Bachmann Car Coupler Height Issue with other Brand Cars

[RailMan63]

Hi,guys! I just finished building and painting, my San Juan Car Company D&RGW 3000 Series On30 box Car.

I noticed that the box cars' coupler pocket is a bit higher than the Bachmann On30 cars couplers are .

This poses a problem ,as that means that the San Juan Car Company freight cars, and long caboose ,will not be the same height with the couplers on my BLI #268 D&RGW 2-8-0 Consolidations' couplers either.
I bought the SJCC D&GW 3000 Series box car ,and the D&RGW round roof long caboose specifically for the #268.
The instructions that came with both SJCC cars recommend installing Kadee 803 couplers on these cars.

Now it appears that they will not mate up with it without modifications to the coupler pockets on both of these cars.
I expect that the same issue will exist with the SJCC D&RGW Flanger, and D&RGW Stock car kits that I'm planning on adding at a later date.
So, any ideas on what would work best to lower the couplers on the SJCC cars to match the Bachmann cars?
I'm thinking on layering some thin plastic sheeting in the coupler pockets until I get them to match the Bachmann cars.
I think that will work, but I'm not sure.
Video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whBgIgluvPc

[Ton N]

Those cars were initially made for 0n3.
the coupler height for 0n3 is higher than for 0n30.
The Kadee 803 couplers are also bigger than the 0n30 couplers.
0n30 uses H0 couplers.
You better use Kadee ol'#5 couplers with shims to get the right height.

Ton

[RailMan63]

Thank you, Ton. I originally was thinking about using the ol' Kadee 5 for these cars. Much cheaper, and they're my go-to for the H.O. scale cars in my collection, and they mate up just fine with the On30 trains,as well.
Thanks again!

[Ton N]

if you look at the history of 0n30 you will find that before Bachmann found it commercially interesting, builders took H0 material and converted them to 0 scale.
That's why 0n30 uses H0 couplers.
The EZ mate coupler by Bachmann are the plastic version of Kadee after their patent ended.

Ton

[RailMan63]

That's what I kind of thought about the Kadee vs Bachmann. Despite their similarities, I still find Kadee to be the better,less expensive choice in couplers for the On30 and HO scale trains.
I've been thinking about changing my G Scale trains over to the Kadee 907,but that will get rather expensive ! I'm currently using Aristocraft,and Bachmann hook and loop couplers on most of those cars since they don't detach from each other as easily, or as often, as the knuckle couplers do.
LGB knuckle couplers, while very expensive, seem to hold as good as Kadee couplers do, and they look better,in my opinion. I have 2 cars,and one loco/tender that I've converted to the LGB style coupler, and they never seem to fail.

[Ton N]

years ago i converted a Little Big Haulers caboose into a more realistic model.
https://www.amerikaanse-treinen.nl/forum/index.php?topic=352.msg7951#msg7951
Have a look at the pictures.
I used Accucraft couplers #11730.

[efehser]

Coupler height,and preference for, is one of the things that rears its ugly head often in On30 groups. Most agree to disagree and drop the subject.
Most times preference ends up based on prototype, if any, being modeled. Eastern profiles tender toward smaller and lower. The Rio Grande in particular went higher and larger, not least because of occasional hookups in the dual gauge areas.

Bachmann, and I would imagine BLI, locomotives are difficult at best to raise coupler height. Major surgery is usually required. My suggestion for your 268 would be to use an underset shank coupler to raise the head, and then put an extended knuckle on said coupler.

Interesting fact- Kadee #5 head couplers WILL mate with Kadee S/On3 couplers (803 etc)

[Ton N]

Interesting fact- Kadee #5 head couplers WILL mate with Kadee S/On3 couplers (803 etc)

Yes , I have a rake of AMS cars (803) and go with Bachmann 2-8-0's (EZ mate couplers)
It's a bit of a forced marriage , you need some force.

Ton

[RailMan63]

I've come up with an action plan for mating these diverse cars together. The box car will be a dual coupler transition car that will have a Kadee #5 coupler installed on one end in order to mate up with the tender(or other On30 Bachmann cars) of any On30 locomotive that's currently in my collection.
The other end will receive a Kadee #803 coupler. The remaining On30 cars that I plan on buying from SJCC, as kits, and one RTR stock car,will receive the Kadee #803 as designed by the maker of these cars.
This will make my job much easier,as I will not have to a make and install shims, or make any modifications to the cars.
Might look a little funny to some, but I believe that it will work well for running these trains.
Thanks guys!

[RailMan63]

Hi, guys! Here's a link to a video that I just posted on my youtube channel.
It's of yy Bachmann 2-6-0 and BLI #268 D&RGW 2-8-0 Consolidation running together.
The 2-6-0 is hauling a string of 7 cars that includes the 3 cars that were original to the Roaring Ridge set that I bought earlier this year, plus a 4th Bumblebee coach car(#294) that I bought online( and received today), and the 3 other cars that I bought separately and repainted in Pullman Green. Those cars have been relettered for the D&RG RR using San Juan Decals in Gold Leaf.
Those decals do look pretty great on the cars!
The #268 is pulling my newly completed, painted, and decorated San Juan Models 3000 Series D&RGW box car.
It had to have shims installed in the coupler pocket on one end to match the coupler height of the new  Bachmann freight cars that I bought to go with it.
The shims were made using 4 extra Kadee #5 draft gear box lids, which fit the coupler pockets after a small bit of modification.
The other end of the boxcar is going to have a Kadee #803 coupler placed in it, as I still have a San Juan Car Company D&RGW long caboose to build,plus a stock car, and flanger to buy and build. Doing the couplers this way will save a lot of time and effort.
All of the Bachmann freight carswere bought on Ebay. All were brand new, in the box,and unrun until today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOvuR729Q1o

Later!

[Ton N]

That looks impressive.
Some notes of attention; You speech is nearly drowned by the sound of the trains and your locomotives run much to fast.
The C16 is , what I have seen on small movie clips, at top speed.

Ton

[RailMan63]

Thanks, Ton! Yeah. I know that I had them running fast. But if I run them at slow speed, I think that people would get bored waiting for them to pass.
People lose attention when things are going slow!
So, I believe it's a necessary sin to fit the way I record them better.
As far as the speech issue goes, thank you for letting me know.I'll definitely have to work on it.
Later!