Bachmann 20' Box car 1:20.3

Madman

Madman

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The knuckle couplers on these cars are body mounted, if I am not mistaken. Can I mount hook and loop couplers on these cars and will they be at the correct elevation to mate with LGB rolling stock?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/G-20-BOXCAR-LITTLE-RIVER-LUMBER-CO-BAC95355-NIB-/131060296884?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item1e83cd6cb4
 
Last 2 of those I had were def not. 1 20 3. Be carefull, that's a lot of cash for the older bachmanns, which is what that looks like.
 
They are not the ones I am looking at. I was at a train show, this past weekend, and a guy had four Cripple Creek box cars for $125.00. It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I'm supposed to meet him and pick them up tomorrow.
 
Unfortunately my boxcars are in storage at the moment, but I have fitted hook and loop couplings to one of this type of boxcar and I do not recall any problem with coupling height. The only issue I had is that there is nothing to lock the body mounted coupler in the straight position so they are prone to be pushed out of line but it has not been a problem in use.
 
Without a picture of the actual items or a product code it is difficult to tell. If they are of the "Big Hauler" type with their generic bogie type coupler mount I would have thought this would not be a problem. If they are "Spectrum" items with their bogie type and body mount couplers, althought the price would suggest they are not, then it is not a straight fit but achievable. I have seen a rake of Spectrum 2 bay hoppers fitted with LGB hook and loop couplers but it was not a pretty sight.

The Spectrum items wagons come with two different knuckle coupler sets, one to mate to standard 1:20.3 Kadee/AMS coupler height and another set to go to "Big Hauler" height spec, that is also used as standard by some of the earlier Spectrum locos - Shay, Heisler, Climax, etc' - and offered as an option set on the newer Spectrum locos. If not to a spec height and knuckle type only could you not set up a match wagon between them and the rest of a train's conist ?
Max.
 
As I don`t yet have the cars I have posted a picture of it`s closest relative. 

 

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The 20' 1/20.3 boxcars ARE scale...if your modeling Maine 2 foot gauge railways.


Otherwise they are undersized for normal 3 foot gauge stock. Just compare them to a AML or Bachmann 1/20.3 Spectrum car, you could fit the 20' car body inside the Spectrum body.


???


Couplers are stock Bachmann knuckles, at least mine were, swapping to hooks should be a straight swap
 
Just picked them up from the seller. Nice size. Smaller than a normal boxcar. So they fit my railway scheme nicely. The knuckle couplers are body mounted. I'll have more time later to see how to fit the hook and loop couplers.
 
OK, enough of this Chicken Little stuff. Someone on LSC suggested swapping out the trucks for trucks that already have hook and loop couplers. So that's what I did. I have some Bachmann short gondolas of the same genre. I simply took their Archbar trucks and installed them on the box cars. Viola!
 
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