# AMS Jackson & Sharp coach coupler mount mod.



## Wayne Spence (Jan 15, 2008)

Hello all,
As you know, there has been some failling of these coupler mounts due to impact or mishandling. 
So far I have not had a problem with the coupler mounting, but I suspect that this is due the fact that I switch cars with little force and haven't dropped a car on it's end yet.

With just a little work, it is possible to reinforce the coupler mounting post so there is very little likelihood of it breaking away.










Turned the car over and used a scrap of styrene to "dam" the rear of the coupling mount area and sealed any small gaps with modelling clay.











I than filled the space with 2 part casting resin (polyurethane), took a minute or two to set up and removed the clay.







This is not a fix for a broken mount, but more of a reinforcing of the coupler mounting box.
Don't think there will be a chance of a breakaway now. 

Regards

Wayne


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## FH&PB (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: AMS Jackson & Sharp coach coupler mount mod.*

Good idea, Wayne. That is probably the fix that Accucraft should have built into the car, now that you bring it up. 

Personally, I thought the earlier comment about the Kadees with fixed shanks hinted at the best solution: replacing the fixed coupler with a Kadee that has a sprung shank. (Sorry, I don't know the numbers offhand.) Those things tend to surge a bit with heavy cars, so it would also require doubling the springs or putting in a stiffer spring. Either way, the mounting post would suffer less stress, and those mounting bars look to be perfect for a Kadee adaptation.


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Great idea! Quick and easy.


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## Wayne Spence (Jan 15, 2008)

Thanks Vance, I have some of those sprung long shank KD couplers on hand, so I will swapout the existing and see how they workout.
I use these KD's on the long Pullman cars and they work fine.










Wayne


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## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: AMS Jackson & Sharp coach coupler mount mod.*

Dang Wayne, if that looked any more real I'd ask how you shrink 1:1 down to 1:20.3  Very nice! 

Thanks for the coupler reinforcing tip.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Posted By FH&PB on 02/25/2008 9:41 AM
... and those mounting bars look to be perfect for a Kadee adaptation.


I was thinking that too--and it would work quite nicely. I thought that brass pin could serve as an anchor for the rear hole in a standard G-scale coupler pocket (#830) but it's set back around 1/8" too far. I've no earthly idea why that pin exists. 

My solution was a bit more drastic, involving cutting off the entire end platform and building a new one in its place. Probably a bit overkill for most.

Later,

K


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Wayne,
What a nifty idea and it takes the bumping load off the plastic stud. I plan to do it to my cars. By the way, my Big Bear Steam Railway started passenger service today with a string of JS cars. I added a stock car so first day riders could take their horses. I like the JS cars a lot. See the run nere:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=98fO93YjeKE


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## Wayne Spence (Jan 15, 2008)

Kevin,
That brass pin is a stop for the truck swing, if the pin wasn't there, the truck would rotate 360 degrees.
I took care not to block the pin with the styrene "dam", as this would reduce the truck swing.
 









The brass pin can be clearly seen in this photo stopping the front beam of the truck from swinging right around.
Wayne


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

*RE: AMS Jackson & Sharp coach coupler mount mod.*

Ahh, makes perfect sense. Thanks. 

Later, 

K


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## weaverc (Jan 2, 2008)

Because I had no resin in the shop, I chose to use wood to fill the space behind the coupler mounting pin. I cut little blocks with my Proxxon table saw that fit snugly in the hole, but not tight. I filed a curved indent on the end against the post with a 3.25mm round file. I tacked the block in the space with a small dab of Goop on the back and on the side against the floor. The whole job for 5 cars took about 30 minutes. I plan to make a similar block for the smaller space tomorrow.


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

*RE: AMS Jackson & Sharp coach coupler mount mod.*

Carl, 

I'm sure 2-part epoxy will do a great job of filling that void, though you might need a lot of it!  Another option might be a styrene plate with a hole in it that completely fills the hole above the coupler.  If it is glued all round, it should support the coupler-mount in all directions.  

Just speculating - I'm still waiting for my coach...


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