Model Railroading > Changing Couplers - Intermountain Reefers

Hello Team TO: 

I have 4 Intermountain PFE reefers that I would like to change couplers on from the scale ones they come with to Kadee's, either 5's or 148's.  I cannot figure out how to get access to the 
coupler boxes after taking out the one screw on the bottom that seemed like it was the key to doing so.  Does anyone have experience with Intermountain's 57' reefers and changing couplers that could
explain how to do so without breaking the fine details these cars have. 

One example is 48812-16, car PFE 460346.  This car was bought online and listed as new but did not come with any parts diagram - not sure if Internountain includes one or not.  Is it possible that there is no access
to the coupler box?  That would be a new one to me (literally have changed hundreds of couplers on Athearns, Walthers, and others)  but I am not familiar with this brand to begin with.

Thanks in advance,

SkokieSwift

I think you have to take off the truck and bolster/underframe end..

The couplers are accessed by removing the trucks and bolsters then separating the top and bottom parts of the bolsters.

In the instructions for the undecorated kits, Intermountain recommends Kadee 78 couplers. Of course those instrructions are from 2009.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/30/25 18:48 by EricSP.

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Thanks, I'll try that.