Notes on body-mount couplers (work-in-progress)

[jsoflo]

Hi Gary,
The minimum radius the Ortners run on (at the FEC one-trk group) is 18"

I am going to try and post some pictures of what is happening with them this weekend,

have a good one!
Jan

[John]

FWIW, I have an overabundance of Accu-Mates. 

Does that mean you are willing to sell them in bulk?

[Philip H]

FWIW, I have an overabundance of Accu-Mates. 

Does that mean you are willing to sell them in bulk?

DITTO!

[sizemore]

Bryan, our Railwire liaison to Full Throttle, David K. Smith, reports that Will is unable to sell couplers separately at this time:

http://therailwire.net/forum/index.php/topic,21926.msg206220.html#msg206220

I am mostly posting the FT part of this thread to report on my tests to date and to suggest what my 'dream coupler' might look like, in case any manufacturer is taking notes.  

I certainly agree with Daniel that $5-6 a pop is too much for couplers.  But that's the price of the trucks (with nice metal wheels) plus couplers.  If there were a way for Will & Bowser to market the couplers separately, they would definitely be cheaper, and there would be a whole new market: N scale.

Cheers,
Gary

Ya know...if there are Z Scale folks interested in the trucks/wheelsets you might be able to amortize some of the cost by selling the remaining unmolested parts.

The S.

[daniel_leavitt2000]

Has anyone tried the AZL coupler yet? How does it stack up next to the full throttle one? I suspect the FT mold includes both the truck and coupler on the same sprue, making sales of the coupler itself unlikely.

Is it pattented? Can someone copy the design? BLMA/Craig.... golden opportunity here!

[bbussey]

FWIW, I have an overabundance of Accu-Mates. 

Does that mean you are willing to sell them in bulk?

DITTO!

Yes, at a good price too.  They are just sitting here collecting dust.

[jsoflo]

Here are some shots of the BLMA trucks on MT 3-bay ortner hopper:

1st a body height comparison between the BLMA (left) and MT trucks with FVM wheels (I believe those are 33"):



looking at the underside:



I removed the MT coupler, but this is actually all the radius I could get on that right side wheel before the wheel hit the coupler box based on the outline of the coupler I had drawn on the body:


thats my report, any ideas?
my best,
Jan

[GaryHinshaw]

Has anyone tried the AZL coupler yet? How does it stack up next to the full throttle one? I suspect the FT mold includes both the truck and coupler on the same sprue, making sales of the coupler itself unlikely.

I ordered a set just to satisfy my curiosity.  I'll report back when I get them.  Like the FT, they only come with trucks, but they are cheaper.

Jan, my Ortner is on the bench today, but I haven't had a chance to do too much with it.  FYI, the FT coupler box is 11/64" wide, compared to 15/64" for a truck-mounted MT box.

Cheers,
Gary

P.S. Conrail?  I thought you were building an FEC fleet.  Oh, BTW, the end lettering on my SP Ortner says 36" wheels.

[Ian MacMillan]

Nice, I've been looking to start body mounting my cars. what size bit are you using for the set screw hole?

[GaryHinshaw]

It's a 1-72 set screw, so I used a #53 drill, then tapped the threads. 

Kadee has a set #247 that includes a 1-72 tap, a #53 tap drill and #48 clearance drill.  I had to cut about an 1/8" off the end of the tapered tap to get the threads deep enough before the tip of the tap hit the roof of the tubing.  It was easy to cut the tip with a Dremel diamond cutoff wheel.

-gfh

[GaryHinshaw]

Jan, here is a quick look at the way I'm going with my Ortner hopper.  First, here is a proto shot for ride height reference:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1619627

Then the shot I posted to WU, showing before & after:



I went with the 100T trucks based on the proto photo and the 36' wheel stencil.  Here is a shot of the under-frame carnage that was required (not too bad really):



I ended up filing about 3 scale inches off the bolster pad; grinding the cross-members as shown until the wheels cleared (be careful not to encroach on the end-rail mounting holes); and I filed about 6 scale inches off the center sill to get the coupler at the right height (this is the trickiest part).  Here is an end shot of the car sitting on a 19" radius curve:



There is plenty of clearance between the wheels and coupler pocket, so you should have no trouble down to quite a bit less than 18".

HTH,
Gary

[Sokramiketes]

Assuming the BLMA trucks are the right width, is the MTL car really that wide?  In the proto photo the sides of the car look to be almost in line with the sideframe faces/journals or just a hair inside. 

[jsoflo]

Gary,
Thanks! You've showed me the way once again!! Nice work and a huge improvement!
my best,
Jan

[John]

this is cool .. I can finally redo my small fleet .. can you reuse the MT trucks with 36" wheels?

[GaryHinshaw]

John, I think this would work with MT trucks & 36" wheels (if that is what you were asking).  But you would have to file the bolster pad down farther to get the same amount of lowering you'd get using BLMA trucks, because the BLMA trucks have the lowered cross member.   Also, if you stick with MT truck-mount couplers, you'll have to file down the end sill even more, while being careful not to file all the way through (!) or to nick the holes where the end-rails mount.  I think it should work though.

Sokramiketes, I can certifiably attest that the MTL car is that wide.   But I see what you mean about the proto photo.  Here is a shot of a CR car from a better angle, which shows a lot more overhang.

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=1554961

The model seems reasonably consistent with that.

Jan, I want to see a reshoot of this photo when you're done:

http://picasaweb.google.com/CPJsoflo/FloridaEastCoastOneTrakLayout#5271164811793983426