) wheels. When I started buying and assembling Intermountain reefers, I threw away the Intermountain truck completely, used a MicroTrains 1023 coupler to body-mount, and replaced the truck with an MT Bettendorf truck with lo-profile wheels already installed. Today I use a lot more 1015 couplers for body-mounting, because they are easier to assemble and come in bulk packs. But in some cases the 1023 still works better because of its very narrow mounting box. Now, I'm not saying there aren't plenty of other good options. Fox Valley wheelsets didn't exist when I started all my conversions; otherwise I'd probably use them today (and may switch to them one day anyway). If you stick with talgo trucks, Atlas makes a pretty darn nice truck with Accumate couplers. What I am saying is that you should put some thought into standardizing your coupler mounting system, trucks and wheels. Five years from now you'll be very glad you did. Finally, body-mounted couplers (1) look more prototypical and (2) generally result in better operations on backing moves through turnouts (such as yard switching). I highly recommend going this route as long as you're not trying to do something like run an 89' flat on 9.75" radius curves. If you stick to equipment that is reasonably appropriate in size to the curves used on your layout, I think you will be much happier in the long run with body-mounted couplers. John C.
Thanks for the information! I'm pretty clear on what has been said above. How about the last paragraph of my question? Anybody doing anything about getting the body closer to the wheels? Just curious..
Wheel Flange Size... In order to get the bodies lowered we will need to agree on the depth of the flange. Todays N Scale train cars have seen some extremely deep flanged wheel sets. Thus in order to clear, the body has been raised. Kind of like a monster truck. Grin! FVM and MTL are taking the lead in providing low profile wheel sets. Can't beat that. Glad to see this kind of interest coming from those newbies in our ranks.
My situation may be a little different, because I run at the club, and because I have mostly been modeling double-stacks, which for whatever reason have been made by smaller manufacturers and each seem to require their own unique approaches. My habits also go back to my teenage days when I couldn't afford MT and everything else came with rapidos. In any case... I try to body mount all my rolling stock. I'm not scared of the consequences because I only operate on large radii at the club. I typically keep the existing truck if it had a rapido (which I cut off) and try to get the appropriate FVM wheels. If the truck is poor quality and easily replaced, I replace with an MT truck. I usually body mount an MT 1023 coupler (actually, I buy the unassembled 1025). In some cases I've had to got to lengths to accomplish this. I "standardize" to either FVM wheels or MT lo-pros. jdcolombo is right about "standardizing", but I think in the case of MT lo-pros and FVM, they are so close it doesn't matter. FVM wheels look better in my opinion, and they stay cleaner, and they're available in more sizes. But they're more expensive and less available. I also standardize to MT couplers. (I have not found Accumates reliable.) The exception to both these rules are my Kato Maxi IVs, which I've left with the factory Kato wheels and couplers because it would be essentially impossible to change them. Eventually I may manage to body mount MT couplers on these, but no other trucks will work with these models. Oh well. Lowering cars is for the advanced modeler, IMO. Typically you file down the bolster, which lowers the car body down to where it rubs against the truck-mounted draft gear (aka coupler box). So you replace the truck w/ coupler with a body mount and truck without coupler. You use low-profile wheels, but sometimes you still have to file away parts of the car underbody to keep the wheels from rubbing against it. You also have to be precise about the final car hieght and the coupler mounting to get the coupler to sit at the right height. BTW, I don't particularly recommend cutting couplers off MT trucks and then body mounting the cut-off couplers. The large size of the draft gear is more likely to interfere with the truck movement than a smaller coupler like the 1023.
I feel good about one thing, I actually was sitting here thinking about this situation right before I read your post and I couldn't understand how changing couplers or wheels had anything to do with lowering the body (which nobody said they did), and then I figured it had to have something to do with either filing down the bolster, or the top of the truck where it mounts. I've never taken apart one of these cars but had a rough idea from one of the books I had. Do N scale trucks ever have screws hiolding on the trucks, or is it always those bolster pins (Is that what they're called)? thanks for the help! Bill H
Thanks Rick and that makes me think of another question... I hear the term "pizza cutters". I assume that is the MTL wheels with the deep flanges, and I assume those were used from the beginning of MTL making rolling stock? I also remember hearing that MTL now will be shipping with only one type of wheels in the box. So I can only assume that they use to come with pizza cutters and low-profile wheels and now they only ship with low-profile? Just want to make sure. Sometimes assuming gets me in trouble LOL. While I'm assuming stuff... I assume low-prowfile wheels will work fine on my unitrack? I'm still learning about rail code and such...
So you can see what the difference is and what you might be getting yourself into. The car on the far left is a standard MT cars with truck mounted couplers. The center car lowered to where all three bolsters for the truck are flat and the last car I just lowered a bit further to see how it looked. The two cars on the right have MT Z scale body mounted couplers. Jason
You got it half right about MTL, Their cars now ship with only one type of wheel, the pizza cutters! There's been endless discussion on Trainboard about why so we won't start that again. I've run MTL and FVM low profile wheels on Unitrack.
Bill: Buy the MT trucks that fit the era of your freight cars. MT does make different trucks. Go their website and check them out.
Ahhh... I see. Like I said, I try not to assume anything I think is correct. LOL! I thought the pizza cutters were what people didn't like?
I like the FV wheels when I can find them,but havent had trouble with MT lo pros. Athearn is the only rolling stock I know of that comes with screw mounted trucks. Jeff
