Williams 44-Ton Upgrade with ERR CC-Lite, Sound, & Electrocouplers

That looks like a totally different mount Mike.  The big issue with the Williams is that offset mount, you don't have a straight shot to the mount point.  The truck comes close to the pilot, the only space you have in there is over the truck, and it's tight clearance.  It ended up I needed to pretty much duplicate the shape of the Williams coupler mount to make it fit.

Amazing work. By any chance, is an S gauge electro coupler a possible fit?

gunrunnerjohn,

need to talk with you asap about adding err cruise and smoke to my weaver AB FA2 powered set.

Pete, hit my email in my profile.

I'm following this with interest; I was disappointed to see that the 44T did not use a std/typical coupler mount. I may or may not upgrade it, and this will come into play -

plus, the original couplers look better than any conversion that anyone could do with

available parts. After all, enjoying CC/cruise does not require e-couplers.

This is not criticism - your work looks great - but as an old basher myself, sometimes I have found that leaving it alone is the kindest thing.

But I may, anyway...keep us posted.

Thanks for taking on this task. I'm interested in the 44 for doing what it was designed for, switching, and electro couplers is #1 to accomplish this task. I'm not interested in taking up track and adding uncoupler tracks for this engine, but for it to be able to accomplish this anywere on  the layout.

Maybe there will be an outlet for shorter couplers for this engine, seems to be very popular. Again, your doing good.

I will admit you won't equal the look of the stock couplers, but I'm getting better.  My second one is about 1/8" shorter, and not much longer than the stock coupler.  I did have to adjust my thinking on the return spring, the stock one was problematic, so I just took some spring wire and made one that contacts the frame to center the coupler.  This works better than the stock one anyway.

The whole reason for the electrocouplers is this is a switcher, it's pointless to have one with command that you can't do any switching with!

Another idea I was toying with is lopping the mount off the stock couplers and grafting it onto the 1.44" couplers for the Trackmobile.  In looking, I don't think that will do much better than my second coupler that I shortened a bit.  I may just get another set of the ones I used here and "improve" on the first one.  I suppose I could also just hack the extension off and start over as well.

That 1/8" might be the limit, and a great improvement. I could live with that.

John,

It looks great - funny how just today i was wondering when we were going to see your results of this project. Of course, with taxes and selling our house in VT, etc. i haven't found time to even take mine apart.

Can't quite see where or how you added the fiberglass to create the offset mount and what cement you used there.

Now for your next great money making project, when are you going to offer these as ready to install upgrade kits? Especially before Lionel runs out of couplers we're all running out to order!!!

jackson

Seems like the big boys in prototypeland have been switching OK without benefit of electrocouplers and command for well over a century.

Rusty

They have extra crew on the ground to help with those tasks.  When the activity is on the other side of your layout next to a pop-up hole, are you going to crawl over there and do the honors?

No chance of me making these in quantity, too labor intensive!

The fiberglass is 1/8" stock, the whole part of the coupler that is above

Very interesting, John although i would have thought you would have had the production line already up and running by now!

Without them to look at side by side, would the 620 8447 550, 1.44" 'C' mount coupler have worked (possibly by building up the "V" notch flat with J-B Weld)? I guess i'm just curious because i'm wondering about the strength of that fiberglass tab you engineered.

jackson

You can't use the V of the 1.44" one, ALL of the mounting is on a different axis. I have two of those, and another short set.  None of them looked to be suitable.  You need to look at the stock coupler to see all the metal on every Lionel coupler is off-axis for the mount.  Whatever you do, you're going to be fabricating the whole mount.

As far as the strength of the mount, I'm more worried about the Loctite 380 giving out than the fiberglass, that stuff isn't going anywhere!  It's 1/8" plate, and I can put a piece of it between two bricks and stand on it!  If it breaks, it'll be the adhesive, and I've had really good luck with the Loctite 380 for stuff like this.

Here's my frame with the trucks and couplers mounted.  We're making progress!

Thanks John, especially using the Loctite 380. Wasn't worried about the fiberglass breaking (altho for want of a piece of fiberglass i expect i'll end up using brass stock). Usually the adhesive is the weakest link in this type of fabrication.

jackson

I didn't have brass stock the right size, and I have tons of the fiberglass sheets...   I wanted to get these made so I could move on to installing the command and get some track time!

John, might a Postwar coil coupler work in some manner?  They work with TMCC.

I think the problem John and anyone else who tries this has to deal with is the location of the truck so close to the end of the body and length of the coil on the coupler. Unless someone finds a coupler with a shorter coil you won't be able to get much closer. If you mounted the coupler to the truck you would have to do away with the steps.

Post war coils are about the same length as modern couplers.

Pete