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Almost every one of my Athearn cars (kit cars, not ready to run) need the couplers raised to NMRA specs. I first began using the truck washers but was unhappy about the appearance of the increased height of the cars. I didn't care for Athearn's coupler pockets either. My solution was rather simple and cheap but does require a bit of work if you have numerous cars. I purchased some Evergreen .060" by .25" strip and some 2-56 screws as required. I then used a razor saw to remove the stock coupler pocket from the underframe of the car. Using some CA (cyanoacrylate) I bonded a strip of Evergreen to the underside of the floor on each end of the car. I then driled and tapped a 2-56 hole in the exact center of each strip for a Kadee coupler pocket. If you like you can use a small amount of glue to tack the pocket in place before you drill, which allows precise placement of the pocket for drilling/tapping. I then used double sided tape to mount the supplied weight inside the car, instead of underneath. Now, all of my car's couplers are at the perfect height without needing any of the bolster shims. The Kadee coupler pockets are much better than the stock ones and are easier to maintain. I hope this helps, Joe Maxey
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