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Found 8 results

  1. This is something that I've been thinking about doing for years and that is converting the USA Trains streamliner passenger cars over to Kadee couplers. I've had all these cars apart over the years fixing interiors that come loose in shipping, adding people, upgrading lighting, repairing wiring and power switches etc. Always looked at upgrading couplers and though ugh! I like Kadee Couplers as nice looking with that feather touch coupling action and well the USAT style knuckle couplers are more of a slam bang affair...and my passengers deserve better! And the USAT stock couplers are mounted way too low for me. I started in converting my great aluminum fleet the other day and it turned out to be a rather simple affair! Here's stock coupler compared to a Kadee height gauge which isn't a "set in stone" standard as I use it as more of a reference. I use the oversized "G" couplers and not the small 1:32 couplers. The 1:32 are so small that they'll slide apart vertically when a long car goes thru a dip in the track. My test car will be this PRR RPO as it'll be repainted next Spring. Stock USA coupler install. Remove center screw and pop the cover off. I use 2 small jewelers screwdrivers to disengage cover at rear. If you use a bigger screwdriver it'll break the thin plastic where slot is. After cover removed then removing spring and coupler reveals coupler body to mount screws. Remove those screws and coupler body. I reassemble couplers then stow away in the cars box. What's left is the die-cast metal coupler mount. I'm sure this is the same design as what's used on the heavyweights. Remove the 4 mount screws and mount comes off leaving a very nice spot to mount Kadee's! I start with a piece of 1-1/2" wide x 1/8" thick aluminum flat stock that I buy at Menards. A 3' long piece is like $10. Sure it's the same that can be bought about anywhere like Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Farm & Fleet etc. as it's all provided by Hillman. I cut a piece 1-5/8"+ long with hacksaw then square up to size with bench sander. I then mark piece with a line 1/8" up from one end. If you rough the aluminum up first with say a 220 grit sanding block then a line drawn with a mechanical pencil will be a bit easier to see. Could use blue layout ink and scribe the line but then may as well use a milling machine to perfectly drill the holes but hey, this ain't rocket science. After drawing line then I use the coupler mounting bracket to locate mount screw holes. Align the back edge at the line you just drew and fix with clamp while drawing holes with mechanical pencil. I left out that I also drew a centerline for where the Kadee mounting holes will be. I forgot to snap a pic of that layout. I use #907 Kadee's on these cars as they're bigger and beefier where it counts. Others may use the #906's. I plan on this train being at least 12 cars long with a Express boxcar or two at frontend so it's be a heavy hard pulling train. In drill press, the 4 adapter to car body holes are drilled 1/8" and the 2 Kadee mount holes are drilled #33. Here had to notch out the 2 ribs to make room for the 4-40 screw heads that I use to mount coupler to adapter. All mounted. I used 4-40 machine screws to mount coupler to adapter plate. I had originally planned to thread the adapter for 4-40 screws but decided on thru-hole mounting using nuts. Gave adapter plates a quick shot of flat black paint as have plenty around here. I changed the 4 x 3mm diameter adapter plate mounting screws from like 6.6mm long to 8mm as I buy those by the 100 count in various lengths up to 16mm long. Black thread cutter/ thread rolling screws as they're VERY hand to have in stock. Opposite end Good shape when checked with height gauge Few closing thoughts. It actually took me longer to writeup this posting than to make those 2 adapter mounting plates. Material price maybe $2 per car esp. when buy the hardware by the 100's. None of the above is "set in stone" as I may re-mount couplers further "under" the car. If you wanted would be just as easy to use the stock USA couplers as they'd be raised and they will work with the G Kadee's. Would have to drill and tap the for the original USA coupler box flat top screws.
  2. Most recent install of Protosound 3 in USA Trains SD70. (w/upgraded speaker, sound, smoke output)
  3. Wanted to get a post going sharing photos of the USA Trains Big Boy. This has to be the most impressive Largescale model manufactured to date. Most recent install of Protosound 3 in USA Trains Big Boy. (Using updated sound, USA Trains smoke units, 4" speaker installed in tender)
  4. This is a poll to provide your feedback on the new possible USA Trains Steam locomotives.
  5. Hi everyone, I'm starting a long overdue thread to chronicle my USA Trains Big Boy project. A few of you have read about the start of this story on the USAT G Scale Group. I've decided now to start from the beginning in a single thread, both here and on the USAT G Scale Group. My story begins last March with the ECLSTS. I wasn't at the show, but I was helping Shawn of the USAT G Scale Group provide live coverage of the event. When I heard that Charles Ro had two Big Boys for sale for $1800 each (without electronics) I asked if Shawn could help me buy one, and he graciously agreed. I provided my credit card number over the phone to Charles Ro, and then Shawn picked up the Big Boy and took it to a UPS Store where I again gave the store my credit card to ship it to myself, at an outrageous cost of about $300. Unfortunately, the UPS Store did a poor job packaging the Big Boy, and the UPS carriers decided to drop it a few times. It was supposed to be insured for $2000, but it turned out not to be. The UPS Store guy put down $1000 for the engine and $1000 for the tender, and the tender wasn't damaged. After months of dealing with UPS claims, the UPS Store, and Charles Ro (to get quotes for repairs), UPS finally accepted that the engine had more than $1000 worth of damage, so I eventually got $1200 from them (including the packing and shipping refund for the engine box). That's when Charles Ro changed their tune and decided not to honor the quote they'd given me in writing, which was a whole new chassis (including all wheels and motors) for $1000. The price was now $1600. I talked to Mike in parts, Charles Ro himself, and eventually Charlie's son Mike (known as the "bouncer" for problem customers) who treated me poorly and flat out lied to me about things they themselves said just weeks earlier in phone calls I documented, as well as an [admitted vague] email stating the $1000 chassis price. So I decided to not to spend anymore money with Charles Ro, and instead fix the Big Boy myself. The damage is very repairable, it's just a matter of figuring out how to fix each issue. For the record, although there is no excuse for the poor customer service I received from Charles Ro, they still make great products which I have continued to buy, but only used or through dealers instead of Charles Ro directly. In my next post I'll start documenting the various repairs I have made so far, and am continuing to work through.
  6. Wanted to share that I do have a replacement motor available for the USA Hudson for $175.00. This motor addresses issues with the original: Operates at a higher top speed when run at max track voltage.This addresses the complaint by some that it's top speed was too low.Has ball bearings on both ends of the motor for lifetime reliability.Video of a USA Trains Hudson motor with a failed bearing on the worm gear end: (With the upgrade motor you will never have this) http://www.rayman4449.com/USA_Trains_Hudson_Motor_Failure_101910_0001a.JPG Given that USA Trains has been out of stock on these motors for a couple of years this helps provide an option. Raymond
  7. Okay, I'm not bashing the excellent finely detailed USA Trains Big Boy at all...Well it is too heavy but that's another topic. What I am bringing to attention here is a major manufacturing flaw that I discovered after running it for a few days. What it would do is short itself out electrically for no real reason. Sometimes it would short itself out when changing direction. The dang problem drove me crazy trying to figure it out. Every drive wheel has a carbon brush rubbing against the backside to pickup power from the rails. Problem is the brushes are located in the frame incorrectly. The stainless steel drive wheel tires are insulated from the black wheel centers/ discs by some kind of insulating material that's applied to the drive wheel before the tire/ rim is pressed on. But the power pickup brushes are positioned so once they start wearing/ or shift in their holder and rub on the driver center they bridge the insulated section then they energize the whole damn engine & tender as it's all die-cast metal. If both sides happen to do it the engine shorts out and blows the fuses I have at the power supply. If there's any bare wires touching the inside of the boiler then either the lighting voltage boards or in my case the ProtoSound 2 boards will get fried at the same time. Here's a pic of the problem...the red arrows show where the red electrical insulating material is between the tire/ rim and the driver center and clearly shows how the power pickup brushes are incorrectly positioned..major manufacturing flaw! Yes USA Trains is aware of the problem but they offer no support other than to change the brushes when they start wearing Off course this is no problem for the battery power crowd.
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