N Scale Couplers

[Anonymous]

I have some old N scale cars (maybe 10 years or better old) and have decided to finally build a layout. They have the old style couplers and I want to use them with some new cars that I bought that have Micro-trains type couplers. Rather than spend a fortune converting all the old cars, I want to take one old car and put a new stle coupler on one end so I have a "transition" car. I bought the only trucks my LHS had and the coupler is too short, and the mounting hole is too small. Does Micro trains, or any other company, make any with larger diameter mounting holes. I could try to drill it out, but I don't think there is enough material.

I am new to the hobby and would appreciate any advise.

Thanks

[DSchmitt]

What brand of car are they? I probably have have some converted.

Microtrains trucks are availble in three different coupler lengths (short, medium and long). One or another other will work on almost every N scale car.

[retsignalmtr]

usually microtrains wheel sets come with several mounting pins for different manufacturers cars. there is one manufacturer that is not too easy to convert. i think it's minitrix or arnold. they have a raised tube that the truck pops over and is held in place by a taper on the end of the tube. on these cars you may have to body mount the couplers as the existing truck mount won't work with microtrains trucks. i have several of them that are hoppers and there is noplace to even body mount them. you will have to cut off the rapido coupler and get a microtrains coupler to mount to the underfloor of the car. microtrains makes the couplers in several lengths and truck types.

[Anonymous]

They are older Bachmann units. I think a medium one will work, only the hole size will be a problem now.

Thanks for your help!

[DSchmitt]

I checked 6 Bachmann cars in my collection and found two different ways the trucks are mounted.

Some used pins like on MicroTrains, Atlas and a number of other brands. The bolster is basically flat. The MTL trucks were mounted, with no modification using one of the two sizes of pins provided with the MicroTrains trucks.

The others have the truck held in place with a screw. Instead of being flat the bolster has a protrusion which sticks through the hole in the truck. The MicroTrains trucks are a perfect fit. I just replaced the truck and used the screw to hold it in place as with the stock truck. I remember thinking, when I converted the cars, that the screw was a great idea that the other brands should copy.

I am not farmilar with any other method of mounting the trucks on Bachmann cars.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your help. My cars all have screws that hold the truck on, but the diameter on the Micro Trains hole is too small. However, in looking over all my cars, I found one old atlas car with a mounting pin. I was able to make this my "transition" car by removing the old truck and replacing with the micro trains one.