Deluxe TwinStacks - Truck/Couplers

[ljudice]

Have an old DI TwinStack with Rapidos on the ends....

Looking for a truck mounted coupler to replace them, but nothing is working - either interfering with back of truck or coupler pocket.

Any ideas?

[jagged ben]

Micro-trains 1037?

I'm uncertain because I've body mounted the couplers on mine.

[cfritschle]

Have an old DI TwinStack with Rapidos on the ends....

Looking for a truck mounted coupler to replace them, but nothing is working - either interfering with back of truck or coupler pocket.

Any ideas?

Lou,

My DI TwinStacks came with Micro-Trains trucks and couplers, and they appear to be Barber roller bearing trucks with medium extended couplers (1037).  However, I couldn't find any new 1037s in my "stash" of trucks and couplers that are still in their original package, so I cannot be sure. 

Edit:  It looks like Jagged Ben replied when I was looking through my "stash" of trucks and couplers.   

[ljudice]

Micro-trains 1037?

I'm uncertain because I've body mounted the couplers on mine.

I think I tried them - the problem is the original ones are offset (to move the rear of the truck from striking a container in the well).

I damaged one of them removing the Rapidos to bodymount - so figured I'd cut my losses and see if there is a simple truck mount option....

[ljudice]

Lou,

My DI TwinStacks came with Micro-Trains trucks and couplers, and they appear to be Barber roller bearing trucks with medium extended couplers (1037).  However, I couldn't find any new 1037s in my "stash" of trucks and couplers that are still in their original package, so I cannot be sure.

I'm going to check 1037's again.  Oddly in the OLD Burbank DI website it explicitly says MTL replacement trucks don't fit....

Were they retooled?

[jagged ben]

Maybe an Atlas 70ton truck with Accumates.  I'm pretty sure some of the Twinstacks came from the factory with those.  Some also came with Intermountain trucks with the non-operating knuckle couplers.

[jagged ben]

Spookshow to the rescue, for clarity...

This Atlas one from this page.
And this Intermountain one from this page.

[ljudice]

Spookshow to the rescue, for clarity...

This Atlas one from this page.
And this Intermountain one from this page.

I tried both - Atlas rubs the back - IM collides with the bolster crossmember.

[jagged ben]

I checked a couple I have that I didn't body mount yet, they both have MT 1037, I'm pretty sure.  Low profile wheels, no pizza cutters.  They may rub the back if you try to swivel them when off the track, but whether they'll do so when running depends on your track radius.

[ljudice]

1037's w/ lo-pro wheels works.

Thanks for the tip!

[NSEGeorge]

Here's a "Back in the Day" story from before we sold the company to Dave-

The original plan for this car was to release it with bodymount MTLs, but there was HUGE push back from the dealers (not from the modelers, mind you, but at the time, the dealers were the ones making the orders) so we released with the Rapidos that were the standard of the day, since the MTL truckmounts only were available to us with the large pizza cutter style wheels. We were able to come to an accommodation with Eric, and that allowed us to get the low profile wheels on trucks and we were able to release with the MTLs without the trucks binding on the containers, and there you have it.

It seems we were just too early with our body mount fervor. The first product we released (deep rib woodchip car) was designed to take 1023s, but the concept was rejected by the marketplace. We tried again by molding in half of a 1015/1016 into the ends of the Johnstown America twin tub gon, but ended up changing the tool as the bump for the coupler interfered with a truck mounted box, and it was too much trouble for the truck mount folks to carve it off a unit train.

Like many ideas, it was just a little bit early for mass acceptance, but it is now gaining ground today.

[James Costello]

Like many ideas, it was just a little bit early for mass acceptance, but it is now gaining ground today.

@NSEGeorge  I'm so glad the Maxi-IIIs cleared the body mount hurdle!