|
Bachmann Shay
The Shay is another pretty easy conversion that only takes a few minutes
but it does have a couple of extra steps involved. Basically you are removing the truck
mounted knuckle coupler and modifying the link and pin pocket to except the new Kadee...
Kadee recommends the use of either the 789 or the 835 coupler kit. And I used the 835 on
my engine.
 Here
we have the stock Bachmann coupler on the top and the new Kadee coupler on the bottom. To
remove the Bachmann coupler all you need to do is remove a single screw that threads into
the front of the motor block. The screw is located on the top side of the coupler mounting
arm and can be reached with a long thin screwdriver from the ends of the engine. After the
screw is removed, you can pull the entire assembly strait out and off.
 The next step I took was to
make the bushing necessary to make the new coupler fit into the Bachmann coupler pocket.
To do this you need to drill out the center of the mounting posts on the new Kadee gear
boxes with a 1/8" drill bit. The 1/8" hole will allow the coupler pocket pin to
drop down through them for mounting. Then you will need to remove the mounting posts from
the gear boxes. I used a sharp utility knife to make a clean cut at the base of the post.
Look in the picture to the left to see the before and after...
 Step
three is to simply remove the link pin from the coupler pocket on the ends of you engine.
You may need a small drift pin and hammer to "tap" the pin loose. Make sure you
are gentle and remove the pin from the top. Once that is done, you can see a philips head
screw at the back of the center coupler pocket. Remove the screw and the pocket will come
off the engine. You will also need to make a modification to the coupler pocket here. A
new 1/8" hole needs to be drilled in the center of the top pocket. It should be
similar to the hole that is already there. This hole will be used to remount the coupler
pocket to the engine with the original screw. I also removed the lower supports from the
pocket in this step. You will see them when you remove yours. They are long tapered pieces
of plastic on the back of the pocket. I thought they looked funny when the pocket was
remounted in the lower position and they didn't help to support any weight, thus I removed
them with a Dremel cut off wheel.
 The
final step is to re-install the coupler pocket on the engine using the new mounting hole
to get the pocket at the correct (lower) height for the new coupler and then adding the
coupler with the bushing installed in the center hole. The coupler will slip into the
lower pocket where you can drop the coupler pin down to hold it securely. Not pictured
above are the coupler centering springs. If you look closely at the picture to the left,
you can see the front edge of one spring. After the coupler is installed in the lower
pocket, you can gently install the springs by turning the coupler all the way in one
direction, install the spring and repeating on the other side. That's it. Your Done.
| 
JJ & C RailRoad