Coupler box lids
An easy way to screw them in place ... Reader Feedback
structions. A-Line also sells #50 drills, packages of 50 2-56 screws, and packages of 25 metal coupler box covers.
vertical. After drilling the pilot hole with a pin vise, follow up with the tap jig to cut threads for the 2-56 screw.
The drill jig is a press fit over the coupler mounting post and centers a #50 drill. If the work is firmly supported, the jig also helps to keep the drill bit
Yes, it’s possible to center a drill and tap a hole without these tools. But for an individual or a club with a lot of cars to convert, the jigs save time
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– by Joe Brugger
n small, flatland layouts, coupler box covers popping off are rarely a problem. But as train lengths increase and grades climb, snap-on and friction-fit coupler box lids show the strain. When helpers are used to push a train up a hill, increased buff forces can shove a drawbar up and down, levering the cover off and causing a train to pull apart. The solution is to put a screw through the coupler box cover, holding it in place.
Figure 1: A-Line #110033 tools to drill and tap couple box lids. Figure 2: The set includes brass jigs for a #50 drill and a 2-56 tap, as well as a half-dozen screws, and printed instructions. Figure 3: Pop off the coupler box cover, press fit the drill jig over the mounting post, and drill a hole using a #50 drill in a pin vise. Figure 4: The resulting hole is clean and centered, with no spreading of the mounting post. Notice the hand-located (and off-center) hole for the truck mounting. Coupler mounting post with #50 hole drilled precisely in its center.
A-Line has introduced tools to aid in this conversion. Parts are available individually or in combinations. My local hobby shop stocked #11003, which includes two machined brass jigs, a 2-56 tap, a half-dozen black 2-56 screws, and a set of printed inFigure 1 Page 53 • Feb 2012 MRH Car Shop, page 1
Figure 3
Figure 2
The hole for the truck mounting screw was hand-located (and offcenter). Not acceptable for coupler screws. Figure 4
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