G`day Folks, Welcome to Gormo`s Shed. This episode tackles the problem of the outdated, over-sized Lima tension lock couplings. I have found through experience, that if you have a mixture of tension lock couplings on your rolling stock..ie Hornby, Mainline, Lima, Bachmaan,.... that even though they all employ the same method of operation, they are not all necessarily 100% compatible. Especially when it comes to uncoupling. Different coupling hook lengths and bar lengths and shapes make uncoupling tedious using the usual methods. To my way of thinking, the answer to this dilemma is to standardize the couplings you have on your railway, be that tension locks, Kadees, Sprat and Winkle etc. etc. etc...or whatever... To that end, I have chosen small Bachmaans for my railway as part of my standardization program. The video below takes us through the process of converting an old Lima Restaurant Coach. Gormo
In addition to the above...!!!!!! I moved on this afternoon to a couple of old Hornby coaches. The type where they rivet the large tension lock coupling onto the bogies. The rivet has to be ground flat on one end and then pushed through. A replacement Bachmaan can then be fitted without too much trouble by once again using a self tapping screw... You may notice the holes in the new coupling have been opened up a bit to gain a closer fit. They were not intended for these models. The coaches couple closer now and look better in my opinion These coaches are a bit knocked about, but they have been around for a good many years and they still make a pleasing site connected together as a train. Gormo
Interesting video Gormo, it reminds me of when I built some of the Dapol kit coaches. I fitted them with the Keen close coupling system. I used them between the coaches but replaced the tension locks on the outer ends of the end coaches with Mainline types. They are sort of in between the old Lima size and the newer Bachmann. Looking at the wheelsets on the Lima coaches, the wheel flanges will cause problems if they were run on finer scale, code 75, track. If anyone was considering changing them for a finer wheel you need to know that the axles are shorter (if I remember correctly) and I needed to swop the wheels from the new sets (I used Hornby) to the Lima axles. Obviously you will need to re gauge the wheels after. Alan Gibson does a replacement set using axles the correct length. Cheer's, Pete.
Thanks Pete... Yes the flanges are quite deep on Lima........that`s why they never derail on code 100, but as you say, could cause issues on fine scale track. Gormo
Nice one. For the Lima and Mainline coaches, SouthEastern Finecast still flush glazing. http://www.sefinecast.co.uk/Flushglaze Windows/Flushglaze Windows Table.htm Paul
Excellent Gormo. Now we need a video on fitting Kadees to Lima, Bachmann, Mainline, Hornby and Dapol stock ! Cheers, Gary.