OK, so I have this Atlas pulpwood car... it was a fairly popular car 5 or 6 years ago and somehow it ended up with a busted coupler on one of the trucks. No big deal right? I went to my LHS and picked up the recommended MT replacement truck set (w/couplers) and while trying to press that little pin in to hold the truck on the body, I managed to bust off not one but two of the little steps that extend below the body on the corners... And to top it off, when I finally got the trucks in place, there was interference between the body and the coupler that extended off the truck...so it was all for not...Ugh! After throwing the whole thing in the garbage and then cooling off and digging it back out, I decided to remove the other two steps and fabricate replacements out of small gauge wire. While they didn't look quite as nice as the original detail part, they looked OK and at least they all matched again. So... back to the truck/coupler issue. Turns out that good ol' MT Bettendorf trucks (w/o couplers) worked just fine so I got those installed and replaced the plastic wheels with metal ones... Now all we need is to body mount the correct couplers and we're good as new right? Hmmm... Let me just say that body mounting couplers in HO scale is tedious enough, in N scale, it was an exercise in frustration. I thought (emphasis on thought) I would be able to simply drill a hole in the correct place and screw the little devils in place... Not so fast! Atlas pulpwood cars have a metal (not plastic) body frame which meant that my tiny little drill bit that I was going to use to drill a pilot hole just skimmed around and wouldn't bite. The next size drill bit did actually bite but did so off center and put the hole in the wrong place... Ugh again! Then to put icing on the cake, the hole ended up being too big for the tiny little screw they provided to hold the coupler assembly in place...so now what? Well...after extracting it from the trash a second time, I decided to experiment with attaching the coupler boxes to the frame with thin CA glue which should have decent strength in tension (at least theoretically). At this point, I'm beginning not to care anymore and it's just become personal with this blasted little car... So after ruining 1 coupler by allowing the glue to seep into the coupler box, I've got the two couplers attached... Add a little flat black paint to the new wire steps and Whala! Easy right? Lessons learned: 1. Don't necessarily believe that just because a conversion chart recommendeds a particular part that it's plug and play... 2. I should have bought the MT drill and tap set to match their hardware and not try to guess... 3. When all else fails, superglue is your friend...
I have converted over 100 Atlas rolling stock to MT talgo trucks and FVM metal wheels. I have successfully destroyed and had to replace three cars while making these conversions. Lessons learned: 1. Test fit the bolster pin and file down the pin to fit the hole 2. If possible remove the car body from the frame (box cars and coal cars) prior to pressing bolster pins / trucks in place. 3. File down body / frame or shim bolster pin for coupler box clearance (very carefully) 4. Use foam car cradle for all work In the case of drilling holes I have learned to always center punch the proposed hole prior to drilling I know the frustration. Jerry
Sounds like you two have been to the University of Hard Knocks and Lessons Learned. Good that you should share your experience. Hopefully, others as well as myself can all learn something from your experiences but probably won't...pessimistic...eh? I usually have to file, shim, drill, tap and use a small drop of CA - off a pin head, some gap filling cyanoacrylate. I could say super glue but then the stuff you can buy at grocery store isn't going to get the job done. So, it's either cyanoacrylate (and just try spelling that correctly) or Gap Filling CA for short. File - the car body. Shim - for proper coupler height. Drill and tap a hole into the car body and shim to hold the coupler box in place. Small drop of CA between the car body and shim, shim and coupler box. For added assurance or insurance, a kind of CYA. To much CA and you'll find yourself busting loose the coupler. You don't want it leaking into the coupler box. I've also used "CYA" in reference to a procedure I use to cut in isolating gaps. The CYA Isolator Cut In Procedure. And, CYA, stands for what you think it does. Now this is supposed to be fun. Any resemblance between this and work is strictly a coincidence. .
One possibility stands out at me along with a question. Did you try the small washer shim that comes with the truck set? I've had to use these once in a while when a truck mounted coupler didn't clear the frame. 2nd thing I have done once in a while is to file away some of the bottom of the end sill so the coupler box will clear. 3rd thing is to invest in a small set of diamond coated drills. Makes all the difference in drilling through that metal.
It doesn't take long in the hobby to start compiling our individual "been there, done that." Mere minutes and the list is under way. Boxcab E50
My favorite thing is when you remove the original truck and the tip of the bolster pin breaks off in the hole. My dream is of the day when all N scale freight cars are made with truck/wheel/coupler combinations that don't have to be replaced by something better.
You seem tense and frustrated. Why don't you go work on your trains to relax? Oh, wait, you did...... LOL
Question? So what's the general opinion of body mounting N scale couplers with CA glue? I just figured I had nothing to lose by trying it, since the car was headed for the trash several times anyway. I'll keep it on shorter trains or near the back of any longer trains to keep the tension load to a minimum. Just curious if anyone does this as a matter of practice rather than messing with the screw & tap business. D.
John, No offense intended here but, I would prefer to file or cut into the plastic bottom off the train car, as opposed to setting the car up higher, then it already is. That's kind of a pet peeve of mine, that most manufactured N Scale trains cars sit higher then they should. Most likely to make room for the full sized flanges. Now that we have low profile flanges we should be able to reset the height of the cars to something a bit more realistic. No I'm not a nuts and bolts counter just then next best thing, a train nut. Grin!cool:
I have over 20 total... flats, gondola, hopper and tank cars where the only thing securing the coupler box is CA. There's no place to attach a screw. I shoved them, pulled hard, slammed them into each other, pushed them hard on reverse moves and tied them into a 30 car train running them over my 2% grades. The only thing I experienced, that would separate them from the car body, was my breaking them off by hand or a trip to the floor. Allow the CA to cure over night before introducing them to the layout and your other equipment.smile: I don't recommend your using an accelerator, it makes the CA brittle.
