All those PFE Reefers - with a HOW TO video

THat is awesome!!

except for the error I get on the video.

not sure why I couldn't get it to play, but it's fixed now

Excellent, the reefers look so much better with the Kadee's.

 

I love your last statement!

Thanks.  Very cool.  I have about 30 PFE reefers now, and another 20 or so ATSF, and I get tired just thinking of the work involved in switching them all out, so I will live with the non-prototypical gap between cars.  

 

But it does look good, I admit. 

Doug,

 

Great video !!!

 

Alex

Thanks Alex.

 

Lee I know it looks like a lot of work, and a bit intimidating at times, but it's actually very easy. Compared to some of the stuff I've seen you do, this is a walk in the park  

The pad is the most important part of this procedure.

   Click photo to enlarge.

Yes it is! MTH supplies them with many of their cars, if you could buy these pads, this conversion would be very quick and simple.

Quite an improvement in the way a string of reefers look!  

 

Lee complained about the trouble of converting 50 reefers, for a guy that likes to tinker modifying this and that, Kadees would be a breeze.  I've converted at least that number of reefers. Once you get going, it goes quickly.  The video may seem like it is involved, but once you get a few under the belt, the rest go quickly.  In fact, many find it fun to convert to Kadees.

 

Laidoff - You may be the first 3 railer that has discussed adding weight.  That is a great tip no matter what coupler you are using.  When pulling a long string of reefers, that will save a lot of trouble on curves, especially with smaller radius track.

 

Nice contribution to the hobby!

 

 

Very nice. A bit more detail on the spacers if you please. Dimensions, thickness especially? What do you do with the old couplers?

Hmmm, want to make a few hundred thousand for sale?

 

Wonder if the pad could be scanned and printed out on a good 3D Printer?

Nicely done. I don't usually look at Lionel's offerings as far as freight. Seeing the conversion on video. I'll look for my favorite rds. now in the catalogs. I agree about the mounting pad. Not hard to make but it would be nice if they included them. At least with their latest run of hoppers they acknowledge the fact that operators do put Kadee's on their cars.

PRR2819,

 

 Just send me some Dimensions. I'll build a mold and you can have your few hundred thousand.  But let's start out with a few hundred and then go to the thousand.

 

First I need dimensions.

 

Are the pads the same, no matter the type of car?

 

Very nice. Your craftsmanship never fails to amaze me.

LOS,

   Nice rework, if it is my new Legacy Shay reworked stairs that has offended you in some way, I can't help what I had to do to run the Shay on my Christmas layout, and

taking a high speed and reworking a new Steam engine is certainly nothing new.

Again nice rework of your Cars, I like em.  I do have one question, will the reefers now run on 031 curves for my inside oval of RealTrax, or does the rework limit the reefers to running 036 and above.

PCRR/Dave 

 

I learned in my HO days that running long trains requires following the weight standards put out by the NMRA. I'm not exact as I stated, heavier when in doubt, but makes a huge difference in the way the cars roll, in curves, through turnouts, and of course over that "questionable" track work. All the small Lionel cars are very light.

 

 

The spacers were made from styrene. I built up a pad to .160" thick. Size was basically just cut to fit under the draft gear box to cover the outer mounting holes.

 

 

Dave why would I be offended? They are your trains, you can do as you wish.  As far as the turning radius, I honestly don't know. I do know that it does limit the truck from turning because it will hit the coupler box, but it will still turn pretty tight. The smalles curve I've ever put them through is 063 and that was just fine. I just don't have anything smaller to give a definite answer as to how small you can go. I seriously doubt 031 or even 036 would work, but I don't know for sure.

Although I built a ton of these pads, they are specifically for the 40' ice reefer because of the notch in the floor. I can't say if it would work as a "universal" pad for all other cars because all the floor are different. It depends on how the floor sit inside the car body.

 

I will tell you that I'm exploring some options to make the pads available because once you have this pad in your hand, you can convert these cars in 10 minutes, and once you've done a few, I have it down to less than 5 minutes per car, including adding the extra weight.... if you choose to do that. I do recommend it though.

LaidOffSick,

 

Through your excellent tutelage and exquisite video series, I am happy to introduce the 3D printed spacers for Lionel Steel Reefers!

 

and with your video, everyone now has your efficiency to get this conversion to 5 minutes per car!

 

 

 

Thanks,

- Mario

Wow, what a great topic here!! Nicely done Doug! Love those Kadee couplers so much- makes a world of a difference.... nice!!!

 

Central, nice job on those pads!! I need to contact you for some of those- great ideas keep on coming on here!! Thanks to all--

Great job Doug! Love the two cut part. Will make the rest go easy for me and others. Now, about those wheels. Just kidding.

 

Ron

The second Meghan Trainor reference in as many days... Hey, she is named "train-or".

 

Thanks,

- Mario

Man oh man.. where was that pad 2 weeks ago? lol  It took me well over an hour just to build the pads for a dozen cars.

 

Now with Mario's pad, and your Dremel, you can completely convert a dozen cars in an hour, from start to finish.   

 

1. remove truck and make 2 cuts with Dremel to remove the 3R coupler

 

2. hold pad in place (it's self centering) drill 2 #50 holes

 

3. screw coupler onto car with 2-56 1/2" screw

 

4. reattach truck

 

It will take you a bit longer if you want to add some weight to the car as I did in the video. It's not required, but helps for those who like to run long trains of mixed cars.

 

Just contact Mario for the pads  

I've had a renewed focus for the last 2 months on finishing the kadee conversion of everything I own.   I'm on the home stretch now.   Down to 10 cars and 5 engines left!

 

I've been at it for 12 years or so, however, in the last 2 months on average I've gotten 5 cars done every night. 

And I got called crazy!  That's awesome!  I'm just starting... 2 engines complete, a room full to go.

 

Thanks,

- Mario

Ive been doing a bunch of conversions also, fortunately mostly Weaver rolling stock. Sure could use pads for Atlas cars. I think each type of Atlas car is different.

 

Clem k

I agree... every car is going to be different...  I two are close, I might try to do a 2-fer, but I suspect not so much.

 

Upcoming are Lionel PS1 boxcars (my fave!), milk reefers, PS flats, PS gons, cabeese, K-Line boxes, Atlas milk reefers... we're gonna be busy!

 

Thanks,

- Mario

 

What kills me about Atlas cars are that the screw holes are for "Atlas Couplers" not Kadee couplers.   They are all in the wrong spot.   To do them properly I have to drill and tap new holes.   Wish Atlas would figure out that no one wants their couplers!   Or at least they need to accept that KD is already the accepted standard and having a pad that is off by a few cm is more annoying then helpful :-P

 

MTH - nice they have a Kadee correct pad.   Not so nice that the trucks are screwed in from the top instead of the bottom (like Atlas) so you are forced to disassemble the entire car just to get the toy couplers off the trucks.

 

Weaver - pretty spot on.  Nice job.

 

GDD/3rd rail - very spot on.  Kudos to them

 

New Lionel - KD pad is correct.   Couplers are a royal PIA to get off the trucks... not so nice.

 

I go through Dremel cutting discs like crazy cutting off toy couplers.  I've several boxes of never been used toy couplers and electro couplers from all manufactures.  They are in an unsorted heap in a box.   :-)

 

 

I just did a run of 32 Atlas cars, installing 2-rail wheel sets or trucks and couplers, mostly box cars with a few express reefers and a couple of hoppers.  I was happy that I had 3 rail cars I put scale sized couplers on.  I was also happy that I had purchased 2 rail cars for use on 3 rail track. 

 

Something I should mention is that there is an Atlas zinc rot problem.  I think it took place in the early 2000's.  I find it mostly in cars that included the Adjust-a-coupler.  I think that the Adjust-a-coupler idea failed because those couplers failed do to zinc rot.  I had a couple of Atlas trucks disintegrate removing the piece that allows the truck to become fully equalized. (It is the piece that rests above the truck bolster.)  Also, I have had Atlas body bolsters break where the screw hole is located.  I don't mind replacing the trucks so much, but you can't buy the die cast body bolsters from Atlas.

 

This isn't an Atlas only problem.  It has existed for many years now.  Marlin also suffered for it in the 30's, they called it Zinkpest.  I've had MTH truck castings disintegrate.  Other guys I know have had the same thing.  Lionel doesn't use a die-cast bolster in their trucks and I haven't had a problem there, but I did have a die cast mainline cantilever signal disintegrate. 

I think each type of Atlas car is different.

There are definitely differences.  Unfortunately, some of the Stream Era box cars have a pad that doesn't come with the 3 rail versions and isn't available from Atlas parts.

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I'm glad to see this interest in scale sized couplers.  These kinds of discussions help manufacturers like Lionel and MTH become more involved. 

______________________________________________________________________

 

Laidoffsick - I finally came across a Kadee document with the tip to tap the holes allowing the cover to stay on when assembling the coupler.  I saw you go that.  I was surprised that it also worked on plastic coupler boxes.  Why didn't I see that years ago?  It would have saved me looking around for springs that took flight.

 

In the words of a great Italian Magician, "Pesto!"

Oh, and YES! That is a Kadee equipped, fixed pilot Atlas RS-1 pulling a Kadee equipped steel reefer around a super-elevated O-36 curve! Without a problem!

All done through the magic that is 3D printing.

thanks,
Mario

Now they need to look this this:

 

Freakin sweet!

I have much to learn... And having some darn good fun along the way!

Thanks,
Mario

PS- now you're just showing off! How did you do the insulation for the roof? Is it foam?

Thanks for taking the time to make the video and share!

-Greg

Mario, thats just part of the molded in hatch cover. All I did was paint the interior of the car white.

Doug

 

     Thanks again for putting up the excellent video. The weight info is a bonus and I agree about going a little heavy. The cars seem to like derailing where they can do a nice dive to a lower hard surface. Anyway good job.

 

Ray Marion

Yes,Yes, Yes, Yes! Keep up the great work Mario!

Agreed........just do not have the time, or funds, to switch the 100's of cars I have now. Hard to see as they go by at speed!!!!

With the pads that Mario prints, each car is now a 5 minute job. You convert 1 type of car at a time or as you buy them. You can do a dozen cars in an hours time with those spacer pads