Model Railroading > Replacing Couplers on Atlas 50' Berwick Boxcar.

Recently on a trip to the Hobby Shop I picked up this IC 50' Berwick Boxcar from Atlas. This is car is sold under the Atlas Master Series of rolling stock and it is a very nice model, good details and metal wheels. The one draw back is the couplers. This car was at one time one of the old Branch line Kits and after the purchase of the Branch line rolling stock assets this car is now offered as an assembled ready to run model. The car comes equipped with Accumate Couplers from AccuRail and in my opinion aren't the best, so I want to swap them out for Kadee #58s. As I removed the trucks I realized that the sill is heavily glued to the under frame of the car. In order to replace the couplers on this car the sill needs to be removed so you can access the lid to coupler box which sits below the underside of the car and on top of the coupler box itself. Due to all the glue it is impossible to remove the sill, with a little help from an X-Acto #11 and a #17 Chisel Blade I was able to remove the stock coupler box taking care not to damage small detail parts on the under body of the car. Once removed I drill out a new hole for 2-56 screw and used a few pieces of Styrene as shims to get the coupler height right and then remounted the new Kadee coupler box into place. I hope this post helps for anyone who has picked up these cars and ran into the same problem that I had.

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It is a shame what you have to do to make
a car RTR.

Uncle Joe
Seffner,Fl.

Do the whisker shank couplers fit without making that major modification? I have an Atlas Railbox Berwick box car.

Cheers, Jim Fitch

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> Do the whisker shank couplers fit without making
> that major modification? I have an Atlas Railbox
> Berwick box car.
>
> Cheers, Jim Fitch


I didnt use the Whisker couplers, I don't see why they wouldn't work, I used an #11 X-Acto blade to score the back of the coupler box several times. Then used a chisel blade and very carefully rocked it back and forth applying light pressure till the blade cut its way all the through the coupler box/sill and then cleaned it up with a file.

Well, if you're going to remove the coupler boxes you might as well install a Moloco draft gear along with the new couplers.

I asked about whisker couplers because if they drop in, I can avoid an unnecessary step of removing the stock draft gear box.

Cheers, Jim

SPDRGWfan Wrote:
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> I asked about whisker couplers because if they
> drop in, I can avoid an unnecessary step of
> removing the stock draft gear box.
>
> Cheers, Jim


You might run the risk of breaking the gear box trying to bend it down or bending the plastic where you're coupler height might be effected.

> I asked about whisker couplers because if they
> drop in, I can avoid an unnecessary step of
> removing the stock draft gear box.

Branchline coupler box lids are against the floor, not on the bottom of the sill. When the sill is in place, the lids aren't accessible. Back in the days of modeling that was an asset in that the lid didn't fall off and drop couplers. Nor was the dome of a giant screw visible from a low side view. Now that our model making is done by Chinese teenagers simple repairs and changes aren't simple.

AmtHog Wrote:
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> You might run the risk of breaking the gear box
> trying to bend it down or bending the plastic
> where you're coupler height might be effected.

I usually try to adjust coupler height by other means than bending things. If couplers are too low, then Kadee fiber washers often work to raise the body slightly between the trucks and the bolsters. If the offset is more extreme, Kadee makes offset couplers, where height is offset up or down.

My primary question, which I'll answer for myself eventually when I get a work bench set back up (I just moved house) is: do whisker couplers drop into the Atlas Berwick draft gear boxes gracefully. Some have commented on some freight cars that old school Kadee #5 with the bronze spring won't fit into some Atlas freight car draft gear boxes, but the whisker couplers will as they can fit into a narrower draft gear box. I have a supply of standard Kadee's and whisker Kadee's in my parts box.

Cheers, Jim Fitch



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/17 07:34 by SPDRGWfan.