Micro-Trains Clip-On Trucks... Question

[Kisatchie]

I won a MTL 50' box car (Central of Georgia?) a while back on eBay, and it had clip-on trucks instead of being secured with bolster pins.

It didn't present me with any problems since I don't want to change the trucks, but I'm wondering - when did Micro-Trains change over to using bolster pins?

ALso, are MTL cars equipped with truck-mounted rapido couplers the clip-on type?

Thanks for any help.


Hmm... I wonder why my
line of cars with glued-on
trucks failed miserably...?

[JoeD]

That pre dates me.  I'm off this week, but can check tomorrow what the deal is.  As far as I know the Rapido couplers were mounted in our standard draft gear boxes.

Joe

[nickelplate759]

I have a few examples of the Kadee/MT Rapido-coupler truck, and they are all peg-mounted, not clips.

George

[pmpexpress]

I won a MTL 50' box car (Central of Georgia?) a while back on eBay, and it had clip-on trucks instead of being secured with bolster pins.

It didn't present me with any problems since I don't want to change the trucks, but I'm wondering - when did Micro-Trains change over to using bolster pins?

ALso, are MTL cars equipped with truck-mounted rapido couplers the clip-on type?

Thanks for any help.


Hmm... I wonder why my
line of cars with glued-on
trucks failed miserably...?

Along with a pair of extremely rare double wood sheathed single door boxcars (blue and green print paper insert models with stock number 42080 from June 1975 and stock number 42551 from March 1975), the short lived experiment dates back to a period spanning November 1974 to October 1975, when the only style of model that was factory equipped with clip-on-trucks were (blue and green print paper insert) fifty foot boxcars bearing stock numbers 31000 (a dimensional data only car), 31118, 31139, 31170. 31463, 31487, 32000 (a dimensional data only car),  32076, 32144, 32166, 32499, 32507, 33000 (a dimensional data only car), 33089. 33121, 33451,  34000 light brown (undecorated and dimensional data only cars), 34033, 34091, 34105, 34151, and 34472.

Later black print paper insert versions of the aforementioned models (i.e., leftover stock that still needed to be assembled and required new insert labels to be printed) had stock numbers ending with a zero and factory installed, standard style, bolster pin trucks.

Although I cannot fathom why someone would elect to do so, the previous owner of your stock number 32210 Central of Georgia boxcar (which was released in June 1988) has switched its original chassis with an earlier (which is much harder to covert to bolster pin mount, Magne-Matic knuckle coupler fitted trucks) version.

Produced around the same time frame as their Magne-Matic knuckle coupler counterparts, with the exception (to my knowledge that is) of the pair of 40' wood boxcars, the same 50' boxcar models were released with Rapido fitted clip-on-trucks.

Packaged with standard blue and green print inserts (for models with Magne-Matic couplers) and yellow inserts ending in the number one (for models with Rapido couplers), short of scrutinizing the chassis before purchase, the packaging material provided no insight into which truck variant (i.e., bolster pin or clip-on-truck) was factory installed.

[Kisatchie]

Thanks, Neville. You really know your MTL history!


Hmm... maybe if I weld
the trucks on, my cars
would sell better...

[pmpexpress]

Vincent,

You're welcome...

Glad I was able to shed some light on this rather obscure subject.

Mea culpa...

There is a minor error in the Kadee Micro-Trains Clip-On-Truck production dates that were previously posted.

The previously provided information should read ... the short lived experiment dates back to a period spanning September 1974 to October 1975.

Additional minutia concerning early Kadee Micro-Trains and Micro-Trains Line products and packaging can be garnered from my online historical reference guide at

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Kadee-Micro-Trains-MTL-1-160-N-Scale-Variations-Guide-/10000000003822658/g.html

[nkalanaga]

I have exactly ONE car with the clip-on trucks.  No problem, as I body mounted the couplers when I switched to MTs in the late 70s.  BIG problem last year when I got busy and lowered my boxcars.  Just try filing the bolsters on that thing!  I swapped underframes with a retired car...

[ntrakia]

the clip-on truck cars were quite a desired collectors item in the day.  does anyone remember the 40' kadee replacement metal underframes with body mounted couplers?  a seventies item.  I picked up quite a few as they fit many 40' cars of other manufacturers providing those cars  with adequate weight.

[pmpexpress]

does anyone remember the 40' kadee replacement metal underframes with body mounted couplers?

Yes, "Kadee N Gauge" (as this is what was printed on the early Kadee Quality Products packages, please do not holler at me about the use of the word "Gauge") Micro-Trains stock number 1024 (which were formerly called MT-1040) single, blister card packaged, chemically blackened cast metal under-frames with stock number 1023 (formerly MT-3) couplers that were factory mounted with chemically blackened screws.

While we are on the subject of vintage Kadee Quality Products items, priced at $1.80 a pair, do you remember the "Kadee N Gauge" Micro-Trains stock number MT-1000 Bettendorf trucks with their delrin frames and axles, metal wheels, and mounted (actually screwed on with steel screws) MT-5 Magne-Matic knuckle couplers?

Some interesting Kadee Micro-Trains historical trivia:

Along with the currently manufactured faceted bushing and flat washer, early MT-1000 trucks were packaged with sprue containing flat headed bolster pins.

Rather than the contemporary Micro-Trains rectangular trip pins that we are all familiar with, Kadee Quality Products' early production (i.e., circa 1972 - 1974) era Bettendorf trucks were fitted with round wire shaped trip pins.

With a retail price of $3.00 each (i.e., with the exception of the green and white printed stock number 20018, which retailed for $3.25, and may have been the first American N-Scale model to bear a slight upcharge to cover the cost of the additional pad printing strike), the first four Kadee Micro-Trains models (black, blue, and green insert label 40' Standard Steel Single Sliding Door Boxcar stock numbers 20000 with light brown or Tuscan body paint, 20018 with two color printing, 20058, and 20089 with white or yellow printing) were released in November 1972.

[John]

Additional minutia concerning early Kadee Micro-Trains and Micro-Trains Line products and packaging can be garnered from my online historical reference guide at

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Kadee-Micro-Trains-MTL-1-160-N-Scale-Variations-Guide-/10000000003822658/g.html

Great source of information .. I wonder what the one person that down voted it was thinking 

[peteski]

Great source of information .. I wonder what the one person that down voted it was thinking 

There is always one of them in the crowd.  He probably did that by mistake (oops), or the presented info info didn't agree with his world's version of Kadee MT history. 

[nkalanaga]

I have several of the replacement underframes still in their blister packs.  Very early on it became clear that body-mounting a coupler on a plastic underframe was almost as quick replacing the underframe, and a lot cheaper, so never used them.  A teenager on a limited budget learns to be cheap!

[ChessieFan]

  I realized this topic and it's posts are over 10 years old.  But I am responding to this post, because I just recently purchased two (2) Kadee Micro-trains fifty (50') foot Steel Door Box cars with Clip-on trucks and wondering if the value of the cars are worth more with Clip-on trucks instead of the trucks with bolster pins.
  The Freight Cars are as Follows: Kadee Micro-trains Model No. 31139- Pittsburgh and Lake Erie, Car No. 23029, 50 ft. Standard Boxcar, Single Door with the Blue/Green  paper insert and clip-on trucks.  According to Micro-Trains Data Base this Box car was released Oct. 1, 1974.
                                                      Kadee Micro-Trains Model No. 34105 - D&RGW, Car No. 63555, 50 ft. Standard Box car, Double Door with Blue/Green paper insert and clip-on trucks. According to Micro-trains Data Base this box car was released July 1, 1974
   I have enclosed photo's of the above mentioned Kadee Micro-trains Box Cars. Please excuse the photo quality of some the freight cars.

Thank You,
David

[thomasjmdavis]

Well, this thread answers a question for me.  In my collection of spare trucks, I have (had?) one or two clip on trucks with what look like factory installed MTL couplers.  I was thinking maybe they were something Con-cor came up with back in the day.  But, now I know (or at least, hypothesize) that those are from MTL 1970s produced boxcars. 

[u18b]

sooooooo.....
is this a valuable car?