I posted this on the old board yesterday, but I'll try it again:
Does anybody have any experience replacing the couplers on this engine with MT's? Their website offers no help. I understand the MDT is a good running switcher but those crapidos....
In the last 40+ years manufacturers have raised the bar on so many things, (performance, detail, etc..) I find it hard to understand why the don't give those toy train couplers the heave-ho.
Franz T
I would like to get the MDT switcher also.
I thought all Bachmann n scale products were now comming with their new dummy knuckle coupler.
Perhaps the Bach Man can clarify.
Dear All,
We're in the transition phase, much as the forum...
I believe at some point soon they'll all have the new couplers.
Have fun!
the Bach-man
Hi Franz,
This link may help you:
http://www.nscale.net/Article223.html
That is indeed good news. The knuckle coupler on the FM 16-44 work just fine with mt's. I put MT's on a Model Power Plymouth when I first changed away from rapidos and that was a major PITA. Plus it still runs like crap. I guess I'll just wait until B'mann changes over to knuckle couplers..
Franz T
I haven't seen the new couplers yet, but I heard they are very reliable.
Do they work with Accumates? Thanks!
Ben!
Thanks for the link. It looks a whole lot easier than I thought it would be.
Time to order one.. The new couplers kind of look like the ones MDC used to have, with the difference that they stay coupled (unlike the MDC's) They work with accumates as well as with Microtrains. The only downside is that if you use magnetic uncouplers ( I don't) they will not uncouple, not having a trip pin or a split shank...
Franz T
The MTL 1133 is a T shank coupler. Included is an adapter chip that goes into the coupler box.
Bachmann's new couplers may replace the Caboose Hobbies Unimates. They were a good nonoperating T shank coupler. For some applications, you could simply twist them into place & reuse the old coupler spring. I'd have to see how high/ low the new couplers are. I hope we don't have to shim them. Most MTL trucks come with a plastic washer that go in between the truck & the car bolster to rase it up just a bit.
As with any new product, some of the Bachmann's new coupler may need a bit of trimming to get them to work. Depends on how much flash must be cut from the molds. :o
Wow this new forum has plenty of new features to play with!
No problem Franz, glad to help.
I'm hoping Bachmann can make some more switchers, such as the GE 70 tonner.
1133 used to be almost universal for B-mann equipment. If you are going to work with these; buy the coupler tweezers; they are a necessity for 1133.
The plastic box version of these is the only decent version of this put out by any manufacturer. Its only drawback is one that plagues all short wheelbase N scale power: it stalls on plastic frog switches. This is not a manufacturing flaw; it is just how it is. To get around this there are a few choices:
1) You can use only metal frog switches. This may require much extra wiring
2) You can hardwire an electrically live car to the locomotive. This is the solution that I usually choose for my shorter wheelbase power. If you are only going to use the Industrial diesel to shunt; it is no big deal to hardwire any car to it. The Kato North American caboose is all wheels live. Kato also sells several JNR brakemen's vans that with a minimum amount of work can be bashed into convincing appearing North American industrial hacks.
3) You can hardwire two together. You can get away with this better on diesels than on steam. This is the solution that I chose for the new Bachpersonn MDT switcher.
4) You can use a powered boxcar. The old Life-Like split metal frame FA-2s are out there at many shows for bargain prices; I have seen them for as little as twenty-five dollars the A-B pair; in the less popular roads; of course. Since all that interests you is the power chassis; chose the cheapest road name that you can find. With a minimum of work; the Atlas fifty foot boxcar shell will go nicely onto this chassis. You now have an easy to make cheater car. The old plastic frame LL FA also works well. Either one has enough OOMPH to shove a stalled switcher over the dead spots with the stall barely noticed; if at all. I use this more with steam or with depowered switchers (fried motors and such). A well broken in LL
0-6-0T has similar DC throttle response to the LL FA. The advantage of this is that you are not confined to shunting. You can run the switcher around the cheater car for the return trip if you choose this option. Of course you will have to give the throttle a little kick as the switcher approaches the plastic frog to get it across without its 1-4-0 helper. You can also hardwire the switcher to the cheater; if you so desire.
(The comma key on this keyboard is broken; so I must use the semi-colon in its place)
Oh; and about those knuckle couplers on the FM H16-44: they sit too low. Please address this on subsequent releases; Mr. B-mann. Other than that; the new H16-44 is a pretty good locomotive. Clearly it ain't the old Standard Line.
I too had one of the first Plymouth MDTs but mine ran poorly. And the stalling thru the turnouts drove me crazy --- unless you ran it at a high speed. I made a slug out of a dead Mehano GP30 in order to improve electrical pickup and hard wired it to the Plymouth. That helped but the Plymouth still had problems especially with low speed starts and slow speeds. And then it quit; brushes burned out. Today, it sits outside the repair shop as a yard engine with a headlite on and the engineer leaning out of the cab. Lee
Bachmann N scale turnouts have metal frogs, do they?
http://www.nscale.net/mod-photoshare-showimages-fid-291.html
One more question: does the MDT have all wheel drive orr 4 wheel drive?
Ben,
I just got one from MB Klein and it has 6 whell drive.
Franz T
The 6 wheel drive will give it all wheel drive. AFAIK there s/b a set of truck gears to get power out. Due to the short wheelbase, you may want to run & wire 2 units together to get better 12 wheel contact.
I may just run it in tandem with my Model Power Plymouth. My main concern is stalling on frogs, so one should shove the other past the dead spots. I took a look at the MP one (although MP identifies it as a WDT) and it appears to be a Mehano product as most of Model Powers diesels of that era. It runs surprisingly well, though (unusual for something made by Mehano. ) Does anybody know if Mehano is still in business, or did they get bombed into oblivion during the Balkan wars? I recall seing a bombed out Yugo assembly line on TV during the 90's; a friend of mine had one of those abominations, so I called her to let her know that we got "some" revenge in for her... ;D ;D
Franz T
Thanks for the reply Franz, I may get one later on...
If your Mehano runs that well; you may get away with hardwiring the two together. These things have street prices that are so low that it does not hurt to buy a pair and hardwire them together. If anyone has an old one with a fried motor; if you remove the motor; the contact wipers will remain. You can run jumpers from the Bachmann to the wipers on the depowered locomotive.
There is also the choice of a 'live' car.
While some may consider the Kato North American caboose a bit pricey for this; you can find many of the 'live' Kato and Micro-Ace JNR brakemen's vans at shows for twelve or ten dollars (or even less). One of those bashed into an industrial hack looks more convincing with the MDT; anyhow. Some of them have tool compartments and other such things that you might expect to find on an industrial hack.
I'm not sure if Mehano is still in business or not. They uses to be a supplier for most MP diesels. With the demise of Minitrix & Mehano, MP may have been forced to find a new factory to do their models.
Another 6 wheeler to look for is the LifeLike Little Joe 0-6-0T switcher. I don't know if it uses the ame motor or not? LL sells a lot of Little Joe's in $50 sets with a few freight cars. It seems like that loco has been around forever.
I always thought that set came with Power-Loc track, but I guess I was wrong.
The LL 0-6-0T is a much better locomotive than most people think. It requires EXTENSIVE break-in; more than any other power that I have owned. Once it is well broken in; it is a good creeper. It does suffer from that plague of all short-wheelbase N scale power: stalling at slow speeds on plastic frog switches.
I had hardwired a couple to live cars; but found that a better solution was to use a cheater boxcar. I make my cheaters out of LL split metal frame FA-2s and older Atlas fifty foot boxcars. The Atlas shell will go onto a LL frame with a minimum of sanding and knife work. Some strip styrene and the good glue of your choice will make a mounting platform for MT couplers (you could also use MT coupler mounting screws in place of the glue; as many people tend to accumulate these over the years. You would have to find a way to camouflage the screwheads; possibly).
The LL FA chassis has enough OOMPH to it to push the LL 0-6-0T along when it hits a stall point (such as a plastic frog) so that it is hardly noticeable that the locomotive stalled. You can also run the locomotive around the cheater when it is time for the return trip. Of course; you must kick it up; for a moment; to an unprototypical speed to jump the plastic frog; but that is livable.
There is also the option to hardwire the cheater to the locomotive; if you really must. A VERY well broken in LL 0-6-0T has about the same throttle response as the FA-2.
I had no problem installing MT couplers in my MDT. I also got a decoder in it. I agree it will stall on plastic frogs, but I use all-metal frogs and my NTRAK club uses metal frogs as well. Otherwise, it just creeps along and pulls a respectable number of cars for its size!
I haven't had much luck with the LL 0-6-0. It is a great runner, but there's NO getting a decoder into the shell. I have seen articles where folks have used the LL mechanism to make small articulateds, &c. I am going to try and make a camelback out of mine. Maybe then there will be some room for a decoder!
Hardwiring the small locomotives to an electrically live car may be one solution for using them on DCC pikes. You can put the decoder into the live car. If you only use the locomotive for shunting, that is not that big a deal. I do not use DCC, so I do not have that worry.
The small power does perform fine on pikes with metal frog switches.
Ben Wang-
Bmann turnouts have metal frogs, at least on their E-Z track turnouts their E-Z track is very reliable i really like it....on bad thing is the connections are a little weak
Thanks for the reply!
Has anyone gotten a DCC controller into an MDT?
I would like to get the MDT as a switcher, but I want it DCC.
Quote from: ben_not_benny on February 06, 2007, 05:50:42 PM
One more question: does the MDT have all wheel drive orr 4 wheel drive?
Yup 6 wheel drive. I am also planning to use the #1133 coupler for mine.
As has bees said, electrofrogs are a must for this one if you plan to run it slowly otherwise it stalls alot. Finally if anyone is trying to convert this deisel to DCC i have done so and would be happy to take a couple of pictures of the adaptions ive made to the split frame chassis to accomadate a decoder.
these locos are great runners. I take them apart ,clean them and regrease and oil them and they run smooth and quiet on ntop of that they pull a ton.These locos are a great value -highly recommend them