Installing ESM #990801 body-mount coupler pocket for Atlas 11k gallon tank car

[nickelplate759]

While I was ordering replacement wheels, I noticed that ESM offers a Micro-trains 1015 body-mount coupler pocket adapter for the Atlas 11K gallon tank cars - so I ordered some.

They don't come with directions, just a hint that 00-90 screws are required.    They're pretty nifty, and I can easily figure out where they go, but they need to be attached to the car somehow.   

Choices seem to be either glue it on (seems iffy), or mount it with a screw through what might be a mounting hole in the tail end of the adapter:


Before I drill into the tank of my precious Columbia Southern car, can someone confirm that drilling is the preferred way to go?  Maybe @bbussey ?

By the way, I can't say enough about how I appreciate that Bryan make things like this available to the rest of us.  I can't imagine it makes him much (if any) money.

[bbussey]

Yes you need to drill and tap holes for #00-90 screws. Use the coupler pocket adapter as the placement guide.

You also will need to either swap in trucks with the BLMA-style bolster beam (ASF A-3, Barber S2A, etcetera) or lower the bolsters and remove the coupler pockets from the stock trucks. The pockets are designed for the model to be lowered to the proper ride height.

I will add installation instructions to the back of the blister cards for the coupler pockets adapters.

[bbussey]

I made them for personal use because I have a number of the 11k gallon tanks and I wanted to body mount couplers and lower the cars to the proper ride height.  When others expressed interest in them, I made them available for sale through ESM.

[nickelplate759]

Slight digression into truck frames:

Atlas, on their web site, lists "N Barber S2-A Truck Frame", for pre-order, without a price.
Did they offer this previously and I just missed it?

They also offer truck frames for the USRA Rebuilt Boxcar.  The Andrews frames have the lowered bolster (I have some).
There's also a "Friction Bearing" frame-only part, for this car, #438031, but I can't tell from the picture if it also has a lowered bolster. 
https://shop.atlasrr.com/p-20740-n-usra-rebuilt-boxcar-friction-bearing.aspx
Anyone know?

The ex-BLMA trucks are great, but are 70-ton trucks, and look a little out of place on older/smaller cars.

Maybe time to build myself a bolster filing jig...

[Mark5]

Slight digression into truck frames:

Atlas, on their web site, lists "N Barber S2-A Truck Frame", for pre-order, without a price.
Did they offer this previously and I just missed it?

Mark/Spookshow shows an Atlas Barber S-2A 50-Ton:

https://www.spookshow.net/trucks/trucks.php

Following with interest as I have a bunch of these tankers.

[nickelplate759]

Mark/Spookshow shows an Atlas Barber S-2A 50-Ton:

https://www.spookshow.net/trucks/trucks.php

Following with interest as I have a bunch of these tankers.

Right - but if Atlas will be offering just the frames as parts, that would be ideal.

[Mark5]

One thing that frustrates me is that for multiple trucks that Atlas has produced for models - many of them have never been offered separately. 

The Master PS-1 Boxcar (which I think is what Atlas makes that 50 ton Barber S2 for) is not even listed on the Master Rolling stock parts page:

https://shop.atlasrr.com/c-1076-n-master-rolling-stock-spare-p.aspx

[Missaberoad]

Several PS1s should have 70ton trucks. Swapping those out is a good source of 50 ton trucks. Assuming you have a fleet of ps1s of course.

[bbussey]

Slight digression into truck frames:

Atlas, on their web site, lists "N Barber S2-A Truck Frame", for pre-order, without a price.
Did they offer this previously and I just missed it?

They also offer truck frames for the USRA Rebuilt Boxcar.  The Andrews frames have the lowered bolster (I have some).
There's also a "Friction Bearing" frame-only part, for this car, #438031, but I can't tell from the picture if it also has a lowered bolster. 
https://shop.atlasrr.com/p-20740-n-usra-rebuilt-boxcar-friction-bearing.aspx
Anyone know?

The ex-BLMA trucks are great, but are 70-ton trucks, and look a little out of place on older/smaller cars.

Maybe time to build myself a bolster filing jig...

The Barber S2-A 50-ton truck is what you want.  No, they were not available separately, so this is a welcome development.

As @Missaberoad mentioned, these are the trucks that come with the Atlas PS-1 and are atypical.  The ASF A-3 trucks are prototypically correct for the majority of PS-1 schemes.  So swapping in the ex-BLMA trucks will yield you Barber S2-A trucks without expending additional funds.

Also note - the S2A 50-ton is a simple way of adding proper trucks to (and lowering the ride height to a more appropriate level of) the ex-MTL 65000-series and 66000-series tankcars as well as the 36' and 40' wood reefers.  Doing so allows the addition of body-mounted 1015 couplers (for the tankcars) or 1016 couplers (for the reefers in the inner screw holes) without a shim.  They look MUCH better at the proper ride height.

[Mark5]

The Barber S2-A 50-ton truck is what you want.  No, they were not available separately, so this is a welcome development.

I think I found the link for this truck frame: https://shop.atlasrr.com/p-45646-n-barber-s2-a-truck-frame.aspx

In the search this came up under the link: "in: N ACF 89'4" FREIGHT CAR" - did the 89' flats also use this truck?

[bbussey]

I think the TOFCs use the ex-BLMA ASF Ride Control roller bearing truck, but I could be mistaken.

The Barber truck is the correct truck for transition era tankcars, and this will be the first time that they are available commercially as a separate part.

[Mark5]

I think the TOFCs use the ex-BLMA ASF Ride Control roller bearing truck, but I could be mistaken.

Yes, that makes sense - why Atlas put that there is anybody's guess.

Before I pre-order any though, I will give Atlas a call and confirm that these are actually the Barber S-2A 50-Tonners.

Mark

[garethashenden]

Yes, that makes sense - why Atlas put that there is anybody's guess.

Before I pre-order any though, I will give Atlas a call and confirm that these are actually the Barber S-2A 50-Tonners.

Mark

There is another batch of PS-1s coming soon. I bet these are being made in conjunction with those.

[nickelplate759]

I heard back from Atlas, they said they would not be offering truck frames separately. 

[bbussey]

Well, the immediate solution is to salvage trucks from the Atlas PS-1 and make them prototypically correct in the process.