Hi Guys! I need your help with coupler conversions. Currently most of my freight cars and engines have rapido couplers which I prefer because of the ease of rapidos only work with rapidos without trying to guess at what couplers work with which and with what that is available currently today.. I know you will say I am crazy for reverse engineering or reverse coupling my rolling stock to rapidos from what is available currently but I like rapidos and they work well for me on my layout. Any way here is my question???? I have 4 diesel engines currently in my collection that haven't been converted to rapidos. They have some sort of newer couplers. Two are Atlas engines and two are life like engines. All 4 of them have coupler boxes with a screw through the middle of them holding the cover on that are body mounted. I want to remove the new type couplers and replace them with rapidos. Is this possible? I know a few of you will respond and say just use a transistional freight car with a new coupler on one side and rapido on the other but I do not want to do this due to wanting to run engine consists together. Being most of my engines primarily are all rapidos which I do not want to convert and I can't run consists currently with the different couplers I have on these 4 engines listed above. Is there Rapido couplers out there that will work that have a screw hole for the screw to go through to use the existing coupler boxes on my engines? Where would I purchase them? Thanks guys. Sorry for not following trends into the future with new couplers but I am an old schooler sticking with what I know and what works best for me..... Rapido couplers work fine for me. Just have to convert my 4 engines to them and I will be doing fine. Thanks for your help and guidance! It is very much appreciated! Wayne
Your Rapido's have what is known as a "T" shank. It is the "T" shank that allows the Rapido to move in a vertical plane to couple or uncouple. Unfortunately none of the newer couplers utilize a "T" shank design. The MT couplers and the Accumates by design cannot utilize the "T" shank while the McHenry and possiblly the new Bachmann coupler could be made in a "T" shank but will probably not happen. Sorry for the bad news but the Rapido, once the N scale standard, has been superceeded by the newer knuckle couplers.
It has been my experiance that most newer enginers with knukle couplers usally have a rapido coupler in the box somewhere. Did you look under the plasticl cradle in the Life-Like box? Atlas is usally in a little plastic bag in the corner. If there not there I am sure someone will be avle to give you a good anwser. Kevin
I forgott to add, if there is a rapido in there there should be a clip of some sort and a bronze strip. The rapido will have a hole on the non-rapido end that the clip will slide through. The bronze strip will fit in the back of the clip and act as a spring. Kevin
Hi Guys! Thanks for the help! When I purchased these engines they were used without boxes so unfortunately no rapido couplers came with them. Come to think of it I got a life like switcher that has rapido couplers with a rapido coupler and a hole that a clip goes through that holds the coupler to the body. So I guess I answere my own question also that they are out there. I have to find some like 8 of them minimum. If any of you have some I would gladly purchase them from you. Thanks guys! Please let me know if you have any of them to part with. They would be rapido couplers with a hole for a screw to go through on the other end. Wayne
All my recent Atlas and Kato engines are missing the optional rapidos, so this practice may be dieing out also. All the variations of knuckle couplers on U.S. N scale produced today will couple with each other so there should be no problems, apart from personal preferences, of compatibility. I'm not knocking rapidos, they do work and 9,000,000 Japanese can't be wrong plus they standardized N scale around the world where ever it was made, but as the years go by converting new U.S. models to them may become more difficult, even finding the rapidos to do the conversions, I see an online retailer has some new stocks of Model Power freight cars and even these have knuckles, albeit dummys.
Hi Guys! The reason I want to convert my 4 engines to rapidos is it is a lot more cost effective to convert 4 engines to rapidos as opposed to it wouldn't be cost effective to convert my whole collection that have rapido couplers to the newer knuckle style. I personally like rapidos eventhough they are becoming a thing of the past. They work well for me eventhough they may not look prototypical. I do appreciate it if any of you may have the rapidos I seek laying around that you may want to part with. I would gladly purchase them from you. Thank you for your help in getting my engines converted. Wayne
As someone stated, you need the couplers, the metal spring strips and the plastic retainer clip. Although Rapidos ARE considered a T-shank coupler, the ones that fit on engines (at least Atlas) don't have the T...they have a "ball"/knuckle shaped swelling that has a hole in it. The center pin on the retainer clip goes through the hole and then extends into the hole in the loco shell where your screw is now. Go to the Atlas web sight....they have tons of parts and I'd guess you can still get the Rapido couplers and spring plates. I KNOW you can still get the clips, because it's the same clip they use to hold in the MT/accumate couplers from the factory. The Atlas parts should work on the LifeLike engines if they are newer models. I'm pretty sure I have couplers and springs laying around, but I reuse the clips when installing the MT style couplers, so can't help you there, but Atlas should be able to supply those.
Thanks guys, I was hopeing someone here might have some laying about that I could purchase since everyone seems to be anti rapido lately with all the current knuckle couplers available. I'm just doing my part and being "green" in the railroad hobby by recycling and reuseing what others no longer need in these type of rapido couplers I am requesting. I would gladly buy or trade for what it is I seek in these couplers. I have plenty of complete trucks I have removed from my freight cars with newer style couplers on them I could swap for the rapido couplers I seek. I swapped these trucks with complete trucks I had with rapido couplers. Let me know what you have to sell or swap so I can get my diesel consists up and running on my layout. Thanks guys! Wayne
You didn't specify models, but all Atlas models use the same parts for the couplers....here's an Atlas GP7 parts breakdown http://www.atlasrr.com/pdf/N GP-7 PHASE 1 LOCO CHINA.pdf you need the coupler , coupler spring and coupler retainer.
Hi Dave! Thanks for the parts breakdown. That shows exactly what I need! Very much appreciated!!! Now if a board member may have what I need that I could purchase or swap for that would be even better!!!!! If not looks like I will try and order through Atlas like you suggested. Thank you again so much for taking the time to help me out with what it is I need! Wayne
This maybe a little off topic, but I hope someone can help. I was wondering if there is a thread, video, book, or any other resource to help teach me how to reposition couplers. I have several different cars with mostly couplers attached to wheel sets. This is a problem in two ways: :mmad:First, My engine has a body mounted coupler, so it will not hold cars throughout thier journey. :mmad:Second, I have a very small layout with the track covering a 2 1/2 by 4 foot layout. With such tight turns the wheel sets don't work as well when coupled together. Thanks for any help anyone can provide!!! DAN
You're asking to body mount on the cars too, I'm assuming. Well if so, you're curves being as tight as they are, will cause more problems. The issue is probably you're running a loco thats too big for those curves. For the OP, I know I have, and I'm sure others here do too, have tons of trucks with accumate couplers. I'm sure we could arrange something so you can use knuckle couplers instead of rapidos. Once you change, you'll realize how great knuckles are.
Hi Dan, I have a small layout like yourself with tight radius curves. I use truck mounted couplers and have no problems with them. I use the older rapido couplers though as you seen here in my post. They tend to be a bit more bulkier in appearance and less prototypical but they are a bit more forgiving as far as coupler height is concerned based on their bulkiness. Anyhow, regarding your question I have seen many guys cut the coupler and coupler boxes off of the trucks of freight cars and use body mounted couplers of the various couplers they are useing. This would help bring the couplers more to the height by doing this. Also when the freight cars are pulled around the curves the coupler mounted trucks aren't working against each other when pulling if you have body mounted couplers. As far as info on doing this maybe another member on the board can point you in the right direction. Not sure if there is a website or publication that breaks down how to do this....
Exactly which locos do you want to convert, someone with that loco and experience might be able to guide you. As far as the parts are concerned. If they exist someone hee will have them, I'm sure.
Wayne, As said, I have couplers and springs, but no clips.....I'd be glad to trade you, but without the clips you're dead in the water.....and if you end up having to order the clips, you might as well order everything new. Let me know if I can help though. Dan, The problems you describe are due to the tight turns as much as the cars....there just isn't enough "flex" in the system....you touched on this when you noted the body mount coupler on the loco didn't hold onto the cars. There are only 2 choices on car couplers....truck mount (what you have) and body mount (what your engine has). With body mount you lose even more flexibility, but you gain in that the coupler forces are isolated from the wheels....but if the coupler doesn't flex enough it will still pull/push the wheels off the track. You could end up with your engine problem between every car! If you engine has MT/knuckle couplers, your best bet there is to find a coupler with the longest shank possible since it will flex a little more. A little more info would be helpful though. .....just how tight are your curves? What style couplers are you using? what brand(s) are the cars and engine? I don't know of any reference sites, but I'm sure someone here does.
Thanks for the replies. Just to clarify, I have a KATO BNSF engine with a body mount coupler which is too high for truck mounted couplers on the rolling stock. It looks to be far easier to work on the freight cars than on the engine. What I would like to do is commit to one coupler type for all rolling stock and engines. I am seeing one area of the track (a #4 turnout) off of a curve that is giving a problem. I have a passenger engine which has no problem. It has four wheel trucks and is DC. The BNSF has six wheel trucks and is DCC. I will keep researching. I'm just glad that I have the track done and the wiring almost completely done. It is just fun again instead of a task. It's also fun running into these problems then solving them. Sorry for the babbling, and Thank you for all of your comments and suggestions. DAN:thumbs_up:
Dan, your issue is that you're running a loco thats too long for that switch. 6 axle units should not use any turnout that is smaller than a 6 for reliable operation. Also, if you bought the BNSF loco used, the previous owner may have put the wrong coupler on it.
I might have some from a couple old Atlas locos I have recently converted over to MT. I will look for them when I egt home. If I have them I will send them to you. Want any rapido wheel sets too? I know I have a TON of those.
