bachmann to tyco couplers/controllers

[ALCO0001]

Some of the old tyco cars are unique and a good thing to practice your skill to build them up , there is no such thing as junk ,just some are better then others and we as model railroader that have acquired skills through trial and error and I myself would emphasize error , but we learn from that and it is a good thing to build rather then just RTR .So rater then per say throw the junk out like some would say  and many would agree ,take a little time and look over some old articles from model railroader or any of the others to see what can be done building some of these older jems .Some of them seems to have good detail but is covered up with a scale 3 inches of paint.I have dunked a few in a jar of brake fluid to strip them down to find a very good mold to start ,add couplers wheels , trucks ,paint and decal and the reward is great in having something unique that nobody else has and that you did it yourself!Also if it is a good runner that is what matters in the hobby .
jACK

[Len]

jbrock27 - Unfortunately the LL knucles use plastic springs. So don't park a train going down hill, so the couplers are pushed open, and leave it over night. The spring will take a set, and not keep the knucle closed. Sort of like the original EZ-Mate couplers. Other than that, they work fine until you get around to upgrading to body mounted couplers. Even backing moves are less likely to derail than using horn-hooks.

ALCO0001 - Couldn't agree more. If nothing else, you don't have to worry about practicing your modeling techniques on a $1 Tyco car before getting into upgrading old Bachmann, Athearn, etc.

Len

[jbrock27]

Some may be Jack, as I have said as much, but sorry to disagree, but there is such a thing as junk.
Try using 91% Isopropyl Alchohol as a paint stripper, it works very well on plastic Athearn loco bodies.  Don't know why it would not work on plastic car bodies.

Thanks Len ; one added reason to pass on them.

[Doneldon]

...while I dont use them as much, I wanted a passenger train so I got older Athearn cars where I got 4 for 35 bucks. sure, the quality was far lower than newer equipment both in looks and running style, however i felt that laying out 200+ dollars for four coaches was way too much.

Irb-

Believe it or not, this is a time to be looking at brass! While Walthers asks $60-70-80 for plastic cars (no lights or interiors on most), you can usually find Balboa, Soho, Westside or other brands of brass passenger cars on eBay. These have great factory paint, lights and seats. Most will have adequate metal trucks and wheels but no couplers. On occasion, you might find Central Valley trucks with snap off bolster mounts. I've often seen five-car sets in the $100 area. The Tenshodo "shortie" lightweights can be found for around $10 each.

Heavyweights (Lambert or equivalent) usually cost more. Forty dollars per car isn't unheard of, but you will likely need trucks and couplers at that price point. And the heavies are unlikely to be factory painted or even painted at all.

These older brass models are unquestioningly superior to plastic in detail, paint an operating characteristics, especially the lightweights. They are also much more durable. Don't expect Coach Yard, W and R, Overland, Division Point or Glacier Park level models at these prices (or anything Harriman for some reason) but you'll find lots of cars to make a sleek lightweight train for a very reasonable price. You won't find everything everyday, of course, but some careful shopping and a little patience can really pay off.
               -- D

[Irbricksceo]

Wow, who knew brass ever became economical! I've often admired some of the nicer brass Locomotives, They sit on my list of things I would love to be able to have.

I'm enjoy Wiley's ongoing post where he shows his layout, he's done some great things with older models, both locomotives/rolling stock and scenery. I didn't know Tyco ever made Locomotives with any sort of quality actually, I had an old tyco I acquired for free and it could barely pull itself!

I will say this, if you are going to do any sort of upgrades, go for the metal wheels. The difference in what you can pull and the smoothness of operation is obvious. The coaches I got are an excellent example. Each axle has one metal wheel and one plastic wheel. This was for lighting kits. These cars make a lot of noise and are nowhere near as free-rolling  as my freight cars. My SY 2-8-2 can't haul three of em on level track yet it can easily deal with my silver series freight cars.

[wiley209]

They are designed to be direct replacements for the horn-hooks with the small mounting hole use in old Bachmann, Tyco, Life-Like, etc. cars with talgo mounted horn-hook couplers. For Tyco, and a couple of others, you need to clip 1/16" - 1/8" off the end of the whiskers to fit the coupler box correctly and not bind.

Len

Yep, I learned that was the case for TYCO and the Hong Kong-made Life-Like cars. For A.H.M., newer Life-Like and I.H.C. cars you don't need to do any trimming. Though I haven't really been able to install them on the old Bachmann cars yet; their horn-hook couplers have an odd-sized hole that's held in by a screw.

I remember another problem serious model railroaders have with TYCO's freight cars is how some came in fictional brand names and such. The only one I have for layout use is a Baby Ruth reefer, like this:


Though to be fair, during this time Bachmann also had similar cars showing off brands like that. But that was when TYCO was one of Bachmann's biggest rivals.

[Irbricksceo]

Interestingly, while having box cars like that is incorrect, Reefer cars from that era would perfectly at home. Reefers were usually privately owned by companies that specialized in them and had ads for the companies using them on their sides. In the 30's, the ICC banned those ads.

[Len]

Wiley,

For the old Bachmann cars with the odd size hole in the horn hook, drill out the Life-Like coupler mounting hole. There's enough extra plastic around the hole to do it.

I haven't done one in a while, so don't remember the drill size off the top of my head. If you have a set of 'number' drill bits, find the one with a shank that just fits the LL coupler mounting hole. Use the next larger size to drill out the hole, and the Bachmann mounting screws should fit. If not, go up one more size.

Len

[jbrock27]

The above Baby Ruth car is a perfect example of a car with filled/molded in stirrups.  It totally takes away any redeeming qualities the car may have had.  If anyone can tell me how to improve that look w/o spending as much as the car cost, I am all ears.

[Len]

The above Baby Ruth car is a perfect example of a car with filled/molded in stirrups.  It totally takes away any redeeming qualities the car may have had.  If anyone can tell me how to improve that look w/o spending as much as the car cost, I am all ears.

You need a pin vice, small drill bit, and jewelers file set. Combine with a bit of patience, and voila! Open stirrups.

If you're in a hurry, and have a lot of those type cars, a mini-drill press used at low speed is handy. But not absolutely essential.

Len

[jbrock27]

Thank you Len.  That was my initial thought, thanks for confirming.  It is possible to use a hobby knife, #11 blade, to do some trimming after the initial hole is made?

[jbrock27]

I didn't know Tyco ever made Locomotives with any sort of quality actually...

Brick, you didn't know bc they are so understandably rare

[Len]

Thank you Len.  That was my initial thought, thanks for confirming.  It is possible to use a hobby knife, #11 blade, to do some trimming after the initial hole is made?

You might be able to drill a hole in each corner, then score between the holes with the #11 blade and clean up with the files. Since I ran a train repair shop for 14 years, I invested in one of those mini-drill presses a while back. With that I just drill rows of holes around the edges, trim a bit with a knife, and clean up with the files.

Even when doing it by hand, I take the body off and use a block of wood as a "backer" when I'm drilling to keep the stirrup from snapping off.

Len

[jbrock27]

Thank you again Len.  Yes, when I do work on this, I planned on using a piece of wood for a backer.  A good suggestion.