Hello I have been in classic o gauge but now want to get into scale and DCS and some classic o gauge too. 
I recently ordered a premier Fm train master and was wondering what kind of Kadee would be good for the engine. It is a southern pacific one from 2000. Is this engine accurately detailed? If not what are some other deatils I could put on it. Would installing Kadee couplers be hard or no? What kind looks the best one these units?
Thanks, Liam
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Liam,
Welcome to the 3RS side of the house 
I don't have a Trainmaster and don't recall anyone speaking of one on this particular forum, but someone over on the 2-rail side may know.
First thing you should get is a Kadee coupler height gauge. You can then determine what thickness shims (if any) you need to put between the chassis and the coupler box. I would remove the truck-mounted pilot to make it easier to get in and around the area where the coupler goes.
While you're at it, you may want to fix the pilot to the chassis, eliminating the gap between the pilot and chassis and making that awful pilot swinging with the trucks history.
Hopefully someone who has a Trainmaster will respond. The only one I have is an old HO model.
Liam
Your SP Trainmaster from back in 2000 is one of the earliest ProtoSound 2 Locomotives. It was only available as a 3 rail locomotive with operating tinplate couplers and swinging pilots. Turning an older locomotive like that into a 3RS piece with fixed pilots and Kadee couplers is doable but it is a real project.
You might want to consider purchasing one of the new Trainmasters MTH introduced in 2011. They have upgraded detail and are available in a "-2" factory 3 rail version. All you have to do to convert a recent MTH 2 rail diesel to 3RS is install the rollers and purchase Kadees and the MTH 3 rail replacement axles and drop them in.
MTH hasn't done a SP black widow trainmater since 2000. If you like the SP you might get lucky and see a new version in a coming catalog. It is too popular a paint scheme to not do again after 12 years.
Ted, interchangability of the early/late shells? tt
Tom,
Two completely different models as far as interchangeablity. MTH modeled the low end walkway on the Trainmaster of which to my knowledge only the Wabash and Southern had this option.
Tom
I don't have a Trainmaster but I think that Soo Nut is correct.
I have 3 MTH SD45s, a 1990s vintage Premier, a recent "ScaleKing" version from the old Premier tooling and a new Premier 2 rail version. The old tooling versions have 2 driven axles and blind flanges on the inner axles on each truck. The new premier versions have all axles driven and the blind flanges on the 3 rail versions are on the center axles. I believe the Trainmasters follow a similar evolutionary pattern.
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