Body Mounted Coupler Cushion Frame options (?)

[Mark5]

I have a few box car projects that I'm looking at, and I'm scratching my head about how to model cushion underframe style body mounted couplers using Micro-Trains (or Accumate) couplers. I have downloaded the coupler listing from MTL ( http://www.micro-trains.com/Coupler%20diagrams.pdf ) but I don't see anything geared towards cushion underframes. If I missed something tell me  .

I vaguely recall Bryan Bussey discussing this in a thread and maybe it was some sort of brass "U" channel that he was experimenting with.

Any suggestions welcome!

40' PS1 with Cushion Undeframe:
http://www.nwhs.org/archivesdb/detail2.php?ID=19470

Especially as shown on this 50' box:
http://freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=nw56275&o=nw

Or this 60' Greenville:
http://freight.railfan.ca/cgi-bin/image.pl?i=nw50548&o=nw

Thanks!

Mark

[lock4244]

Mandatory reading:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=21980.0

Gary is some kind of body mounting coupler ninja. Very interesting and informative.

[Mark5]

Mandatory reading:

https://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=21980.0

Gary is some kind of body mounting coupler ninja. Very interesting and informative.

Lots of good ideas there for sure. I was following that thread for a while, but it seems to have evolved into a FT coupler centric thread. I currently prefer an Accumate or MTL coupler equiped solution.

Will take another look at the early posts and see if I have the tools to make the brass tubing pockets.

Thanks!

Mark

[tom mann]

I purchased a bunch of ESM underframes (the ones Bryan designed for the x58) and they fit MT 50' cars and (with trimming) FVM 50' cars.  Add BLMA trucks and no lowering is required!

[nkalanaga]

My solution was 1025 couplers and 0.005 or 0.01 inch brass strips.  Screw the box to the brass, then attach the brass to the floor.  Not "prototypical", but it looks better than most other attempts of the period.

If you can get the ESM parts, and can afford them, that would be the way to go.  I've been using my method since the late 70s.

[GaryHinshaw]

Ed N is currently carrying the torch on the etched pocket art work reference above.  It would be pretty straightforward to resize the design for Accumates or McHenrys if there was interest, but we haven't had the inclination to do so.

The v.2 design is working out really well with the FT's though, and the functionality would be the same with the N couplers (except for MT's).

[bbussey]

I vaguely recall Bryan Bussey discussing this in a thread and maybe it was some sort of brass "U" channel that he was experimenting with.

I purchased a bunch of ESM underframes (the ones Bryan designed for the x58) and they fit MT 50' cars and (with trimming) FVM 50' cars.  Add BLMA trucks and no lowering is required!

http://www.esmc.com/9900/Item9903.html

For 50-footers only though.

[James Costello]

http://www.esmc.com/9900/Item9903.html

For 50-footers only though.

Excellent - I see some Hydra-Cushioned FVM boxcars in my future. Thanks BB!

Tom, have you got a photo of your conversion at all?

[bbussey]

Here's a example from when I was testing various models to determine if offering the underframes as detail parts was viable.  My underframe is unpainted, but you get the idea.

[Mark5]

Hehe Bryan, one of my projects that got me thinking about this is a Penn Central X72a 

The underframe looks like a great bet for 50 cars, but will need solutions for 40 and 60 foot cars as well.

Hopefully N scale will get something like these someday:

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/235-1023

http://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/235-1009

Mark

[ednadolski]

It would be pretty straightforward to resize the design for Accumates or McHenrys if there was interest

Anyone have the dimensions that would work with these?    If we ever do another fret, it might not be a bad idea to include a few test samples.

I'd need at least the box interior height & width, plus the screw hole size & location.

Ed

[Frank Amato]

Hehe Bryan, one of my projects that got me thinking about this is a Penn Central X72a 

The underframe looks like a great bet for 50 cars, but will need solutions for 40 and 60 foot cars as well.

No doubt!  I have a few Atlas 60-foot auto boxcars that need some cushioning.

  Frank