# Aristo 100 Ton Hopper & Body Mount Kadee Couplers



## Ted Doskaris (Oct 7, 2008)

This vignette is about Installing body mount Kadee 906 coupler assemblies on Aristo's 48 foot, 100 ton hopper car. (The same applies for using Kadee coupler assembly models 830 and 930 since coupler boxes are common with the new model 906.)

The Aristo Rock Island 100 ton hopper car will be used as an example. It is shown below having Kadee 906 coupler assemblies installed. 











*Car Floor Preparation*:

Assure all 4 screws located along the bottom spine of the car are tight. I found some of Aristo's 100 ton hopper car floor screws to be loose when I received the cars. 

Two holes in the floor strip for mounting the Kadee coupler box via its inline holes are to be drilled and tapped for no. 2-56 screws. The screws come with the Kadee coupler assemblies - though one longer screw will be needed as discussed later.

The hole nearest the outboard end of the car should be 0.250 inch as *measured from the seam line* as shown below. 








The inboard hole is to be located 0.0850 inch *from the outboard hole* so as to match the Kadee coupler box hole spacing.









A pin vise can be used for drilling the holes for the no. 2-56 screw as shown below.








Then use the tap for threading the holes for the no. 2-56 screws.










*
Floor Retaining "J" Clip Fabrication*:

The reason for fabricating a "J" clip is to assure proper floor alignment with the car's end by attaching the car's projecting plastic floor strips to the ends of the car. This also serves to prevent flexing of the floor strip when operating the car in long, heavy trains - particularly significant for the non brake wheel end of the car whose strip is flat and measures about 0.100 inch thick.

The brake wheel end of the car's plastic floor strip includes a molded-in brake valve assembly that dictates where the coupler box mounting screw hole locations are best placed; thus, the "J" clip clearance holes (discussed later) for the screws are positioned to correspond, accordingly.

I chose to place the threaded screw hole locations on the car floor so that they are about equally spaced on either side of the brake apparatus - straddling these protrusions with the underside shown below. 









The top side of the brake apparatus as seen below is with the screws showing. 









The screw locations result in the coupler box face being spaced from the end of the car by approximately 1/4 inch. In this regard, I used the same spacing for the simpler, non brake wheel end of the car for consistency.

With consideration given to realistic appearances, I examined various pictures of prototype 100 ton hopper cars, and they show the face of the coupler draft gear boxes to vary more-or-less as to how far the boxes are from the car's end (but not as much as a "Hydra Cushion" or "Shock Control" type car) - so the quarter inch or so scaled space of the model here is reasonably prototypical. 

To jump ahead a bit, the picture below shows the mounted Kadee coupler box projection: 










*"J" Clip Dimensional Drawing*:

Shown below is a drawing of the floor "J" clip.










"J" Clip Installation
The following pictures depict the "J" clip:









Note the inside spacing at the "J" is to be 0.210 inch. This is so it fits snugly as it wraps around the end of the car.

The long leg of the "J" clip also provides some of the shim height needed to properly space the coupler. (The Kadee coupler box assembly will need to be spaced a total of about 0.160 inches in order for the car to have the coupler align to the correct coupler height of the Kadee 880 gauge.)

For making the "J" clip, I purchased a sheet of 0.032 inch thick aluminum from Orchard Supply Hardware and cut and bent the pieces that were sheared from the sheet. The aluminum is easy to bend and drill as shown for the one to follow:

The "J" clip width should be from 0.500 inch to 0.525 inch max. as shown below.









The clip needs to have two 1/8 inch diameter clearance holes drilled so the no. 2-56 coupler box mounting screws will pass through without interference.
The "J" clip length should be about 1.35 inch *as measured from the inside* of the "J" end. 








The first hole should be placed 0.425 inch *from the inside edge *of J part of the clip, and the second hole is to be located 0.850 inch *from the first hole* so it matches the spacing of the Kadee box.









After completing the clip, push it on the end of the car so it is seated all the way in.
(If the clip is made correctly, it should have a snug fit. A few taps from a plastic mallet will assure it is fully seated.)








After seating the clip, the drilled and tapped holes in the car floor should be viewable through the clip's larger clearance holes. The clip may be sprung upward a bit, but when the coupler box is installed with shims and screwed down it will flatten out being it is made of soft aluminum.

*
Kadee Coupler Box Preparation & Car Mounting*:

Assemble all the parts into the Kadee boxes. The Kadee 830, 930, and 906 use the same coupler box. If desired, the exposed areas of the coupler boxes, mounting shims and "J" clip can be pre-painted to match the car before installation. 

In order for the Aristo 100 ton hopper car to best assure drag-free operation on 10 foot diameter curves (and also operate on tighter 8 foot diameter curves), the boxes' side mount hole areas must be beveled trimmed to allow the truck to pivot more fully.

As shown below, a file can be used to put an angular bevel on both sides of the coupler boxes.









The Kadee assembly can be held in a small vise whilst filing a bevel.









The coupler box assemblies are to be mounted using two Kadee 841, 1/16 inch shims sandwiched between the box and the car floor "J" clip. (Alternatively, a custom made singular 1/8 inch thick shim can be used.)









When mounting the boxes to the car, all but one of the Kadee supplied no. 2-56 stainless steel 0.700 inch long screws can be used. The exception is that a longer 0.900 inch screw is needed at the brake wheel end of the car for the rear of the coupler box. So a longer screw will have to be obtained. 


*Preparing the Car's Barber Trucks & Installation*:

The Aristo emulated roller bearing Barber trucks used on the 100 ton hopper must have their coupler tangs removed so the installed trucks won't interfere with the Kadee coupler boxes. 
As shown below, having removed the original Aristo knuckle coupler, a razor saw can be used to cut off the tang without needing to disassemble the truck.









The trucks can then be installed on the car. 









As shown below, note how the coupler box beveled areas allow a truck to pivot just enough more to facilitate car operation on an 8 foot diameter curve track.










*Coupler Height Alignment with Kadee 880 Reference Gauge*:

Shown below is the non brake wheel end of the Aristo Rock Island 100 ton hopper car.
The Kadee 906 coupler's horizontal seam line lines up perfectly with the Kadee 880 gauge coupler's seam line. 








Likewise for proper coupler alignment for the brake wheel end of the car as shown below.









BTW, the viewable areas of the "J" clip, spacers, and coupler box can be pre-painted prior to installation to match the car's color so as to appear more integral with the car.

The Missing Foot Stirrup - nothing to do with the Kadee couplers:
_
I know someone will notice and wonder about the black foot stirrup!_

As noticeable in some prior pictures, I received this particular car with a missing foot stirrup - apparently it having been broken off and lost. Since this was the last Rock Island car left, I did not want to return it, so I decided to try and fabricate a replacement stirrup from scratch by tracing a mirror image on a sheet of plastic backed with some painters tape. (It is my first attempt to do something like this.) 



























I CA glued the finished part in place. 









So it will need to be painted. I'll see if the part stays put; it seems sturdy enough for now, but should it come off I think at that time it can be trimmed to look better.

*
Some pictures of the Car with Installed Kadee 906 Couplers*:

Shown below is an end view of the car depicting the end of the "J" clip, the Kadee 841 1/16 inch spacers, and the coupler box with its coupler.









Note how the new Kadee 901 type coupler brass spring is no longer exposed but now installed within the interior of the coupler's mechanism.

The brake assembly end of the car can be seen below.









Shown below is the Aristo black "Club Car" of year 2001 coupled to the Rock Island car on the right - both having the Kadee 906 coupler assemblies installed.









Shown below is a side view of the completed car.










*Operation on Layout*:

The Aristo Rock Island 100 ton hopper example car with Kadee 906 coupler assemblies installed as described and previously shown operated flawlessly on my circuitous under house layout comprised of mostly 10 foot diameter curves. The car was placed on the front of a 61 car train pulled by two Aristo GP40s and one SD45 - it being coupled to the Aristo SD45.

Shown below is the Rock Island 100 ton hopper "Kadee coupled" to the trailing SD45.









Shown below is an overhead view of the car with body mount Kadee 906 as coupled to the SD45 having body mount Kadee 789 center set coupler (in a modified coupler box).
The car's coupler attitude could not be more ideal.









Shown below is the inside curve track view of the horizontal attitude of the coupled car with the SD45.
There is some vertical misalignment with the loco - not unexpected given the load of the 62 car train on the layout's circuitous, mostly 10 foot diameter, curved trackage. 
The car never came uncoupled or indicated it would "string-line" whilst traversing around the 270 degree loop-back as depicted.









Show below is the other side of the car as seen on the outside of the 10 foot diameter loop-back curve:









-Ted


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## eheading (Jan 5, 2008)

Ted, awesome description of your modification to the 100 ton hopper. I always enjoy reading your discertations on modifications and tests that you run. Not only is your craftsmanship awesome, it is only exceeded by the superb way you write things up and document all that you do. Thanks so much for sharing this installation of Kadee couplers on your hopper.

Ed


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## Randy Stone (Jan 2, 2008)

Great tech article Ted 

Plus it's a Rock Island Hopper!! 

Thank you


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## Nicholas Savatgy (Dec 17, 2008)

Nice job Ted, I wish i had thought of that J hook before i converted 137 of thse cars to Kadees...... OOOOOOOOOO well i have to deal and see if there any issues with pulling that many. 
Once again great write up


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

Ted 
I'm ALWAYS impressed with you....


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Or you can read the complete article on my site: http://www.elmassian.com/trains/ted-doskaris-vignettes/aristo-100-ton-hopper-a-kadees 

Greg


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