Converting 3R rolling stock to 2R

I think you need to look at each car and decide.  Consider shape and thickness of the frame, factory position of stirrup steps, placement of draft boxes, and properties of the trucks you want to install. Some may be as easy as changing wheel sets and adding the draft box and couplers.

Kyle, either put your Internet address in your profile or contact me off list. My Internet address is in my Profile.

John in Lansing, ILL

Most 3 rail manufacturers chose not to build their ready to run freight cars with NMRA standard body bolsters and coupler mounting pads.  As a result  each conversion tends to present a slightly different (but usually minor) challenge.  Many Weaver plastic body freight cars were designed with NMRA body bolsters, making conversion relatively easy when you pair them with trucks set up with NMRA truck bolsters.  Weaver, Athearn, and Intermountain made low cost trucks with NMRA spec truck bolsters.  Other manufactures also offered NMRA bolster height 2 rail trucks over the years. 

Often the top surface of 3 rail truck bolsters are higher above the rail head  (and body bolsters shallower ) than NMRA ones.  Sometimes a simple stack of washers can do the job of fitting NMRA 2 rail trucks to 3 rail bodies.  For some jobs I turn a bushing on my small lathe.  I often use a cap head 4-40 machine screw for truck mounting, or a similar diameter metric one depending. It would be wise to invest in an appropriate set of taps and drills (tap and clearance) - over the years you'll use them many times and for some conversions you won't be dependent on finding conversion trucks from Lionel/MTH/Atlas/Kline.  

One thing some newcomers fail to consider in converting cars to 2 rail is that there are two separate height targets  - Body height above the rails to approximate the prototype, and coupler height.  Just because the Kadee coupler height is right doesn't mean the car body height is correct.  An assortment of coupler pad shims and truck mounting washers comes in handy to blend the heights.  Of course - if you plan on using Kadee couplers invest in their height gauge.  If you have a specific car  conversion in mind you'll find the folks on this forum helpful in sharing how they did the job.  

Just me, but since I'm a 2 railer, I try and support the 2 rail manufacturers/importers.

Simon

Ed hit the nail on the head - your challenge is twofold.  First is getting the car height correct and the second is getting the draft gear box and coupler height correct.  You will likely need to fabricate 2 rail bolsters as well as mounting pads for the couplers.   These both could be mounted to the 3-rail carbody in a number of creative ways; a "T" shaped pad could extend from the truck mount screws sideways for the body bolster and along the center sill towards the the end sill of the car as a mount for the "coupler pocket". 

IIRC you said you will be doing a small switching layout so I'd strongly recommend looking into Protocraft couplers.  They look very realistic and can be uncoupled with a small wand.  

There are lots of realistic cars out there in the three rail arena.  the Lionel 17xxx and 27xxx series cars are essentially two rail offerings with the end sill and bolster areas opened up for three rail trucks and couplers.  For example, the Lionel 17715 MP stock car is a dead-on accurate ACF Missouri Pacific stock car that would be right at home in your neck of the woods.  Ditto for the Lionel 1738x PFE R-40-23 reefers.  Remove the bogus "fuel tank" from the underframe and add some realistic trucks and couplers and you have a car that is as accurate in scale as the ubiquitous Intermountain/Atlas PFE R-40-10 reefers. 

The Lionel 27xxx semi-scale cars are too modern for your era but the aluminum body ACF center flow and the die cast 100 ton open hopper (PRR H43 prototype) are very accurate cars as are the Lionel two-pocket ("two bay") Pullman Standard  covered hopper.

As you've noted the challenge is trucks and couplers.   Lots of choices for both, from inexpensive Athearn and Kadee to very realistic and pricey Protocraft.  

Here are a couple of Lionel covered hoppers that were recently converted to 2-rail with Atlas 100-ton trucks and Kadee couplers...

Thanks to all who have responded so far. Sorry I haven't responded sooner. Some great ideas and suggestions, and much food for thought.

John, I've now added my email address to my profile, thanks for the reminder.

Simon, I agree I'd rather support the 2R manufacturers, but occasionally there's an item that is lettered/painted for a particular line that's not available in a 2R version but is in a 3R version.

Ed and Rob M, thank you both for your comments and ideas, and I will be looking at all of the options you presented in greater detail. 

Catnap, thanks for the pictures you provided of your Lionel conversions, very helpful and nice work.

One of the particular items I was looking for was a 40' boxcar lettered for the West India Fruit and Steamship company. I had only seen this is in a Lionel 3R version, and this is what partially prompted my question. Now in perusing eBay, I find not one but TWO Atlas 2R boxcars lettered for it! And of course my buying is currently on hold for economic reasons! Murphy's Law strikes again. Oh well, maybe more will turn up later when I'm better able to buy again. If not, I can always get an undecorated version or two and paint and letter them. (And I see that decals are available for it from Walthers and/or other sources.)

The other item I would like to find is rolling stock painted and lettered for the Texas-Mexican Railway in its green and orange livery, but the only such offering in O scale appears to be from Lionel in a traditional hi-rail version. I haven't yet been able to locate any decals in O scale for the Tex Mex, but will keep looking. (Anyone know of someone who will do custom decals?).

Thanks again, gentlemen...my sincere appreciation to you all.

Kyle Evans

Houston, Texas

Not rolling stock but I'm too lazy to start a new thread and this one hasn't had any activity for a while.

I don't do a lot of 3R to 2R because of the way so many were designed. Some of the newer Lionel have a more conventional drive and I will do them. Still not my favorite thing to do but sometimes, if the stars are aligned incorrectly, I 'll begrudgingly do them. This is a little mogul I agreed to do. Lots of little issues encountered along the way but it's done and ready to go home. I don't know where the owner got the drivers and I don't care for the tires and flanges but, sometimes you work with what you're given. NWSL .5 mod ball bearing gearbox (yeah, it had issues too). The owner will supply, and install, the motor.

Jay

I have converted a number of Lionel cars, some MTH and of course some Atlas.   

On the Atlas, the simplest conversion is to just replace the wheelsets and use the rest of the truck.   This avoids all th work of rebuilding/replacing the bolster on the body.     On these, I mount Kadees by elongating the rear mounting hole on the coupler box with a 2-56 bit in a drill motor.    I have purschased a stock of 2/x8mm screws and these fit right in the existing threads on most with mac hined threads.

On the Lionel cars, I have replaced the wheelsets with Athearn or Intermountain on most.    As Ed mentioned this can cause the body height to too high on some or most models.    but it is quick.    the older Lionel trucks with stamped truck bolsters are nicest to convert because if the axles are a bit loose, you can easily bend the bolster to tighten them up.   You do have to drill out the rivets to disassemble the truck and old coupler.    Coupler mounting varies all over the map.   the new GLA hoppers come with screws and conversion pads for Kadees that work with just replacing axles.     I have also replaced some Lionel trucks with Atlas trucks on a few cars to convert.   that works OK too.

I have not done many MTH cars.    I did do a bunch of the fish belly hopers, which are very nice, and that was just replacing axles in the existing trucks.     MTH trucks mount from the top usually with a false bottom in the car.   It is hard to convert them to different trucks.

Kyle Evans posted:

Thanks to all who have responded so far. Sorry I haven't responded sooner. Some great ideas and suggestions, and much food for thought.

John, I've now added my email address to my profile, thanks for the reminder.

Simon, I agree I'd rather support the 2R manufacturers, but occasionally there's an item that is lettered/painted for a particular line that's not available in a 2R version but is in a 3R version.

Ed and Rob M, thank you both for your comments and ideas, and I will be looking at all of the options you presented in greater detail. 

Catnap, thanks for the pictures you provided of your Lionel conversions, very helpful and nice work.

One of the particular items I was looking for was a 40' boxcar lettered for the West India Fruit and Steamship company. I had only seen this is in a Lionel 3R version, and this is what partially prompted my question. Now in perusing eBay, I find not one but TWO Atlas 2R boxcars lettered for it! And of course my buying is currently on hold for economic reasons! Murphy's Law strikes again. Oh well, maybe more will turn up later when I'm better able to buy again. If not, I can always get an undecorated version or two and paint and letter them. (And I see that decals are available for it from Walthers and/or other sources.)

The other item I would like to find is rolling stock painted and lettered for the Texas-Mexican Railway in its green and orange livery, but the only such offering in O scale appears to be from Lionel in a traditional hi-rail version. I haven't yet been able to locate any decals in O scale for the Tex Mex, but will keep looking. (Anyone know of someone who will do custom decals?).

Thanks again, gentlemen...my sincere appreciation to you all.

Kyle Evans

Houston, Texas

Kyle---Crown Models (later absorbed into the Weaver line) produced at least 3 different West India boxcars and at least one reefer.  No fuss, no muss to install Kadee couplers and Weaver or Athearn 2 rail trucks on Crown or Weaver models.  That's "MODELS" as opposed to toys.  Which way ya gonna go?  -Salty Rails-