I found an MTH -2 diesel from 2014 for sale. If I buy it, do I need anything else besides the hi-rail wheel set. This is an NOS product. Would the pick-up rollers be included? How difficult is it to change the wheels. It's 6 axles.
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You will need the pickups for sure. The other thing is 2 rail engines come with K-D couplers, not the big "lobster claw" ones 3 railers are used to. I'm told that certain K-Ds can work, but do not have any experience with that aspect. The other option is to create a conversion car that is always behind the engine. One coupler is a K-D, the other is the usual one. Personally, I'd try to get a set of normal electro couplers.
Chris
LVHR
lehighline posted:You will need the pickups for sure. The other thing is 2 rail engines come with K-D couplers, not the big "lobster claw" ones 3 railers are used to. I'm told that certain K-Ds can work, but do not have any experience with that aspect. The other option is to create a conversion car that is always behind the engine. One coupler is a K-D, the other is the usual one. Personally, I'd try to get a set of normal electro couplers.
Chris
LVHR
Thanks
I didn't even think about the electro-coupler. Duh!
Don't the 2 rail engines come with pickup rollers in the box? Just add the rollers, change the switch from DCC to DCS and go. The wheels will navigate three rail track OK and it will come with fixed pilots. Works for me. I now just order 2 rail diesels when there is an option.
Pete
Change out the axles one at a time. They come with instructions. You have to add the center roller pickups as Chris posted above. The scale wheels work on some 3 rail track. It's the switches that cause issues usually.
The pilots are fixed. That means the engine won't do some of the smallest curves when coupled to longer cars. For some, that's a problem. Those pilots only fit the KD couplers, and not the large electric proto-couplers for 3 rail.
I have parts for some MTH engines that I've converted to 2 rail. I sold off or traded a few parts already.
Yes Sir (Pete), they come with pick up rollers.
However some people take them out of the boxes.
This is from a 2 rail dealer. So, does it come (from the factory) with lobster claws in the box? In the factory photo the pilots are not fixed.
No! It doesn't come with any couplers. It only accepts KD couplers.
Don't buy anything just going by the factory catalog photos.
Engineer-Joe posted:No! It doesn't come with any couplers. It only accepts KD couplers.
Don't buy anything just going by the factory catalog photos.
So, it's not simple to convert to lobster claws?
Keith you should ask the seller what he has. If it doesn't have fixed pilots then you should be able to add lobster claws to the trucks. The trucks have the mounts even if its a two rail engine. Maybe this started out as a three rail engine that was converted to two rail trucks? On my two rail diesels I put a dummy claw on the back and a Kadee on the front for appearance. Not unlike putting a dummy claw on the front of a steam engine.
Pete
Thanks everybody
I made an offer on him converting it to 3 rail high rail. I'll see how he responds. And now I know what to look for.
