MDC Roundhouse Husky Stack Micro-Trains 1035 Short Shank Coupler Install by John Sing

Although no longer being manufactured, the Model Die Casting (MDC) Husky Stack car was, for a long time, among the few N scale intermodal cars available. This car is still a decently good runner (when used with properly weighted containers), and can be found at very reasonable prices.

If you come across some of these cars and want to upgrade their performance and appearance to a much higher level, here is what I did, and for what it's worth, I hope these experiences can save you some time and increase your enjoyment of these cars.

The MDC Roundhouse Husky Stack, unfortunately, came with Rapido couplers as standard equipment. The MDC Roundhouse knuckle couplers supplied along with the car are basically unsatisfactory for either switching or reliable use in long trains. After some experimentation, I found that I liked the Micro-Trains 1035 short shank truck-mounted couplers on this car, and that's what this web site shows how to install..

I had tried installing Atlas Accumate trucks on my MDC Husky Stack cars - it worked, but the Atlas Accumate trucks rode high, and with double stack containers, the MDC car noticeably wobbled side to side as it rode.

I tried MT 1035-1 short shank Barber Roller bearing trucks instead, and I like them best of all for this reason: the MT truck bolster pin hole is *bigger* than the stock MDC truck bolster surface - in fact, just
big enough to *surround* the bolster pin with a nice, easy to swivel yet snug fit. The result is that the MDC Husky Stacks with Micro-Trains trucks, now ride prototypically lower to the track, and ride very stable, without wobble.

Thanks to many on the Internet forums who have previously posted the basic information that I document in this website.

You're visitor number:

John Sing
Visit John Sing's ATSF_Arizona home page

Comparison of the MT 1035 short shank and MT medium shank coupling distance

I prefer the Micro-Trains 1035 short shank coupler on this car for the close coupling, even though it takes a bit of easy grinding with a Dremel tool to allow the MT 1035 to fit.

The MT 1037 medium shank coupler will fit without any grinding, but I think the coupling distance is much too far apart if using the MT 1037:

By comparison, here is the coupling distance when using Micro-Trains 1035 short shank truck-mounted couplers:

Here is a photo of the prototype Husky Stack inter-car spacing for comparison:

And comparing the prototype picture above, you can compare these side views of these two different length MT couplers.

First, the side view of the MT 1037 medium shank coupler (I think, a little too far apart):

And side view of the MT 1035 short shank coupler (I think, actually just a touch too close together compared to the prototype... but much better in appearance than too far apart):

You can also see that using the Micro-Trains trucks for the reasons explained above, the ride height is really good, riding nice and low just the like prototype.

Installing the Micro-Trains 1035 short shank truck-mounted coupler

Now, let's see what we need to do to install the MT 1035 on this car. Basically, we need to:

Use the Micro-Trains 1039 conversion bolster pins to accomodate the small diameter MDC Roundhouse bolster pin hole size
Use a Dremel tool to grind some space on the bolster for the MT 1035 coupler box to clear

First, here is an underside view of both the installed MT 1037s and MT 1035s:

Here is why we use the the Micro-Trains 1039 MDC conversion bolster pins in order to install the Micro-Trains trucks:

You can also see above, to put a container in the well of the Husky Stack, in order to work on the car without damaging the small plastic details.

You'll find that without modifications, the MT 1035 coupler box would hit the bolster. Therefore, we simply use a Dremel tool and make a pair of notches in the bolster as shown below:

With this simple modification on the MDC Roundhouse Husky Stack cars, you can now install the MT 1035 trucks, and enjoy the new lower ride height, the more stable ride, the close coupling distance, and the smooth rolling and coupling of the Micro-Trains 1035 short shank trucks.

(as stated above, remember to weight the lower container appropriately to make sure the MDC Husky Stack tracks properly.

Return to top of page

Guest Book:

John Sing
San Mateo, California, USA

Modeling the Santa Fe's Peavine Line (Ash Fork -> Phoenix, Arizona)
in the 1950s and 60s - in N scale

Thanks for visiting!

Return to John Sing's ATSF_Arizona home page

Please feel free to send comments to: singj@us.ibm.com