#9e with 200 series cars?

Yes, there were two lengths of the combination coupler also... but like the non-combination latch coupler, length of shaft does not change the height or drop of the coupler.  The combination latch coupler was not any different in drop than the regular latch coupler.

I checked that Jim, just didn't take pictures of the 6-wheel truck (thought maybe I had enough?); the 6-wheel 418 and the 4-wheel 428 couplers are the same height, both well within reach of the 9E and slightly lower than the 200 freights.

d

Ron are you saying 500 series wheels were not used in 6 wheel passenger trucks.

According to the 1935 edition of available replacement parts, there were four different six-wheel trucks available — P/N 414T-5, 414T-6, 418T5, 418T-10. The -5s had a pickup shoe. The wheel for these trucks was P/N 418T-1.

Now which cars used which truck:

414T-6: 400T, 412, 413, 414, 416, 420, 421, 422, 424, 425, 426.

414T-5: 400W, 412, 413, 414, 416, 420, 421, 422, 424, 425, 426.

418T-10: 418, 419, 431, 490.

418T-5: 418, 419, 431, 490.

Ron M

Gentlemen,

   Good pictures of the latch couplers, well done.

PCRR/Dave

If true, what this states is that the Girard cars, the Blue Comet cars, and the State cars, as well as the 400 tender, all use the same 6-wheel truck, (Ron's #414T truck) and use the smaller 500 series wheels.

This explains how the couplers on all of these is at the "lower" ("dropped"??) height; all these cars are compatible with the 400E (whose tender uses the same truck and wheels), and also with the 9E.

The 4-wheel truck 428, 429 cars use the bigger 200 series wheels, and so they have a higher coupler height.  The 9E and the 400 tender can still reach them, but it is a stretch.

The 6-wheel 418, 419 passenger cars use the 500 series wheel, but they have their own 6-wheel truck (Ron's #418T truck), not the same truck as the State cars:  This special 6-wheel truck raises the car up to the height of the 428 cars, even though the 418 cars only use the smaller 500 series wheel.  This keeps the 418 series and the 428 series at the same coupler and body height.

The 200 series freight use the big 200 series wheels, but the 200 series freight have the highest coupler height of all, slightly higher than the 418 and 429 passenger cars.

I do not know whether the 4-wheel 428 passenger cars and the 4-wheel 200 series freight use the same truck.  If they do not, that would explain how the freights are a little higher than the 418 passenger cars.  They do use the same 200 series wheels; so if they do also use the same truck, there must be some other construction detail that makes the coupler higher on the freight cars.

david

  I have just given evidence that there are at least 3 and maybe 4 different types of original Lionel latch couplers, a fact you implied earlier as false.  In no way was I implying these differences change coupler height.  You wanted proof, I gave it!

Bruce

Another tidbit of useless info. The ~1930 Lionel listing of replacement parts pictured the three Standard gauge wheels that are currently being discussed. Using a very rough measurement of the various diameters and using the 9T-17 (500-series) wheel as the starting point I found that  the 418T-1 was approximately 10% greater in diameter and the 319T-15 was ~55% greater in diameter.

Ron M