Any suggestion ( ore Jenny & AC4400 )

Scoobie

Member
Hey all, I just purchased (14) DM & I ore Jennys. I would like to pull them with my Ac4400, but the coupler on the loco keeps pushing the front wheel of the first Jenny off the track on the curves. I've tried longer couplers on both, then on one and the other. I have 22" radius curves. All my other Loco's pull find, but work hard on the 3% grade. Now, I use a coal hopper between the Loco and Jennys and this works great, but looks wrong. Any suggestions.
 

jim currie

Active Member
the only things i could think of are ,1 take the first car and using a KaDee #5 with its box and remove the orginal coupling pocket then drill up through the #5 box center and put a screw and nut to hold it in place but leave it a bit loose so it can swivel, 2 bash a dummy gp or a uboat into a fuel tender.:)
 

Scoobie

Member
Thanks a bunch Jim. I think I'll to find a GP first. Would know if I would have the same problem with SD38. I'm going to buy a DM&I SD38 to match, if it doesn't come off. I can pull it fine with my GP38.
 

60103

Pooh Bah
Scoobie, I think you're up against geometry. I think the AC4400 is one of those great long modern locos and I bet the coupling goes out past the rail on a 22" curve, while the ore car's coupling follows the track centre line. You'll have to sacrice one of the loco, the cars or the curve.
 

Scoobie

Member
I was afraid of that:curse: Well I,ve learned alot on the "Gauge" and sacrifice it's one of themsign1 . I 'll have to explore my options more. That's for the help fellas:thumb:
 

Triplex

Active Member
I don't think an AC4400CW is typical ore train power anyhow. Lower horsepower 6-axle units are preferred for this job, like the aforementioned SD38.
 
Back in January I purchased a Walthers Gold Line 12-pack of ore cars... These are tiny, short 20-foot cars. I'm not sure if these are the same ore jennies Scoobie has, but with mine it's definitely a length issue.

Very short cars don't exhibit much end-swing to their couplers on curves, unlike very long locomotives such as the AC4400, whose length would cause their couplers to swing way out on a curve, especially since it has a pretty long pilot overhang. The sideways force exerted by the outswinging coupler on the long locomotive on a curve would derail a short car that doesn't have much coupler swing.

The best solution would be to give the shorty car more coupler swing by modding the coupler mount as Jim Currie mentioned.

I'm going to be doing quite a few mods on my ore cars... Modding all the coupler pockets as well as milling away some of the underframe to give the trucks more swivel-- These Walthers ore cars can hardly get around 18" curves due to very restricted truck swivel. hamr
 

Revcon9674

New Member
Before you remove the whole cast on coupler pocket, try removing some of the edge of both sides of the pocket to allow the drawbar more side to side swing. If you didn't trim enough off so that your cars make it around the curves, take off a little more. Best idea I can come up with.

Chris
 
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