Mario can you make this?

Hey Roger,

This change back to thumbtack couplers is going to turn a lot of people off on these cars. I think to ease the pain Lionel should just include the Kadee couplers in with the cars.

But in light of your idea. These coupler conversions are still not going to be pleasant. You still have to remove the activation tab below and its release tab. The housing is held on with a  C  clip which you may as well start with a different attachment.

I am sure you could stamp a new housing shape and form that could house the coupler then drill and tap new threads for a more robust attachment, but then the challenge is the off set shank you need for the coupler height wise:  Here is a picture of the roller bearing type. Another downfall of these trucks are the stamped bolster height being way to high. But that is the necessary evil required to clear the pizza cutter wheel flanges.

Like I say, if the new trucks are the NEW best practice. To settle the  customers anguish a set of Kadees should be included in with the car.

 There was no easier car to convert than a Weaver to Kadee's. They did offer these and they probably weren't to popular as I never read much about them. I did try them on my Troop Sleepers. They didn't work for that application. My memories a little foggy. I believe it was something to do with the truck mounting screw. I ended up making some mounts and body mounted them.  If nothing else. They ended up being used for shims. As they were on the thick side.

Being a 3RS guy, I'm glad there are Kadee mounting pads, but what I don't get is why if Lionel doesn't just offer the cars in 2 rail AND 3 rail like Atlas. They already offer the wheelsets separately, just go ahead and do the whole shebang.

What I am proposing is the item in the photo attached circled in red. This could be removed and  another one made properly with the kd coupler pad on the end so we could attach the kd coupler would be ideal. Just one screw and take off the claw and repalce with the kd compatable arm so to speak. Do guys see what I mean?  Although the weaver trucks with kds on them look good too. Just redo them to fit the current cars and offer them for seperate sale. Either way those of use running small radius win! 

 Roger , I don't own any of Lionel's new cars. Looking at the pics. It looks like there is a small screw to attach the coupler to the truck. Definite improvement over how Weaver did it. If it was just the matter of a couple cars. You could use some aluminum stock and match up the factory mounting holes. Drill it out.  Lot of work to do up a fleet of cars. Cut to length and just tap 2 holes to mount the Kadee. Much like what Weaver did and Atlas with their adjustacouplers. I'm sure you could find someone to do them up with a 3D printer.

  Will, I've often wondered how many 2 railers will convert these cars. Easily done. But add $20.00 plus the price of the Kadees'. For me it would have to be a special car or an awfully good deal if I was a 2 railer. I doubt there's much of a market to recoup the expense after removing what you don't need.  I believe the Atlas cars are $5.00 more for a 2 rail RTR.

Does atlas sell truck mounted kds? 

Atlas sells these conversion kits already- coupler and mounting hardware, simple solution for you

Would a body mounted long shank coupler like the 746 not work just as well as a truck mounted medium shank? 

 They use their own coupler. For a few years they included them in their 3 rail cars. No extra cost. It's what got me started as I just had to try them out. They got horrible reviews as far as couplers. Although I had no issues with them breaking or staying coupled. Even used them on the front of my steamers for double heading. You can adjust out the length the way they are designed. They were on the stiff side as far as the centering spring. For tight radius curves you may want to substitute a softer Kadee spring. What you see in dark black is what you get in the kit.

 I'm sure I still have some if your interested in trying them on an Atlas car. You can hit my e mail. They work on all Atlas cars after a certain production date. Pretty sure the earliest cars won't accept them.

Dave c, this maybe just what I need to try. What comes on atlas two rail cars? Is it these trucks or are the couplers body mounted? Also do these atlas kds conversion couplers, couple to a lobster claw as the kd740's do as laid of sick mentioned in one of his kd how too youtube videos. I still would like to use the electrol couplers on my engines and some caboses I have. Some or most of my cabooses are  just  two much of a hassel to convert. They can be body mounted, just not truck mounted easily.

The reason I want to truck mount instead of body mount is that this way I can use tight radius curves. My layout now wich will someday be incorporated into my larger soon to be layout is all 036 fastrack. When I expaned I will use 060 or greater,but untill then I would like to dip my toe into the kds to see just what I can and cant do given my small radius. Also I plan on trying to make an old piece of fastrack accept the kd uncoupling magnets by way of the dremel. I will see how that goes. If it can look ok and work ok I may make more as money allows. I purchased the kd uncoupling magnets to try this out. Will explore the atlas web sight for the trucks and couplers. Thanks guys for the atlas info did not know they still had those.

Dave c, I may hit your email for a few of these. Thanks for the offer. 

Atlas 2 rail cars come with body mounted couplers. I don't have an issue with Atlas couplers. My one gripe about them is the visible spring, but doesn't bother me enough to swap with Kadee. 

 All Atlas 2 rail cars use body mounted couplers. Pretty sure the adjustocoupler is identical to what came on the 2 rail cars. The mounting boxes are totally different though. These couplers mate fine with a Kadee. Just can't remember if they mate with a coil coupler. I want to say they don't. Atlas a few years ago came out with a more Kadee looking style coupler. They never upgraded the adjustacouplers as far as I know. What I don't know is if the newer style Atlas couplers can be placed in the adjustacouplers box. This may be a way to make a transition car.

 My forty foot cars seem to navigate my 072 to 042 curved Ross turnouts without an issues. I know it's only a short curve but with body mounted couplers. The wheels track fine as well as the coupler swing. Where it's close is the actual car bodies when backing up. You may want to invest in a set of Kadee's and try body mounting. Before you assemble them. File the coupler box so that it has a notch.  This will allow the coupler more swing. Going forward. I think you will be fine as the centering spring is soft enough to allow the couplers to actually stretch out and lengthen a bit. Backing up may be your only issue.

 The 805 Kadee's mate fine with coil couplers. Although for some reason my latest MTH purchases they won't stay coupled.

 If you can get away with body mounting the couplers. That's the way to go. Once you go to a bigger layout you will be glad you did. Much easier to maintain the proper height is another plus.

Hi guys!

I can see why you wouldn’t want to body mount, and I don’t think it’ll be too hard... 

I’ll need a truck to take apart and measure. I’ll also need to know how far you want the coupler to stick out from the car, which will determine how far back on the shank to mount the box. 

This may be a good thing to launch with Marty at Scale City, too!

thanks,

Mario

 Roger, before you go carving up your Fastrack. In the picture below. You can see the Kadee magnets with Gargraves track. Not sure of the rail height between Fastrack and Gargraves. If they are the same. You can get by with just using one magnet on each side. I learned this trick from Forum member Al Zuckerman. What is important is that you glue the metal piece under the magnet. This seems to give the magnet more strength. This is the hard part. You have to cut the metal into a stip slightly wider than the magnet. A hacksaw or bandsaw works best. Then just glue it in place on the ties. I think I used 3/16 basswood on either side of the magnet to keep it centered. Whether or not the stacked magnets offer more pull I can't say. The stacked magnets may have been done more so to get them at the right height. They work very well in this manner. There are always those few balky couplers that may have an issue. The earlier 805's with the shorted simulated air hose seem to work perfectly every time. Even in the delay mode. The newer style work just not always 100% of the time. I just make sure the cars that are switched out to industries have the better working ones.

Omg thanks mario, I do not have a lionscale car to take the truck off of. I Can get one though and send you the coupler to look at. As far as the lenth the coupler would have to stick out I am not quite sure on this. Most average lenth cars that lionel sells would work well for this type of conversion for small radius operators. Maybe just stuck out far enough to make 036 radius ,but not look to far apart. If you know what I mean. You could even make two differnt lenths for sale.  If you could make this I am sure it would be a hot seller. at least for me anyway. I saw a ryan kunkle interview where he stated this new truck design was going to be phased into all the lionel scale car line. So by you selling this coupler shank if you will. It would not be a one off product. It would work with all lionel scale cars going forward. All most all lionel rolling stock could be used by all who wish to kd there cars. Only the longer lenth cars would be off limits of course for truck mounted kds. 

If you could make and sell this add on to the new lionel truck design I will never use lobster claws again. All my cars will have truck or body mounted kds. Using lobster claws for switching cars is just horrable. With kds it is so much more fun and reliable. Why would lionel and the others would not wish to drop the lobster claw altogether since thier scale engines perform so well at slow speeds is beyond me. They only do this so all lionel from the 50s to now will work together. Ho guys gave into the kds years ago. Now everything comes equiped with them. As you all know here slamming into cars to close those lobster claws is so annoying, not to mention some times you have to try several times in order to get them to couple. I'll shut up now as you guys already know this. Mario my email is glasgoreg@mail.com shoot me your address and I will try to get a coupler to you by the end of this month or first of next month. If you want. I was planning on buying a lionscale car anyway to fabricate my own coupler shanke replacement .