New lionel PS-4 TOFC short ramps

I don't think the ramps are shorter.  It looks like the couplers are longer.  For reference, the ramps are 1 5/8" long and the distance between the car ends is 1 3/8".

Here is the original truck and coupler:

Can you post a picture of the new truck and coupler?

Lionel's ramps are too tall to begin with.  Prototype ramps are around 4' (1" in O scale).
We can all agree it was an unfortunate oversight on Lionel's part.

Bob

Looks like they used the same ramp but a longer coupler on the new cars.

Poor quality control, I'll bet no one at Lionel put a pair of these on the track and did exactly what @elmadalejake is trying to do.

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Looks like they used the same ramp but a longer coupler on the new cars.

Poor quality control, I'll bet no one at Lionel put a pair of these on the track and did exactly what @elmadalejake is trying to do.

Bob

I’ve said it before! Lionel’s current production is not backwards compatible in many applications.

In addition to being shorter and thus closer coupling, the older trucks were probably also all metal, articulating, and easier coupling. Lionel’s cheapening of its scale trucks for cost savings has definitely - in my view, anyway - made the releases from 6+ years ago far more desirable than the current stuff. If I like something from a current catalog, I always go look for an earlier version from a few years ago.  It’ll be a much nicer car and I’ll even save a few bucks. Unfortunately, the “fix” for the OP’s problem is the same as the milk cars and Friendship PS-1 boxcars: an older donor car with “unimproved” trucks.  

What is just as bad as these longer couplers and it’s not only Lionel also MTH.On some of the diesel locomotives the front couplers hangs out further . Looks like a dog with its tongue hanging out.

@RSJB18 posted:

Looks like they used the same ramp but a longer coupler on the new cars.

Poor quality control, I'll bet no one at Lionel put a pair of these on the track and did exactly what @elmadalejake is trying to do.

Bob

It really isn’t a quality control issue. The design is flawed so its really an engineering problem. It’s not like the factory accidentally cast the coupler 1/4” longer.
Lionel effectively did an ECO (engineering change order) without sufficiently vetting the change.