Body mount Atlas USRA SS box cars

[NYC1956]

What are you using to install body mount couplers?
The underframes have two holes near each end.
Would these be for Micro-Trains 1027 couplers?
There doesn't seem to be enough room for 1023s, so probably 1015s.
But why two holes?

[Kisatchie]

What are you using to install body mount couplers?
The underframes have two holes near each end.
Would these be for Micro-Trains 1027 couplers?
There doesn't seem to be enough room for 1023s, so probably 1015s.
But why two holes?

I can speak only for the Atlas 50' Fruit Growers Express boxcars, which also have two holes on the coupler pocket pads. The #1027 couplers fit well, but since I'm pretty sure these cars had cushion underframes, my cars have MTL Barber medium extension trucks.



Hmm... I'm going out for
a beer, Kiz...

[bbussey]

Use #1015 on the Atlas USRA single-sheathed, double-sheathed and rebuilt boxcars.  If the model has Andrews trucks, you're done.  If the model has Bettendorf trucks, you will have to file the bolsters down so that the couplers (and car) stand at the correct height over the rails.  I don't remember by how much.  But you can determine the amount by measuring the distance between the floor bottom and the top of the rail, and subtracting the height specified on the #1015 instructions (or in the literature on the MTL website).

[NYC1956]

Super. Thanks for the information.

[christoph]

An alternative to filing down the bolsters is drilling out the hole of the Atlas Bettendorf trucks.  The Atlas truck bolster has an additional cone that could fit into the larger hole.  It looks like Atlas had planned something here.

See here:

[rschaffter]

If you are cheap (like me) you can bodymount the Accumate coupler...


Accumate Coupler removed from Atlas truck with rail nippers



Accumate diamantled. Note the dimple in the post. This is drilled out with #56 drill to clear 00-90 mounting screw.



After reassembly the cover is drilled out. As you can see, it is approx. the same mounting dimension as an MT 1015(right).

[nkalanaga]

It looks like the body mounted Accumates might also couple a little closer than the MTs.  In any case, Atlas might want to modify the castings to include the hole.  That would give purchasers a choice.

[ai5629]

This thread made me break out the rebuilt USRA cars I recently bought at my LHS.  I had a DTI with Andrews trucks and two NYC with Bettendorf trucks.  I used the inner most hole for the 1015's I mounted on each car.  I had to add a shim to get the coupler down to the correct height.  Atlas included shims in the jewel case for the same purpose (for use with 23015's I would guess).  Using the inner hole makes them close couple.  I had to file down one of the bolsters on the DTI just a little bit.  If you hold the underframe level, one of the bolsters (molded washer) is slightly bigger than the other and you need to remove a little bit of material to get the car to sit evenly.  The car looks excellent.  I tried Christoph's idea of increasing the size of the hole in the Bettendorf truck on the NYC car.  I used a 1/8 bit then a round file to slowly increase the size of the hole until it rotated freely over the molded on washer part of the bolster.  This gets the car down to the correct height without modifying the underframe.  I placed a washer between the bottom of the truck and bolster pin to eliminate some of the play.  I have not tried operating them yet.  My concern here is you lose the three point balancing system (one rigid side with no play and one side that rocks back and forth), and I don't know if this will make the car prone to derailments.  Thanks.

Jeff

[nkalanaga]

I have a lot of cars without the three-point mounting, and as long as the track is reasonably good, they run fine.  Some are scratchbuilt, others are lowered KD/MT boxcars.

[rschaffter]

I put one bolster pin in fairly tight and the other one looser to get the three-point effect...

[nkalanaga]

That's basically what I do, and what HO modelers did years ago with their screws.