Atlas 50' Precision Design Boxcars now with body-mounted cushioned draft gear?

[cjm413]

For non cushioned cars, these are about the easiest freight car to body mount couplers to.  Just tap the pre-drilled hole and screw in an MT 1015 or Atlas 23015.  Cut off the truck mounted coupler and reattach.  Done.

For those of us that have bulk quantities of Accumates that have been "liberated" from Atlas trucks, it would be nice if Atlas offered a package of coupler boxes and 00-90 screws like this:

http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH16788

[jagged ben]

You can send them to me and I'll use them to replace the body mounted McHenry's on my Athearn cars. 

[Mark5]

Yeah, I just checked the Atlas site and the model hasn't changed there.  Bummer.  I guess MBK swapped the photo sets on their website.

MBK sometimes gets lazy or goofs up - I see this all the time.

Mark

[cjm413]

You can send them to me and I'll use them to replace the body mounted McHenry's on my Athearn cars.

How about some Bachmann "boxing gloves" that I've replaced with some of those Accumates?   

[jagged ben]

How about some Bachmann "boxing gloves" that I've replaced with some of those Accumates?   

No thanks.   

[nkalanaga]

Would the Athearn boxes work with Accumates?

I use my replaced Accumates with scratchbuilt boxes to make extended draft gear.  Styrene strip works fine, and if you really want something durable, 3/32 x 3/16 rectangular brass tubing will also work.  Either way a 1/16 round rod fits for a center post.

[jagged ben]

Would the Athearn boxes work with Accumates?

Yes.

[cjm413]

Would the Athearn boxes work with Accumates?

I use my replaced Accumates with scratchbuilt boxes to make extended draft gear.  Styrene strip works fine, and if you really want something durable, 3/32 x 3/16 rectangular brass tubing will also work.  Either way a 1/16 round rod fits for a center post.

I've always liked the idea of using brass tubing for extended draft gear, but I admittedly don't know squat about working with brass...  

For cutting the brass tubing, jeweler's saw?

For drilling and tapping, same or separate drills and taps?

Thanks in advance!

[randgust]

You can cut brass shapes with a saw but I used the following:

Rail nippers on all solid stock...
Dremel abrasive disk on most open shapes, set to medium speed and wear eye protection
Zona saw rarely if I have to make a very fine cut.
Plumbing pipecutter on larger brass tube (making steam boilers).

For sheet stock, I generally try REALLY HARD to buy strips darn close to the right size.
I'll cut anything about up to .015 with sharp sewing scissors, anything heavier with a shear and then work it back to the close dimensions with the abrasive disk.

Drilling is pretty easy on brass.  Mark in your indicator lines with a light etch, use a sharp steel punch to set the exact hole location, stay low RPM, use a drop of lubricant if you have much to go through.  Take your time and back out of the hole regularly and clean the drill flutes.

Same with tapping, use a little lubricant, keep backing out of the hole and clean the flutes.

I generally do better with a dremel on constant slow speed than I do with a pin vise, but again, eye protection.   Nothing like a broken #80 drill stuck in your eyeball to mess up a project.

You can solder anything if you can get it clean enough and hot enough.  And hand-filing to shape, however tedious, is not to be dissed.  Just get sharper files.

I just made the entire 'arm' on the US Air Force 2021 SW8 out of brass strip, wire, and tubing, and soldered the whole thing up.  The better I get with brass the more I like working with it.

[cjm413]

You can cut brass shapes with a saw but I used the following:

Rail nippers on all solid stock...
Dremel abrasive disk on most open shapes, set to medium speed and wear eye protection
Zona saw rarely if I have to make a very fine cut.
Plumbing pipecutter on larger brass tube (making steam boilers).

For sheet stock, I generally try REALLY HARD to buy strips darn close to the right size.
I'll cut anything about up to .015 with sharp sewing scissors, anything heavier with a shear and then work it back to the close dimensions with the abrasive disk.

Drilling is pretty easy on brass.  Mark in your indicator lines with a light etch, use a sharp steel punch to set the exact hole location, stay low RPM, use a drop of lubricant if you have much to go through.  Take your time and back out of the hole regularly and clean the drill flutes.

Same with tapping, use a little lubricant, keep backing out of the hole and clean the flutes.

I generally do better with a dremel on constant slow speed than I do with a pin vise, but again, eye protection.   Nothing like a broken #80 drill stuck in your eyeball to mess up a project.

You can solder anything if you can get it clean enough and hot enough.  And hand-filing to shape, however tedious, is not to be dissed.  Just get sharper files.

I just made the entire 'arm' on the US Air Force 2021 SW8 out of brass strip, wire, and tubing, and soldered the whole thing up.  The better I get with brass the more I like working with it.

Thanks!

Next step is to get off my  and buy some brass tubing...

[learmoia]

Cuz its still attached? 

ZING!!!!

[nkalanaga]

For the square tubing I cut it with a standard razor saw, then file the outer end smooth, inside and out.  The inner end doesn't really matter, as long as it clears the body bolster, but I usually smooth it off as well.

For the hole(s), my regular 1/16 inch drill bit works fine, and I have a dedicated one in an old pin vise.  It won't hold anything much smaller anymore, but works fine for that bit.  If I have several to do, I drill them with a motor tool.

No tapping needed for the center post, just shove a piece of 1/16 inch rod through it, and glue or solder the ends.  I glue them, for fear of melting the coupler.

Accumates usually need a 0.005 inch plastic shim, as the inside of K&S rectangular tubing is a little bigger than the shank is thick.  This can go top or bottom, depending on the mounting height needed, and doesn't have to be glued in.  Just drill a hole in it, sand it smooth, and use it as a washer on the center post.

Most of the time I use my plastic pockets now, as the 0.06 styrene strip sides match the thickness of the coupler better, they're much easier to cut and drill, and the post can be glued with styrene cement.  That doesn't affect whatever the coupler is made from, so a little leakage doesn't hurt things, but a lot of glue will melt the insides of the pocket.  I leave the post overlong, then cut and sand it smooth after the glue dries.

If you have to replace the coupler, the post can be knocked out of the metal tubing with a punch, if you glued it.  It's much easier to just build a new pocket for the plastic ones.

[cjm413]

For the square tubing I cut it with a standard razor saw, then file the outer end smooth, inside and out.  The inner end doesn't really matter, as long as it clears the body bolster, but I usually smooth it off as well.

For the hole(s), my regular 1/16 inch drill bit works fine, and I have a dedicated one in an old pin vise.  It won't hold anything much smaller anymore, but works fine for that bit.  If I have several to do, I drill them with a motor tool.

No tapping needed for the center post, just shove a piece of 1/16 inch rod through it, and glue or solder the ends.  I glue them, for fear of melting the coupler.

Accumates usually need a 0.005 inch plastic shim, as the inside of K&S rectangular tubing is a little bigger than the shank is thick.  This can go top or bottom, depending on the mounting height needed, and doesn't have to be glued in.  Just drill a hole in it, sand it smooth, and use it as a washer on the center post.

Most of the time I use my plastic pockets now, as the 0.06 styrene strip sides match the thickness of the coupler better, they're much easier to cut and drill, and the post can be glued with styrene cement.  That doesn't affect whatever the coupler is made from, so a little leakage doesn't hurt things, but a lot of glue will melt the insides of the pocket.  I leave the post overlong, then cut and sand it smooth after the glue dries.

If you have to replace the coupler, the post can be knocked out of the metal tubing with a punch, if you glued it.  It's much easier to just build a new pocket for the plastic ones.

I like the idea of using a 1-72 set screw for the center post as described here:

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

Thanks to all for the tips re: cutting, drilling, etc!

[Mark5]

For those of us that have bulk quantities of Accumates that have been "liberated" from Atlas trucks, it would be nice if Atlas offered a package of coupler boxes and 00-90 screws like this:

http://www.athearn.com/Products/Default.aspx?ProdID=ATH16788

Funny, I was recently looking at those - I bet Accumates would work in those. But I would prefer that Atlas offer these (along with re-stocking Accumates!)

Mark

[cjm413]

Funny, I was recently looking at those - I bet Accumates would work in those. But I would prefer that Atlas offer these (along with re-stocking Accumates!)

Mark

The front surface of the Athearn coupler boxes is ounded rather than squared like the Atlas or MTL 1015, which makes them more useful for locomotives with rounded buffer plates rather than freight cars.