Micro-Trains Trucks and Couplers

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Hi Guys, I want to replace all my rapido or should I say crapido sign1 couplers.

Are these good ones to replace them with? There Micro-Trains Body Mount Knuckle Couplers? Product Page

I also want to replace all the trucks on the cars. What about these ones? There Micro-Trains Barbar Roller Bearing Trucks w/o Couplers on them: Product Page Do they come with metal wheels or plastic? I cant tell but im assuming there plastic?

If the wheels are plastic in the Roller Bearing Trucks, Can I replace them with these? Product Page



I just want to improve the handling and make it a lil more easyer and make for smoother operations. Are these good products to use to improve my rolling stock?

Thanks in advance for your guys help
 

pimberman

New Member
Hola!

Recently I replaced the trucks of my old Bachmann's cars with
Micro Trains -Roller Bearing Trucks #1033 (033 02 032), and works
perfectly. They have plastic wheels but you can replaced it with Atlas
metal wheels, no problem.
Note: Use the same original pin/screw of your cars to avoid incompatibility.
Perhaps the pin/screw that comes with Micro Trains is a little bit bigger.
:thumb:

Manuel
 

tillsbury

Member
Think carefully before taking the trouble to replace trucks with new trucks and couplers. For maximum reliability (particularly reversing, and when using automatic uncoupling), and maximum realism, you may want to go to body-mounted MT couplers (normally 1015's?). In which case, you can use the existing trucks and just cut off the old couplers. You can replace trucks as and when later, if you need to, or just the wheels.

I replaced a lot of trucks with new truck/couplers, but have since cut all these off and gone to body-mounts. If ever I have a problem with couplers, I look closely and there's always a stray Accu-mate or truck-mounted coupler causing the problem! They're gradually disappearing.


Charles
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Hola!

Recently I replaced the trucks of my old Bachmann's cars with
Micro Trains -Roller Bearing Trucks #1033 (033 02 032), and works
perfectly. They have plastic wheels but you can replaced it with Atlas
metal wheels, no problem.
Note: Use the same original pin/screw of your cars to avoid incompatibility.
Perhaps the pin/screw that comes with Micro Trains is a little bit bigger.
:thumb:

Manuel

Thanks for the tip Manuel. And thanks for the info on the roller bearing trucks. I think that I will be getting those roller bearing trucks (the ones without the couplers attached to them) and then replace the plastic wheels with the atlas metal ones. I know on all my HO cars that have metal wheels, they run really smooth so im going to do that in N scale too.
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
Think carefully before taking the trouble to replace trucks with new trucks and couplers. For maximum reliability (particularly reversing, and when using automatic uncoupling), and maximum realism, you may want to go to body-mounted MT couplers (normally 1015's?). In which case, you can use the existing trucks and just cut off the old couplers. You can replace trucks as and when later, if you need to, or just the wheels.

I replaced a lot of trucks with new truck/couplers, but have since cut all these off and gone to body-mounts. If ever I have a problem with couplers, I look closely and there's always a stray Accu-mate or truck-mounted coupler causing the problem! They're gradually disappearing.


Charles

Thanks fot the advise Charles. Thats what I meant by replaceing the trucks and couplers, get rid of the original trucks and replace them with Micro-Trains Roller Bearing Trucks (without truck mounted couplers added on) with Atlas Metal wheels and then install Micro-Trains Body-Mounted Knuckle Couplers. This should make for a WAY smoother operation. I just wanted to know if those were the right stuff to use when replaceing the trucks and couplers.

I think I will start replacing them now as I do not have that much rolling stock yet (maybe 15 + 3 engines; 2 BNSF and 1 UP) and it will be alot easyer to replace all of them and do them all at the same time rather then doing a few at a time due to the money factor lol

Then as aquire new rolling stock I will replace them.

Thanks for the help Manuel and Charles
 

eightyeightfan1

Now I'm AMP'd
When I was in N scale, The first thing that went was the original trucks, which were repalced with the MT #1033's(Trucks with couplers). Never had a problem backing up in switch moves, and were a lot easier than trying to body mount couplers on N scale cars.
 

60103

Pooh Bah
When I was in N scale (over a quarter century ago, now) I replaced a lot of axles with Kadees, and quite a few trucks. I didn't always replace freight car trucks, just changed the axles and cut off the couplings, as I liked body-mount Kadees. (Or MTs)
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
When I was in N scale, The first thing that went was the original trucks, which were repalced with the MT #1033's(Trucks with couplers). Never had a problem backing up in switch moves, and were a lot easier than trying to body mount couplers on N scale cars.

Lol, thats the only part thats got me kinda saying go with truck-mounts is the fact that the body mounts might be a little tedious doing it over and over and over again but well see, still sticking with the body-mounts for now :mrgreen:
 

TruckLover

Mack CH613 & 53' Trailer
When I was in N scale (over a quarter century ago, now) I replaced a lot of axles with Kadees, and quite a few trucks. I didn't always replace freight car trucks, just changed the axles and cut off the couplings, as I liked body-mount Kadees. (Or MTs)

Thats what ill be doing if I run out of the New Roller Bearing trucks and metal wheels, use the old ones until I can get the new ones sign1
 

Boilerman

Member
Body mounted couplers are more realistic and work better when backing up.
The only draw back is coupling on tight curves, as they won't.
 
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