Precision Scale 2-rail/kadee car to Hi-rail

I can't see why a 2 railer would be annoyed at your changing it to 3 rail. We change 3 rail to 2 all the time. Besides its your hobby ! Do it your way and enjoy it as much as possible. Its suppose to be fun!

Franky-Ogee

Decide whether or not to use the trucks you have, change out the 2 rail wheel sets and use body mounted 3 rail couplers like the GGD cars. Another option would be to use 3 rail coupler mounted trucks with the right shank length and bolster height. Trucks should have pick-up rollers for car lighting. Not really a difficult job.  

You may run into complications with the ends and details there and the existing scale coupler box that is a part of most brass imports when using 3 rail truck mounted couplers.  You may also run into other complications even just swapping wheelsets with the 3-rail flanges not having adequate clearance of underbody details.  Odd are it can be done, but it may be more than just swapping wheels and couplers. 

Thanks for the replies.  I wrote this on my phone waiting for my car to be fixed and should have added I am using Lionel-compatible couplers.  (Some Hi-Railers do use Kadees.)  With a couple of exceptions my minimum curves/switches are O-72/#4, so I should be able to get away with body mounted couplers but looking at truck mounted.  While I would prefer not to remove any material (coupler box) or details (steps, hoses) I will if necessary.

Unless someone responds that has actually done it, I will buy one at York and see what it will take.  I have samples of just about every 3-rail truck available so hopefully one pair will work.

 I have samples of just about every 3-rail truck available so hopefully one pair will work.

You will probably find that you will need one that is designed to work with a car that has a full scale body bolster.

If you maintain the truck-mounted 3-rail couplers, then

1) all of the "hanging down" stuff on the ends of the car will need to be removed.  This includes scale coupler box, brake hose, possibly the lower end of the brake rigging (certainly if vertical staff brake), etc.

2) if you keep all of the original brass bolster on the car, the only truck choice is Weaver since it has by far the lowest ride height among 3-rail trucks.  The car will still ride too high due to the Weaver coupler arm sitting on top of the truck

3) if you remove the original brass bolster (Dremel, etc.) then Lionel or Atlas 3-rail trucks and couplers will work and the ride height will be about right.  This is major surgery to the car though.

I run a lot of 2-rail cars on my layout and have done these kinds of things to them.  They are, however, kit built cars that I paid no more than $30 for at 2-rail shows.  Hacking up a $300 Precision Scale car gives me pause.

I would replace just the wheelsets. Keep the Kadee couplers assuming they are the older 800 series (CORRECTED).  Those Kadees will couple remarkably well to a Lionel coupler, particularly with the broader curves you have. I have done this in my 3 rail days and it works very well.  That way the change you made to the PSC car is totally reversible.

Otherwise, if you want to have Lionel couplers, follow Bob Bartizek's advice above. 

John Sethian posted:

I would replace just the wheelsets. Keep the Kadee couplers assuming they are the older 700 series.

The "700 series" are the newer designs. The 805 metal Kadee couplers will also couple to many different manufacturers of the big "claw couplers".

 Those Kadees will couple remarkably well to a Lionel coupler, particularly with the broader curves you have. I have done this in my 3 rail days and it works very well.

Definitely correct information, however the Kadee MUST be the metal #805 type. The newer design 700 series will NOT couple to the big "claw couplers".

 That way the change you made to the PSC car is totally reversible.

Very good advice. Also, for what it's worth, many 2-Rail SCALE pieces of rolling stock will track just fine on brands of 3-Rail track, such as Ross and Atlas without much problems. I modified all my Atlas O solid nickel silver turnouts, and operate many, many 2-Rail SCALE pieces of freight rolling stock without issues.Although I have everything up-graded to body mounted Kadee O-Scale couplers.

Otherwise, if you want to have Lionel couplers, follow Bob Bartizek's advice above. 

A truly scale car like the PSC has underframe parts that will interfere with wheelsets on shap curves.  The tinplate wheelsets make it worse.  Since most 3-railers are not concerned with realism below the belt rail, you could consider just jacking it up high enough so the trucks can swivel without hitting anything.

I imagine that if you ere going to stay with maybe O-96, you could stay with the normal car height without too much wheelset inteference.

Hot Water, thanks for the proofreading! Obviously I meant to say the series 800, as that is the older design.  I have corrected my post.

While I have never converted any of these brass cars to 3R.....I do others often. I am a runner.....and thus will take a hit in the detail for a good running car. Most of my conversions are old Atlas/AHM/Rivirossi plastic cars. Here in photos is what I do. It is very possible that you do NOT need to alter this much....it's my way of converting these inexpensive cars. 

I do the conversion this way to make sure the modified cars run on any curve and without issue. thx

"Since most 3-railers are not concerned with realism below the belt rail"

Completely untrue.

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I upgrade (yes) 2-rail rolling stock to 3-rail regularly; I am quite concerned with how it looks below the waist, as any Hi-Railer would be, especially one who has reached the brass-car-to-3-rail conversion project level.  Mine sit low, but you have to do it right. And it is on a case-by-case basis.

I do not mind dummy couplers, so I often put hi-rail wheelsets in the original "2-rail" trucks (typically not too difficult; sometimes not worth it), remove the scale or Kadee (not the same thing) couplers and just mount a Keil-Line Hi-rail coupler in the same spot, even in the same box with the same screw in the case of replacing a scale dummy coupler.

The new low-bolster trucks from L and M and A sit so nice and low that I have had to shim them up here and there on old stuff.

Depending on how much you want to mess with the old car, even older high-bolster 3-rail trucks will work fine if you remove some/all of the car bolster (a typically invisible change from operating view). I did a couple of Intermountain reefers that way.

Pardon the poor cropped photo below; I don't have a good shot of one of my "dummy" projects, and it is not finished. The coupler will be positioned a bit farther in (just a hole and a screw) and painted brown; the car came painted gray - perfect for some GM&O hoppers.

The car? It's so old that it is Japanese (no Korean or Chinese model RR equipment then), all brass, Max Gray, and still has the original "scale" (yeah, right - it's often just the wheels) trucks - now with Hi-Rail Weaver wheel sets.