Reply to "Installing Kadee Couplers using Mario's( CentralFan1976 ) Shapeway products: update 27 Oct MTH GP30"

PT 9 The MTH GP30

I have been upgrading my Engine fleet with Kadees for the last couple of months.

Mario AKA CentralFan1976 ( https://www.shapeways.com/shops/gandyman ) sells Lionel Kadee mounts on Shapeways for GP7/9, GP30, d GP40s and many others. After I installed them on a pair of Lionel GP9s. The good idea fairy set in and I decided to do an install on a MTH GP35.

The purpose of this thread and others, is to show how adapt his products for other uses. The first one is the install of Kadees on the MTH Premier SD45

Part List: #743 Type E Couplers Short Centerset with Short Plastic Gearbox

Lionel O scale GP7/GP9 Coupler Mount https://www.shapeways.com/prod...nt?optionId=57308323

After removing the shell and disconnecting the motors from the trucks I removed the pilot and the Electrocouplars.

I then proceed to sand down the sides of the mount to about an 1/8 of an inch. Did the same thing with the bottom to about a 1/4 inch. From there I used sand paper 800 grit to fine tune until they were a snug fit. Unlike the old design all I was sanding was the face plate which was a lot easier and faster compared to the old design of sanding down the entire side.

Once I was satisfied with the fit, I assembled and installed the 743. At this point I went with a different option and used a very heavy duty and strong epoxy to hold the mount in place. Following the instructions I let it cure overnight. Note on last pic. The old design I would have hade to trim off the back and the sides in order for the mount to fit in the pocket of the pilot.

Once the epoxy had cured I then dilled out the holes in the mount and then screwed in place. Now MTH had already put holes in the pilot for Kadees. But in this case they did not line up with the mount in the correct position. The drilling accomplishes two things. Enlarges the holes in the draft gear box, the mount and into the pilot and allows the screws to be mounted smoothly. Then it was off to paint .