Broadway Limited's lack of Front Couplers....??

[Anonymous]

I am considering the BLI's lack of operating front coupler on my PRR M1a. I would like to see a Kaydee coupler on there and have asked my LHS for information on which #coupler to use on it...

To my surprise it seems to be a non-issue. I would like to be able to do some switching with this engine and a Heavy Mikado also from BLI and these fake couplers just do not fit the bill..

My rant is simply seeing a wonderful multi-hundred dollar model that cannot seem to fit a $1.30 coupler without having to perform some kind of major surgery.

Anyone care to comment or provide ideas? Thanks for your time.

Lee

[joseph2]

Lee,that is also my main grip with steam locomotives.Considering their price they should have Kadee couplers.I wonder why manufacturers do this ? I mean BLI wouldn't put a dummy coupler on a Diesel road switcher. Joe G.

[IRONROOSTER]

I don't know about BLI's loco, but I know with other locos there has been a problem with the trip pin from the normal KD coupler not fitting due to the cowcatcher front end. This necessitates a KD with a longer shank which does not look prototypical. Also the trip pin doesn't look prototypical. Since this is the front of the loco these are noticable, hence the correctly scaled dummy coupler. And apparently that's the way most folks like it or they would change.
Frustrating.
Paul

[Anonymous]

that sucks. Are they one diesals too?

[Anonymous]

IronRooster,

The PRR M1a has a step pilot. Made for switching. There is no real cowcatcher on it. I understood your post very well in reference to appearence. I do have several steamers dedicated for through freight and ironically those are Bachmann units with fully working front couplers.

CNWfan5525,

I have yet to meet a desiel with a dummy coupler. Horn and Hook couplers on desiels get the entire box shaved off and a Kaydee box CA'ed on. I have not done that in a long time.


Good Luck and have a good weekend.

Lee

[AggroJones]

That is pretty sucky on BLI's behalf. For that much money, their locomotives should come with operating front couplers and a crew in the cab.

[dave9999]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AggroJones

That is pretty sucky on BLI's behalf. For that much money, their locomotives should come with operating front couplers and a crew in the cab.

That's true Aggro,
They have a GREAT sound system and you would think that they would add a simple operating knuckle coupler. Who knows??

BTW Has anyone gotten their 2004 BLI Catalog in the mail. Mine came a couple of
day ago. Dave

[Anonymous]

I have a BLI Pennsy T1 with a dummy coupler in the front and it will couple to a standard Kedee coupler if you lift the car/tender up over the top of the T1's coupler and set it back down.

The problem that keeps it from coupling automatically is the trip pin on other tender or car hitting the pilot on the T1.

Have you tried to couple anything to the front of the M1?

And buttom line I agree with you there should be a working coupler on the front of all engines reguardless of price.

[tomwatkins]

I completely agree that they should have working front couplers. On the BLI heavy Mike, I used a number 32 Kadee in a number 5 box. The Micro-Mark saw blade shaped like a #11 blade in a Number 1 Exacto handle works well for removing the molded on coupler box and enlarging the opening so the #5 box slips into place. Cut the ears off the sides on the box. The rear of the box needs to tapered both vertically and horizontally to allow clearance for the pilot truck to swing. It can be trimed with an Exacto knife and then finish shaped with a small flat file. Work slowly, there is plenty of material but if you go too far you can get into the spring and lose the centering action. The coupler needs to be assembled prior to tapering the rear of it. I use Walther's Goo for initally fixing the coupler box to the loco so I can adjust the location and fit, checking it with a Kadee coupler guage. When it's located properly, I run a bead of gap filling super glue around it to secure it . The whole process takes about 10-15 minutes. So far I've done 1 BLI Heavy Mike and 2 Athearn Lt Mikes ( same problem- same solution). The couple height comes out just right and there is just enough clearance between the trip pin and the pilot for the coupler to swing and center.

I agree we shouldn't have to do this, but it does work.
Hope it helps.
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

Michaell,

No I do not couple fake couples to anything. As a kid, I had an engine and I tried to force a fake coupler onto another and ruined both. I do know that you can pull the fake coupler straight out of the box....

Tom Watkins,

Your post caused me to look at my Athearn Mike and see that there are similarities to the problem. I see that your solution worked for you. If you had to do it over, what would you watch out for??

Thanks everyone for assist with this "engaging" subject.

Lee

[nfmisso]

Lee:

See
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/front_couplers_ath.htm
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/bli282coupler.htm
http://www.tonystrains.com/technews/blim1abcoupler.htm

[tomwatkins]

Lee,
They are very similar. One thing I forgot to mention is that the underside of the pilot deck must be filed down slightly on both the Athearn and the BLI. There are ribs on the underside of the Athearn deck which need to go away to provide a smooth mounting surface. On the BLI there is a front section of the metal chassis which needs to be thined to let the #5 box slip into place. Neither step is difficult or takes very long. A small flat file inserted through the coupler box opening in the pilot will take the material down quickly. Sorry I forgot to mention this earlier. It really isn't difficult on either model and I think it's well worth the time it takes. Actually it would be worth significantly more time. Mikes were the steam equivalent of Geeps- they need a working front coupler.
Have Fun
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

Ok here is a stupid question. Do you need DCC to make the sound work on BLI locos. I am considering buying one but don't want to pay for extras that I can't use(I don't use DCC).

Thanks,
Jeremy

[tomwatkins]

Juby,
No, the sound works in both DCC and analog. I run DCC so I can't speak to any differences between the two modes of operation. I know there are some differences but someone who runs them on analog could advise you better as to what to expect. I will say that my Heavy Mikes run superbly and the sound is awesome.
Have Fun,
Tom Watkins

[Anonymous]

Juby,

I use Analog. There will be a "Sidekick" for the bell and whistle purchased on my next trip to the store. DCC will come someday and it will be based on Digitraz's Zepheyr.

Note that Analog leaves off a few sounds but you are so enjoying the engine going down the track you kinda forget the limitations of Analog. One has manual with the model that can be followed to actually program with Analog but Ill just leave it the way it is from the factory.

There is another thread that has videos with sound of a BLI mike coming down the pike. That one is directly influenced my decsion to go with a BLI engine or two or 3

nfmisso,

Thank you for your links they are very helpful to me. The photos were excellent! I am intimidated by the lack of room for the screw. I am going to have a few cups of tea and contemplate the job ahead. It will take me some time before I am ready to actually do the work. There were other projects (actually several) that are currently either curing, drying and setting on my table.

Tom Watkins,

Thanks again for your response. Perhaps we find that all BLI engines may have a similar method of adding a coupler to the front.

Take care everyone and good luck to you!

Lee

[Anonymous]

The Sidekick is a great thing !!! Works perfect!
I have a N&W Class A.
The biggest "problem" in analog is the high startpower of 8 Volts!

I placed also orders for the coming ATSF Northern 3751 and the UP AC6000CW

BTW: I think that BLI will bring models in not real existing paintschemes:
UP E7 A-B-B sets "LA-7" to "LA-9" and "SF-7"to "SF-9"
and
Southern Pacific GE AC6000 #600
Who is right BLI or me ?

[orsonroy]

No front working coupler on the BLI engines? Where have you been? MOST steam models made don't have a working front coupler (Bachmann Spectrum is the only company that has them on all their engines). It's something that we steam modelers have had to live with for 50+ years!

The problem is the "standard" NMRA coupler pocket. To make the pocket fit into a pilot casting means that some part/parts of the front of the steam engine would have to be grossly out of scale to accomodate the pocket. A big problem is the pilot truck, which is generally so close to the backside of the pilot that there's absolutely no room to put a full working coupler.

I don't bother with fully functional front couplers if it means scarring up the front of an otherwise well proportioned steam pilot. Adding a Kadee #4 shank or #58 semi-scale coupler, permanently fixed to the front, with the trip pin cut off, us a faster, simpler and easier solution for me. I do all my uncoupling by hand anyway, so the lack of a front Kadee pin is no big deal.

[Anonymous]

orsonroy,

I am near 40 and have been part of the Hobby since 7. My father and his father practiced the hobby also. I have always been aware that steam in HO rarely had working front couplers which influenced me to skip the plastic steamers of the day and focus on the Desiels.

I left the hobby for over a decade and now am experiencing a kind of 2nd childhood with all the marvelous offerings. And I have decided that there will be working steam and they will have front couplers that work. If necessary such as the Athearn Mike and the BLI's engines among others I will learn to install them. And the internet is a great tool for being able to voice my concerns and recieve knowledge about this. I think it is great!!

I suppose that your solution will work great too. However, I am attempting to retain the ability to drop and pick up cars out of reach.

With that said, there may be a need to design a pike that will have all industries within reach so that one may be able to use Massive Hand Power to assist in switching. If I wanted to be really stubborn about switching, perhaps a major industry with it's own switcher near a small town (Or in several towns) can assist in switching ins and outs to a interchange track nearby. But that is a whole other can (No.. bucket) of worms beyond the scope of this thread.

Lee

[Anonymous]

BigBoy,

Run what you like on your railroad! I do. Occasionally a giant firebreathing 1990 engine sits on the test track next to a little 0-4-0 dockside as the crew stands a distance away in awe.

I think your voltage needs to be high to account for the sound power and neutral settings. In the manual also has instructions for a Analog !!! set up of starting voltage but I have a throttle that has a pretty high range and once I get it moving I found that it is not a real issue with me.

Now some of my analog switchers such as my Athearns need quite a bit of throttle before getting moving. I dont think there will be much of a outcry for analog engine to be able to get moving at the slightest crack of a throttle. Perhaps a high voltage DC system connected to a "Rheostat" may offer a bigger range of control.

I suspect that Class A is a "Hog" on electric power. I am impressed by those engines. But have you considered some of the really HUGE Large Scale engines that require the house to gain on the power company on initial start up.

Ultimately DCC will be the key to all our power troubles.

[Anonymous]

I had a idea while digging thru couplers.. My LHS now carries Kaydee couplers with the European Shanks. Suppose of of these will capture the back of the draft box and basically snap in instead of the other methods discussed here.

At the moment I have several engines in the same situation regarding couplers. Next month I will pick up a assortment of these Euro Kaydees and literally try em out one by one. I cannot do it this month because I reached my budget for the month.

If it turns out I cannot use these couplers no worries, they go into a parts bin not the trash can. Some of the most ingenious rigs can be found just by going thru your parts bin.

Ill let you know if I learn anything from this exploration of the Coupler problem.

Lee