Choosing couplers

[x600]

This

Greg O.

[Doug G.]

Bah.  First, I read John Reinhardt's post wrong and thought he was saying -1 means unassembled when he was saying it means assembled.

Second, he is probably right and I wrong. There are listings out there that use the -1 on assembled couplers (1015-1 as opposed to just 1015 for unassembled, etc). Apparently, MT didn't change the part number when they changed the 1015/16 configuration as I wrote above.

At least that part of my post is correct. 

Doug

[delamaize]

[nkalanaga]

Has anyone put 1015s on a MT Evans covered hopper?  They fit fine, but my car won't go around 11 inch radius curves because the wheels bind on the box, even after filing the sides of the box thinner.  I'm using Atlas 100-ton trucks, and this is the first covered hopper I've had to use 1015s on.  All of the other have 1025s, often needing the draft gear shortened, and they'll go into my elevator tracks fine.

A 1015 with the smaller 1025 width/height draft gear would be a nice option.  There doesn't seem to be any reason for the large box, except maybe to fill the holes in diesel pilots.

Oddly, the car does go through a #4 crossover in my small yard, which is my standard test for binding.  Most covered hoppers needed the slope sheets ground for wheel clearance.

[bbussey]

I have. But I don't have less than 11" radii.

[chicken45]

Do you guys burnish like the directions say to do?

[Doug G.]

I don't thoroughly burnish as in the instructions (not that it's a bad idea). I work them back and forth a few times and I also make sure the flash on the mating surface of the lip part of the shank is gone so it doesn't catch on the knuckle part. This is a small, round, area from an ejector pin. Sometimes there is very little flash and other times, more.

I do make sure each coupler returns to it's rest position every time you move it off center or push in on the two halves of the knuckle/lip. Do this slowly and be sure the coupler returns completely or there will be separations when you don't want them.

Mine have always worked fine using this technique. Some of them are approaching fifty years old.

Doug

[nkalanaga]

I'm with Doug - no burnishing here.  Mine aren't quite as old as his, the oldest are only about 45 years old.

[Doug G.]

Hehe. Just getting broken in.

Doug

[KenRay Models]

I thought bourbon was implied in all model railroading activities....

This is an applied rule when building trains.

One other note for setting the pins in the trucks after assembly. Find yourself a narrow piece of round stock steel, about 3/16ths inch in diameter, about 4 - 5 inches in length. Get the Dremel out, use a ball grinder and grind out a small divot in the round stock. It only takes a small indentation that you place over the pinhead to gently push it into place in the truck and car itself.

[nkalanaga]

I have an old, wornout pin vise, that won't tighten enough for use anymore, fitted with a short length of 1/16 brass rod.  It works fine for setting truck pins, and if the hole goes all the way through, as on MT metal underframes, will also knock them.