Body mounting couplers on Athearn PS-2 2893 hoppers (n scale)

[Southern1970]

Hi,
Would anyone know a relatively painless way to accomplish this?  I have 3 of these hoppers, which I like the detail and paint schemes,  but the truck mounted couplers are a bit of a pain.  I’ve converted 2 of them to micro-trains trucks with truck mounted couplers.  Since more than 80% of my rolling stock have body mount couplers couplers I’d like to keep it consistent.
I’ve converted a few of my rolling stock using 1015, 1016, K&S brass rectangular tube with McHenrys, and the cut off coupler draft boxes from MTL trucks.  I’d prefer some kind of mechanical attachment (ie screws) as opposed to just glue, but there is not much material under the Athearn hoppers to work with.
Cheers

[ai5629]

This is what I did to body mount mine.  I used MTL 1015 couplers in a 2004 box.  Since there is nothing to properly attach the coupler with a screw to, I mounted the box with Walthers Goo.  IIRC, there is an off center thin plastic strip that runs from the bolster to the end cage.  That is what I attached it to.  I then swapped in BLMA 70 ton roller bearing trucks to lower the ride height.  The coupler box attached with Goo has held up quite well.  Goo is my choice when a screw is not possible.  Oddly enough, I initially tried BLMA 70 ton friction bearing trucks, but the wheel rubbed the 2004 box.  I never investigated this and just went with the roller bearing trucks since they did not rub.  Thanks.

Jeff

[DiggerDownUnder]

What about using the Trainworks 622 body mount conversions? They will fit an Atlas PS2 3 and 4 bay covered hoppers. http://www.train-worx.com/page53.html#msg-box4-br

[Wolf N Works]

Not sure if TW will fit the Athearn as it states it is for Atlas but if it does then these should work. These are like TW, just designed for a MT 1015, also the mount screw is on the bottom so if anything was to happen to the coupler it can be replaced.
All one needs is a 3D printer. https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?resources/atlas-3-bay-open-hopper-body-mount-coupler-pad.190/
I will try to remember to check tomorrow if these fit the Athearn cars

[Tom L]

I also use Walthers Goo and haven’t had any problems.  I was going to get some of the Trainworx 622s to play around with but never got around to it since the goo has held up.  I would be interested to see if they work, though.

Tom L
Wellington CO

[Wolf N Works]

So I went and looked at the pics from Athearn website and looks like they have the cross bracing modeled. I would think (from what I see in the pic) that a little styrene pad to shim down to the correct height and screw on (drill and tap of course) a 1015 of course it might have to use a different coupler to get the distance. I really need to find mine and measure.

[Southern1970]

Thanks all for the ideas.

I’m not totally against using glue, it’s just that some of my previous attempts at gluing were not that stellar and there is not much material to glue to.

I’ve used the train-worx 622 couplers before and glued them in (there is a lot more contact area).  Comparison of an Atlas 90 ton hopper and Athearn 2893 hopper.  Would probably need to modify the 622 quite a bit to get it to fit

Not sure if TW will fit the Athearn as it states it is for Atlas but if it does then these should work. These are like TW, just designed for a MT 1015, also the mount screw is on the bottom so if anything was to happen to the coupler it can be replaced.
All one needs is a 3D printer. https://www.trainboard.com/highball/index.php?resources/atlas-3-bay-open-hopper-body-mount-coupler-pad.190/
I will try to remember to check tomorrow if these fit the Athearn cars

Thanks Wolf n Works for the above info.  I found out too late on one of my Atlas hoppers that I should check if the couplers move freely before gluing in the 622.  Still works just doesn’t move as freely as the other 622 I have on other Atlas hoppers (and now that it’s glued in I have no way to adjust it).  By using that part to mount 1015 on the bracing the 1015 coupler can be adjusted later if required

[GaryHinshaw]

I hesitate to post this here since it's a niche suggestion that's probably not very helpful, but my go-to approach to this kind of problem now is to draw and 3-d print a coupler box customized for the job.  Here's an example on another covered hopper where I drew the part to fit and was able to include some mounting elements to make sure it was strong and stable.  The whole design cycle was done in a weekend and I can now print as many as I need.



The part press fits into the frame with a little drop of glue to keep it in place.  All of the longitudinal forces are transmitted through the post and channel on top of the box.  Once you have a work flow in place, and a few designs under your belt, it's super easy to whip up relatively simple custom parts like this, and the printer I'm using can be had for under $200.

[nkalanaga]

I don't do 3D, but since many modelers now do, I wonder if there would be room on the Railwire server for posting these files?

[Southern1970]

I hesitate to post this here since it's a niche suggestion that's probably not very helpful, but my go-to approach to this kind of problem now is to draw and 3-d print a coupler box customized for the job.  Here's an example on another covered hopper where I drew the part to fit and was able to include some mounting elements to make sure it was strong and stable.  The whole design cycle was done in a weekend and I can now print as many as I need.



The part press fits into the frame with a little drop of glue to keep it in place.  All of the longitudinal forces are transmitted through the post and channel on top of the box.  Once you have a work flow in place, and a few designs under your belt, it's super easy to whip up relatively simple custom parts like this, and the printer I'm using can be had for under $200.

Thanks Gary, sounds like a great idea.
Do you mind if I ask what model 3D printer you use?
If I can’t find the same, what should I look for in a 3D printer?
Cheers
Allan

[John]

I don't do 3D, but since many modelers now do, I wonder if there would be room on the Railwire server for posting these files?

Not really -- there are sites on the net for hosting files like this  -- Thingiverse, Tinkercad, etc ..

[GaryHinshaw]

My printer is the Anycubic Photon Mono, which has a modest print volume, but it's more than adequate for small parts like this.   I use TinkerCAD to design parts and export them to the printer.  This program is free on the web and is literally aimed at teaching kids how to design in 3d, so perfect for me.

Starting with zero experience in 3d printing or CAD, I was printing my own first simple designs within a week.  There are many other CAD and printer options out there, but so far this combo has worked well for me.

[nkalanaga]

John:  If there are already dedicated sites for sharing 3D files, then I agree, no need to duplicate that here.

Thank you!

[Southern1970]

My printer is the Anycubic Photon Mono, which has a modest print volume, but it's more than adequate for small parts like this.   I use TinkerCAD to design parts and export them to the printer.  This program is free on the web and is literally aimed at teaching kids how to design in 3d, so perfect for me.

Starting with zero experience in 3d printing or CAD, I was printing my own first simple designs within a week.  There are many other CAD and printer options out there, but so far this combo has worked well for me.

Thanks Gary, I’ll look into those printers.
Cheers