Combining BLMA trucks/wheels

[bbussey]

The slinky effect of that many MTs in a long train would be a deal-breaker for me.  I would rather change over the couplers even if it means having way less than 1000 cars.... to each his own of course

Depends on the times, Ed.  In 1980, that was not only the best option but the only option in upgrading from Rapido couplers.  The oscillation was solved by adding retaining springs to the wheels.  We are now 35 years removed from then, so understandably there are better alternatives now.  Though I went through not only upgrading the couplers but also body-mounting and lowering much of the fleet to proper ride height.  The coupler knuckle size is only part of the issue.

[bbussey]

Up until factory body mounted couplers there were three options to designing a car.  Make it ride high to clear the truck mounted couplers, notch the ends of the car to clear the coupler so the car could ride the correct height (thus making the ends unprototypical and impossible to fix), compromise the height of the car.

Of those, I'll take a car riding too high every time.

It has surprised me that no one has ever offered some sort of exchange service for MTL floors.

There is no money in it, unfortunately.

[unittrain]

Yow that thing could have kept Noah safe. 

It just blows my mind some times to think that in this day & age and considering what some models cost, that modelers still have to replace trucks, change wheelsets, file bolsters, convert couplers, etc.  just to obtain a model that looks more like a representation of its prototype and less like a caricature.   It's not as if there aren't plenty of other interesting modeling tasks to do.  Thankfully, in some cases at least, things are moving in the right direction.

Ed

Couldn't agree more it's ridiculous, the thing I don't understand is why the larger scales instead wouldnt have this problem as the typical layout in HO has tighter radii relatively speaking than N. I'm just glad manufacturers have changed things in N regarding ride height and coupler mounting.

[cjm413]

It has surprised me that no one has ever offered some sort of exchange service for MTL floors.

Jason

That assumes you have a MTL car that's worth the trouble.  Their 40' and 50' PS-1's are inferior to the Atlas (40') and MDC/Athearn (50') PS-1's, and Atlas has announced a N scale FMC 5077 that should be a major improvement over the MTL model.

[cjm413]

BLMA's ASF A-3 friction-bearing 70-ton trucks and Atlas' Barber  S-2A friction-bearing 50-ton trucks will lower MTL cars appropriately.

Does Atlas have any plans to offer these trucks as separate parts?  I have plenty of IMRC cars that could use them....

[bbussey]

I believe so, but anyone who wants to see the Barber trucks as a separate item should make his/her intentions known.

[wcfn100]

That assumes you have a MTL car that's worth the trouble.  Their 40' and 50' PS-1's are inferior to the Atlas

Hey look, a new guy.   

Jason

[Mark5]

Yeah, there is a compromise with everything I guess.  The advantage with BLMA trucks is you can lower your MT cars without filing the metal frame.  Doing this puts the frame at a height that allows for a Z scale coupler to be mounted without modifications.  But currently, you need the 100 ton truck to get the 3 visible spring option.

This is one that I did:



Maybe @Craig Martyn can chime in here and let us know when a 70 ton version will be available. 

But you'd need to make modifications for the coupler - that car should have extended draft gear!

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/showPicture.aspx?id=528630

Great job on that car, but I guess Railwire is poisoning my mind and I keep noticing more things. Not that I don't have models with incorrect couplers or anything.

Mark

[tom mann]

Actually, the whole metal wheel/ride height/coupler/truck issue with N scale is what got me into HO.  I could pick up some HO clearance items at MBK for ~$15 and they were awesome right out of the gate.  It's not like I'm not into "work", but I would rather start at "weathering" than "filing bolsters".

But that was 10 years ago, and things are much better in N now - at least the parts are there for retrofitting, and almost all the new stuff is correct.

[Mark5]

Actually, the whole metal wheel/ride height/coupler/truck issue with N scale is what got me into HO.  I could pick up some HO clearance items at MBK for ~$15 and they were awesome right out of the gate.

I understand and keep almost going there myself. I'll probably end up picking up some HO stuff eventually just because its cool out of the gate.

[ednadolski]

Actually, the whole metal wheel/ride height/coupler/truck issue with N scale is what got me into HO.

For me it was the slinky couplers that nearly drove me out of N (actually it did for a time).  It would be too frustrating, to put hours of effort into lowering, painting, detailing, and weathering models only to put them on the layout and watch them bounce back & forth disconcertingly like toys. Thankfully, Gary found out about the LEZ (a.k.a. Full Throttle) couplers.  Even tho it still takes work to convert couplers, N scale has enough other benefits to make it worth the effort.

Ed

[ednadolski]

I'll probably end up picking up some HO stuff eventually just because its cool out of the gate.

PM me if you would like any HO stuff, very lightly used but in great shape and at an ever better price. 

Ed

[coosvalley]

For me it was the slinky couplers that nearly drove me out of N (actually it did for a time).  It would be too frustrating, to put hours of effort into lowering, painting, detailing, and weathering models only to put them on the layout and watch them bounce back & forth disconcertingly like toys. Thankfully, Gary found out about the LEZ (a.k.a. Full Throttle) couplers.  Even tho it still takes work to convert couplers, N scale has enough other benefits to make it worth the effort.

Ed

The one thing that scares me about using the LEZ/FT coupler, is that he/they could stop providing them to us separately, and the etchings are also a 1 man show(you!)...I would hate to have a fleet half converted and then have to find another solution...A few months back we were drooling over someones (Jim Six?) very nice proto looking N scale coupler, and you in particular were trying to drum up support. At the time, I said with NZT and another which I can't think of now coming we should probably wait...I now eat those words, as neither seems to be any closer to reality.

Why can't we get a better coupler option for N scale?.....It is sorely needed..For now, I've(mostly) converted to Accumates to eliminate the slinky, and although they are still oversize, stopping the slinky has made a huge difference, enough for me to stay in N scale and not go (back) to HO...

[nkalanaga]

With MT going to body mounted couplers on many of their new cars, it wouldn't be hard for them to lower their older ones.  Just retool the floor with a lower bolster and a mounting hole in the right place for a 1015 or 1025 coupler (they use the same hole).  The tooling needs to be repaired periodically anyway, so it could be done as part of the normal maintenance cycle.

It wouldn't solve the body detail issues, but most people seem to accept the body inaccuracies better than the excess height.

[peteski]

Why can't we get a better coupler option for N scale?

I think the huge reason is compatibility with the existing knuckle couplers.  Nobody wants to make a good-looking and almost-scale size coupler which will not mate with the millions of other knuckle couplers out there.  If you are willing to abandon the existing coupler compatibility, make a true-scale N scale coupler (and convert hundreds of the models you already own and be prepared to convert any new model you buy) then go and make that coupler. But I have a feeling that not many modelers will buy your scale-coupler.  So, you won't make much profit and you will go out of business.  There are other reasons (like reliability of a smaller coupler) but I think that compatibility is the big one.

Just look at H0 scale which is much more popular than N. Sergent Engineering makes a true-scale H0 coupler .  Yes, they are still in business, but how many H0 layouts have you seen where those couplers are used?