Mounting 2 rail trucks on MTH rolling stock

Hello Clem, 

Are you looking for the spacer that allows you to install the screw from the bottom of the truck? 

The spacer that comes with the MTH and Atlas 2 rail truck kits. (MTH 20-89001/ 20-89002 trucks or the Atlas 7064, 7066, 7607 etc..). 

Yes, screw from bottom.     Thank you 

The Atlas trucks come with the blind nut that you need 

Hi Clem.

I've converted a few MTH cars to 2-rail. Two gondolas were simply done using the MTH 2-rail trucks. This is by far the easiest route to take. With the older MTH Auto Racks and Center Beam flat cars, the truck mounts need to be relocated inward (spanning the jack pads). With the first Center Beam car I converted, I fabricated a bolster for Weaver trucks using strip wood. It worked well, but wasn't worth the effort. With the next two cars I did, I cut the truck mount and relocated it, cementing it to the car base and shortening the center sill. To mount the Weaver trucks, I glued a 3/8" dowel  into the truck hole and glued a couple of washers in place to better support the Weaver truck (I'm trying to find the photo). Given the costs of trucks and wheels, on the next three cars, I'm going to just use the MTH trucks and screw the bolsters to their new locations. The only place it gets dicey is if you need to use 100-ton roller bearing trucks which roll on 36" wheels. The Atlas trucks supposedly come with plugs to insert into the MTH mount so you can screw the trucks in from the bottom.

I've converted a bunch of MTH fishbelly hopper cars.     I've also done a few other miscellanious cars and some R50B reefers.     On almost all, I have reused the existing MTH trucks.    I remove the trucks from the car, disassemble them, and replace the 3 rail wheels with 2 rail wheels.    Athearn wheelsets work, and so do Intermountain.   NWSL would also have ones that work.

Since I use Kadee couplers  I have to remove the 3 rail coupler and this often involves a permanent modification (cut some tabs off) the truck bolster.    So to return to 3 rail with 3 rail couplers would require replace the trucks.    However, it does not involve modification to the bolsters.    I body mount the couplers so that does require something done to the body which is  usualy just drilling and tapping for 2-56 screws.

Thank you every one, I love this information,  I'm leaning to the Atlas plug. FYI I just took delivery of the new 4 bay UP hoppers, Right out of the box these are the best rolling cars from MTH that I have.

still noisy though  

Clem