Micro Trains Couplers and Trucks

[Nscalemodeler]

I'm new to N scale railroading after having sold all of my HO equipment. I hear all about the Micro Trains couplers and would like to switch the cars and locomotives to this type of coupler. I have Bachmann, Life-Like and Atlas locomotives and freight cars, no passenger at this time. The questions are:

1. Should I switch just the couplers or the entire truck assembly with the attached couplers?

2. How do I know what type to buy if I switch the entire truck assembly, Bettendorf, Roller Bearing?

3. What else do I need to know?

Thanks for the help,
Jeremy

 

[sschaer]

all my cars have the 1035 (?) trucks. this might not be correct but provides reliable operation

 

[OwenCPR]

Jeremy,

See my earlier thread re micotrain couplers. For the freight equipment, I would recommend switching out the entire truck assembly. The Microtrain trucks and wheels IMHO run far better than the other brands. As for which truck assembly, it would depend on the era and location you are modelling (I'm not the expert on this one!!!)

 

[SD90]

I've switched all of my cars to microtrains trucks and couplers. Most of them are the 1035's also, I got tired of my trains breaking apart with Accumates. I found they were ok as long as you didn't get trains longer than about 20 cars, after that, they would brak apart. The Micro trains trucks also roll very good.

 

[engineshop]

If you want the couplers on the truck, switch to Micro-train truck with pre-installed couplers. It is not much more expensive and every coupler is the same height. You could body-mount the coupler and just cut off the coupler housing on the original trucks but than you have to get all the couplers lined up with each other. Not an easy task in N-scale.
Roland
www.engineshop.org

 

[Belmarvalley]

I would add my voice into agreement with purchasing MT couplers with the trucks. Also, if you are swapping out Loco couplers, be sure to buy the pre-assembled MT couplers. They are far easier to deal with, and most Atlas and newer LifeLike Locos are designed to easy to convert with these.

I also run Accumates, and would agree that they are not as reliable in long trains as MT's are. They couple with MT’s just fine, and are basically trouble free in shorter (under 20 car) trains. But I have had no trouble with Accumates in Atlas Locos, even in longer trains (go figure), so I haven’t needed to convert these to MT’s.

As I’m still converting to MT myself, so when I set up long trains (on Ntrak layouts), my MT equipped cars come first followed by those with Accumates. This arrangement works fine.

 

[CNJ]

I go along with the gang on this one. If I am changing out couplers because of rapido's or bad accumates, the 1035 roller bearing truck works for about all situations. Now if your pike is set in an earlier time, archbars or early cast steel trucks would be correct. Always use pre assembled coupler sets where possible. If you decide to save money with the kind you assemble, get out your Micro Mark catalog and order an optivisor........especially if your eyes are 40 years of age, or older.

Len

 

[Nscalemodeler]

Thanks to everyone for the help. I have decided to go with the MT assembled trucks with installed couplers for an older railroad. I'm trying to model the Great Northern especially in the early and part of the century.

 

[tillsbury]

I was very confused about this, but stumbled across the Micro-Trains "N-scale coupler starter kit" (part number 1050). This is just great. Full instructions on changing out locos and cars of varying types. Coupler assembler jig, coupler height guide, trip pin height guide, uncoupler magnet, special tweezers, and three types of couplers. Wheel and rail spacing gauge, uncoupler gluing jig, car height marker, and a tap and drill set for the couplers. What more could you want? Well, you'll also need a load of (probably) #1023 couplers (called "reverse draft angle assembled universal mount couplers" to keep it simple).

With this kit I managed to convert my existing Accumate and Rapido locos, and a whole stack of cars with various types. Now they've all got lovely body-mounted couplers. You can decide whether or not to change out the trucks separately. I wish someone had shown me this kit months ago....


Charles