[NTCGRR]

This came up on another thread so I thought I would share how I personally do it.
I also have a hard time getting a clear close up with either of my cameras.

the long screw goes up into the frame where it can't be seen out side.
the anti-climbers on the Macs really stick out so you don't want your locos to hit bodies when backing on tighters curves.

Here shows a Kadee 789 box. Now I used to use the 789 but on tighter curves at friend s RRs it would pull the car off behind it.
My RR has 20'dia min. no problems.
so what I did was use one of the USAT tank car "shelf" couplers and make the shank alittle longer for better side to side movement.

here you can see on left how I cut and drilled the coupler to work. ONLY on the Mac I made it about 3/8" longer.

The one thing about any body mount you have to watch for is the bodys touching when backing.

note here on a 10'dia curve even the 789s will touch body to body. so they need to be set out farther.

left is 789 ,right is 830
this is why I use alot of 789s simply to keep wheel clearance and bodys from touching in my storage yard which is 10'dia because thats all the room I have.
I personally don't like cutting and weaking the 830 box corners because under heavy trains thay have broken.

Hope all this makes since??

 

[Greg Elmassian]

Sure does Marty, will alert Ted to look at this thread. He's been remodeling his house, and I've been harassing him to get back to railroading!

Marty, have you done the same "extender thing" with a Kadee on the Mac? Like maybe use the 830 coupler mounted in a different draft gear box?

Ted is throwing cars off behind his Mac, he has used the 836, but rigidly mounted to the pedestal, so obviously it has limited swing side to side.

Regards, Greg

 

[Nicholas Savatgy]

What i have done with the kadees was to use the 836 coupler in the 789 box and wa la all is good.. will run on 10ft curves no problem. do a search on this forum i posted pictures somewere.....

 

[NTCGRR]

I'm working on 3 other projects while tring to answer some of these.
Thats good info Nick.

Top is a plastic USAT coupler in which I hand drill with a pin vise in a big vise as to NOT crack the plastic. but you need washers to make it sit flat in a 789 box . I use a 3/16" bit.

#2 is a shelf coupler which I like because it is almost impossible to uncouple. They work great on my 86' box cars and 89' TOFC.

#3 is 830 coupler which I don't think can be made to fit in a 789 box,
Here shows

I don't have another types to look at in stock at the moment.

I guess the main principles would be.
the closer the box pivit point is to the end and the longer the shank, the better the swing.

 

[Paul Norton]

Posted By NTCGRR on 03/08/2009 11:13 AM
I also have a hard time getting a clear close up with either of my cameras.


Marty, if you are using a digital camera for close-ups try taking your pictures in sunlight. I have a small Nikon with macro mode. If I take pictures inside, they still turn out fuzzy.

I take mine outdoors using the largest image format possible, 5 megapixels with my current camera. Ignore the advertising that says you can get within inches in macro mode. I stay about a foot or more away and sometimes use the optical zoom, never the digital. I take several shots of each item trying to reduce the shadow as much as possible.

After downloading the images to my camera software, I pick the best and export to a file in a suitable size: 640 pixels or 320 pixels wide.

Even the small print on circuit boards will show with enough light.

 

[Madstang]

Marty if you have a feature on your camera called "Digital Micro" use it for close ups...OR set your camera on Macro it is usually of 3 choices for taking pics...ie normal, infinity, or Macro.

If your camera does not offer at least Macro...you might just have to think about buying a new one that does.

Also fo taking shots of projects try to indirectly shine a light on the spot, and - your brightness on the exposure...my Canon is super for this sort of thing...but it does notfreeze frame very well.

MHO

Bubba

 

[Nicholas Savatgy]

Found an old picture, just need to install 836 coupler in 789 box and notch the pilot a little and cut the back of the box a little and it make for a sturdy install..

 

[Ted Doskaris]

Thanks to everyone for the info. and pictures.

Nick,


With yourSD70 MAC working on 10 foot diameter curves, is this with the SD70 coupled to other Kadee body mounts on the cars?


-Ted

 

[Nicholas Savatgy]

Ted,
Yup, it will couple to other kadee cars and go around 10ft dia curves. but i have only done it a few times as i usually run on much larger curves

by the way how do you like your new Mac? they run sweet dont they...

 

[Ted Doskaris]

Posted By Ted Doskaris on 03/09/2009 9:34 AM
Thanks Nick.

By itself, the SD70 runs very well and I like the loco, but I am still trying to get it to function properly when coupled to Aristo cars with their truck mount Aristo knuckle couplers. (Now I know I can change the cars to body mount Kadees, too, but with 250 or so cars, I am not going to.)

I have found that just installing the recommended Kadee 836 or 787s does not work for my application on my layout having numerous 10 foot diameter curves. The first car either gets pushed off the curves or just uncouples. The coupler height missmatch is one big problem.

This SD70 6 axle loco with its very clever swinging axle truck design has its overall truck pivot point offset toward the fuel tank rather than being centered or closer to the loco's pilot ends. This results in more overhang on curve tracks AT THE PILOTs where the couplers are projected too much to the out side on those curves. It's too bad USAT did not orient the truck pivot closer to the pilot ends (swap the swing axle to be near the fuel tank). By so doing it would have minimized the projected overhang (albeit with more belly overhang) - but maybe they had some other reason for doing it the way they did.

In this regard, it's interesting to note that the comparably large Aristo's Dash 9's have their truck pivots (at the A frames) offset closer to the the pilots. For that matter, so do the U25B (and probably others) as well as the 6 axle heavyweight passenger cars. As such, I have found that the SD70's truck pivot point is located about 6 inches from the pilot ends whereas the Dash 9 is about 4 inches - so effectively minimizing the pilot overhang on curves for the Dash 9s.

Anyway, I am slowly trying other methods to fix the problem, but have been distracted from making progress (time wise) as I have been working on my house.

-Ted

 

[aceinspp]

Ted: When I had my SD70 I did mount AC couplers. Yep the swing is great but i did get it to work. Takes a little tinkering to get it done. Later RJD

 

[Ted Doskaris]

This evening, I tried loosening the screws that hold the Kadee 836 and 787 coupler boxes to the SD70 mounting posts - allowing them to freely move.
This was very beneficial as the loco could pull 4 test cars around my layout without forcing the first car's lead truck off the 10 foot diameter curves - or uncoupling from it.


Since the SD70 Kadee coupler height is still somewhat higher than the Aristo truck mount knuckle coupler, I expect to encounter coupler pull apart problems when I try to pull a more significent train car load.

I plan next to try the Kadee 831 mounted to the optional USAT hook & loop post to see how it works as it incorporates a pivoting arm with centering spring.
If I end up going with the Kadee 836 / 787 free pivoting coupler box arrangement, fabricating a centering spring for them will be desirable.


BTW, I noticed the SD70 with its excessive pilot overhang (when rounding through the curved path of the Aristo wide radius turnout) will "kiss" the control stand lantern at its step area!


-Ted

 

[aceinspp]

Ted I knocked a lot of the AC switch lights off when running the SD70. Corrected by extending the switch stand head block ties and connecting rod. to avoid this problem. Later RJD

 

[Ted Doskaris]

RJ,

Since you fixed your control stands and got its coupler issues sorted out for your layout, then why did you get rid of your SD70?

-Ted

 

[Engineercub]

Well I got the 836 Kadees for my Big MAC but it says on the Kadee site that I would need to tap the screw hole and I don't have a tapping drill and have never done this procedure. If someone can explain this or a way around it I would be most greatful. Ideally I would like to install the snowplow on the front of my Big MAC without having to cut it. Can this be done and if so would it have any drawbacks? Thanks guys you are the best ^^ HUGS

-Will

 

[NTCGRR]

go to your local hardware store , show them what you need and they can sale you the right size bit for the screw, a simple tap to thread the holes and the thingy to hold the tap. i usually just use my drill very slowly tap out the threads, then back it out.
I have maybe 3 taps all set with bits to match. once you get set up then its another step into master modeler -hood.

I'd go take a photo of it for you but I have my speedo on and ready for bed. Its cold out.

 

[Nicholas Savatgy]

Posted By Engineercub on 03/10/2009 7:31 PM
Well I got the 836 Kadees for my Big MAC but it says on the Kadee site that I would need to tap the screw hole and I don't have a tapping drill and have never done this procedure. If someone can explain this or a way around it I would be most greatful. Ideally I would like to install the snowplow on the front of my Big MAC without having to cut it. Can this be done and if so would it have any drawbacks? Thanks guys you are the best ^^ HUGS

-Will


Dude.... HUGS WTF? we dont do hugs here!!!!!!!

JUST KIDDING BUT IF I WERE TO TRY TO HUG ONE OF MY CLUB MEMBERS, I WOULD GET KNOCKED THE F...... OUT. any way ,if you run the screw you received with your couplers into the mount before mounting the kadee you will be fine and not need a tap...

 

[Nicholas Savatgy]

Posted By NTCGRR on 03/10/2009 7:56 PM I'd go take a photo of it for you but I have my speedo on and ready for bed. Its cold out.


Marty,
Not something i want to picture before dinner... thank you.................. he he he

 

[Engineercub]

I tried that Nick, it didn't work T_T

-Will

 

[Nicholas Savatgy]

Posted By Engineercub on 03/10/2009 8:27 PM
I tried that Nick, it didn't work T_T

-Will


Will,
I have 11 of them and no problems as of yet