Proto 2000 E7A unit missing rear coupler shank linch pin


OgreMike

OgreMike

Active Member
Hello all! I'm just getting back into Model RR'ing after a long hiatus and currently building my first ever home layout (The Oregon Pass Lines from the Atlas King Size Layout book). I'm also building my rolling stock, as most of what I'd accumulated in prior years had to be sold off during a very itinerant career in the military. Anyway, I recently purchased an HO DC/DCC Proto 2000 Series E7A/A consist in the Burlington colors, and I'm astounded with the detail and the sounds it can make, including the startup and shutdown regimen. Makes one feel like a real train engineer! One slight problem with the 2nd unit, however . . . upon carefully pulling the chasis out of its styrofoam encasement, the rear coupler on the unit fell out of its moorings (the round shank hole that secures it to the chasis with a drop-in linch pin) and luckily, I caught the coupler assembly before it could hit the ground. The coupler, itself, is completely assembled, including the box unit with the small black screw on the underside. But the LINCH PIN (if that's the correct term for it?) is missing. I searched everywhere in the box, but no luck. So I looked at the accompanying paperwork and I called Walthers warranty and parts number. The young lady there was nice, but she told me it'll be a few days before anyone can get back to me from their parts department as they're "way behind". So with that, I can't couple the units together and do a CONSIST which is one of the prime reasons for buying both units in the first place. I'm trying to build a Denver Zephyr prototypical passenger train, and these two units are going to head it up. However, without the ability to couple, I'm stuck (for now). So, do any of you know if there's a parts supplier out there who sells this particular type of linch pin? I've tried briefly to do searches at Yankee Dabler, MW Model Railroads, and Tony's Trains, but the search ends up with thousands of hits. I even went to the Walther's website and typed in the coupler assembly part number (which includes the linch pin), and the search on THEIR site, using THEIR PART NUMBER comes up empty. Anyone with any help on this, I'd be very appreciative! Right now, I'm considering some sort of home made rigging using perhaps a cut-off nail of the proper diameter to fit in the shank snugly.
Thanks, Mike
 
It looks to be just a plastic pin found one on ebay but out of stock If you have any plastic rod maybe make one that would work


here's what it looks like
 

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A couple of possible solutions: One would be to drill and tap into the hole that the pin fits and put a screw in there. Another would be to remove the couple from the other unit and drawbar the two "permanently" together, presuming you intend to run them that way most of the time. BTW, are you going to run them back-to-back, or elephant style, which the Q often did? Any particular reason for modelling the Burlington Zephyr? I do it because I rode them as a kid in the 1940's and early '50's, including #9900, now in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
 
Kind of a long shot but do you have any older rolling stock that uses the press fit pins they look really close I don't have a E unit so can't compare
MikeGTW said:
Here's one I have
Click to expand...
HI Mike GTW - slight tangent here . . . I’m having problems with my two E7As when set up in a back-to-back consist going around a particular curve on my layout. Weird stuff in that the two-unit consist goes thru the curve with no problems in one direction, but when I reverse it to go back thru the other way, when the first triple axle truck of the back end unit tries to go thru this curve, it climbs up the outside rail of the curve and derails itself. I’ve tried a few things like raising the outside rail slightly with a cardboard shim, checking that there are no obstructions on the inside of the rail that the flanges of the truck might be encountering which cause it to raise up, etc. And yet, no problem going thru one direction, but not the other. Since the two back triple trucks are encountering the curve one right after the other in this back-to-back consist, I’m wondering if there might be some sort of coupler problem on one or the other unit which is restricting the ability of the truck to turn as it goes into the curve. Anyone with any back to back pairs of E7As ever had this problem? By the way, I also have a back-to-back consist of F7As which of course are smaller and only have double axle trucks, and they do just fine at this curve. Anyone with any ideas, please chime in! Thanks, Mike
 
trailrider said:
A couple of possible solutions: One would be to drill and tap into the hole that the pin fits and put a screw in there. Another would be to remove the couple from the other unit and drawbar the two "permanently" together, presuming you intend to run them that way most of the time. BTW, are you going to run them back-to-back, or elephant style, which the Q often did? Any particular reason for modelling the Burlington Zephyr? I do it because I rode them as a kid in the 1940's and early '50's, including #9900, now in the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.
Click to expand...
Hi Trailrider - sorry it’s taken me so long to provide a reply to your nice post back in Feb. I’ve been wrestling with a few problems on the layout that have been a big distraction is my only weak excuse.

I’ve always liked the Burlington engines and trains since I was a kid. My family on my dad’s side is from the Kansas City area. One of his sisters (my aunt) used to live in the little Kansas City suburb of Parkville. We visited her some back in the early 60s. There was a classic old grade crossing that goes through Parkville along side the Missouri River. When I was a boy, there was only the old white grade crossing signs up at that time. There were no electric gates, or flashing lights. And, believe it or not, they had a grade crossing guard (old fellow whose name I don’t recall) assigned to that particular crossing to try to warn people when a train was coming. And trains used to come flying through Parkville and that crossing back in the day. Anyway, that old crossing guard was very friendly to me, and since I had a love of trains, I spent a few days, just watching trains go by and being company for him I guess. The Burlington lines used to send numerous long freight trains through Parkville on their way either to or from Omaha along that particular route from Kansas City. The Burlington also used to have a daily dink train that went through Parkville in those days. I remember that when I saw that small little passenger train go through town, I would always be disappointed because I was used to seeing magnificent long passenger trains, such as the Super Chief on the AT&SF. And the term “dink train“ was a term I wasn’t even familiar with until I read up more about the Burlington lines more recently. So, I guess it was and is my wistful old summertime memories of that grade crossing, and that old crossing guard in Parkville, and some of the beautiful trains that I saw coming through there that gave me such an enchantment with the CB and Q and their beautiful silver diesels. So when I had a chance to build this layout, I naturally started thinking about getting some E7As, since those are what I saw pulling their dinks thru Parkville back in the day. Don’t have any particular reasons other than those for modeling the Zephyr. And yes, I’m aware that the Q used to do elephant consists. I’m going to give that a try and see if it might help me with my present derailment problems that my back to back consist is giving me going around a particular curve in my layout. Mike
 
OgreMike said:
Kind of a long shot but do you have any older rolling stock that uses the press fit pins they look really close I don't have a E unit so can't compare

HI Mike GTW - slight tangent here . . . I’m having problems with my two E7As when set up in a back-to-back consist going around a particular curve on my layout. Weird stuff in that the two-unit consist goes thru the curve with no problems in one direction, but when I reverse it to go back thru the other way, when the first triple axle truck of the back end unit tries to go thru this curve, it climbs up the outside rail of the curve and derails itself. I’ve tried a few things like raising the outside rail slightly with a cardboard shim, checking that there are no obstructions on the inside of the rail that the flanges of the truck might be encountering which cause it to raise up, etc. And yet, no problem going thru one direction, but not the other. Since the two back triple trucks are encountering the curve one right after the other in this back-to-back consist, I’m wondering if there might be some sort of coupler problem on one or the other unit which is restricting the ability of the truck to turn as it goes into the curve. Anyone with any back to back pairs of E7As ever had this problem? By the way, I also have a back-to-back consist of F7As which of course are smaller and only have double axle trucks, and they do just fine at this curve. Anyone with any ideas, please chime in! Thanks, Mike
Click to expand...
Could be a couple things wheel gauge maybe or one of the couplers does not move side to side enough or the trucks are not piviting enough
What kind of couplers are you using If Kadee maybe a longer shank would help Also do yuo have a track gauge so you could check the gauge on the wheels
I had an old BB Athearn SD45 one of the trucks was warped just enough to drive me nuts could only see it on a piece of glass
 
OgreMike said:
Kind of a long shot but do you have any older rolling stock that uses the press fit pins they look really close I don't have a E unit so can't compare

HI Mike GTW - slight tangent here . . . I’m having problems with my two E7As when set up in a back-to-back consist going around a particular curve on my layout. Weird stuff in that the two-unit consist goes thru the curve with no problems in one direction, but when I reverse it to go back thru the other way, when the first triple axle truck of the back end unit tries to go thru this curve, it climbs up the outside rail of the curve and derails itself. I’ve tried a few things like raising the outside rail slightly with a cardboard shim, checking that there are no obstructions on the inside of the rail that the flanges of the truck might be encountering which cause it to raise up, etc. And yet, no problem going thru one direction, but not the other. Since the two back triple trucks are encountering the curve one right after the other in this back-to-back consist, I’m wondering if there might be some sort of coupler problem on one or the other unit which is restricting the ability of the truck to turn as it goes into the curve. Anyone with any back to back pairs of E7As ever had this problem? By the way, I also have a back-to-back consist of F7As which of course are smaller and only have double axle trucks, and they do just fine at this curve. Anyone with any ideas, please chime in! Thanks, Mike
Click to expand...
Another thought on the Proto 2000 diesels: That unit may be having trouble with the original Chinese-made gears. One or more of them in each truck may be cracked/warped. Best bet is to tun the unit upside down and apply power and watch the wheels on the truck that is giving you problems. Watch for wobble in the wheels, in which case you will probably need to replace the gears. Athearn gears are made of a better material and aren't that expensive. I've done the replacement on all of the Proto 2K and Model Power/LifeLike diesels, including the E-6 that I turned into an E-5 by adding corregated siding to the shell.
 
trailrider said:
Another thought on the Proto 2000 diesels: That unit may be having trouble with the original Chinese-made gears. One or more of them in each truck may be cracked/warped. Best bet is to tun the unit upside down and apply power and watch the wheels on the truck that is giving you problems. Watch for wobble in the wheels, in which case you will probably need to replace the gears. Athearn gears are made of a better material and aren't that expensive. I've done the replacement on all of the Proto 2K and Model Power/LifeLike diesels, including the E-6 that I turned into an E-5 by adding corregated siding to the shell.
Click to expand...
Could be gears but I never had any E7's had several others I had to swap gears on easy fix
But he doesn't mention any bumping just derails
 
MikeGTW said:
Could be a couple things wheel gauge maybe or one of the couplers does not move side to side enough or the trucks are not piviting enough
What kind of couplers are you using If Kadee maybe a longer shank would help Also do yuo have a track gauge so you could check the gauge on the wheels
I had an old BB Athearn SD45 one of the trucks was warped just enough to drive me nuts could only see it on a piece of glass
Click to expand...
I’m thinking it might be the coupler restriction “box” on either side of the coupler. This box prevents the coupler from moving too far in one direction going around a curve and thus inhibiting the truck behind it from turning enough to go around the curve. Thus the truck has no choice but to climb up on the outside rail. Both E7s will make the curve just fine when separated. I’ll have to try a long coupler like you said or also maybe an elephant consist like you said! 👍✅. Thanks! 😊✋
 
OgreMike said:
I'm trying to build a Denver Zephyr prototypical passenger train, and these two units are going to head it up.
Click to expand...
I believe that was the last full set of passenger equipment purchased in the US until Amtrak's Superliners decades later. The hard part will be the square end dome observation car. It has never been done in plastic, and rare even in brass. Some company make an "end piece" where one could cut the short end off a Con-Cor dome car and fit this piece into it, but I would think those are hard to find these days too.
 
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For now, I’ve just gone with the cheapie Athearn Burlington cars. Got a couple dome cars, 3 mail/baggage cars, and another 3 regular pax cars with the oval end observation car (for lack of a better term).
 
OgreMike said:
For now, I’ve just gone with the cheapie Athearn Burlington cars. Got a couple dome cars, 3 mail/baggage cars, and another 3 regular pax cars with the oval end observation car (for lack of a better term).
Click to expand...
I've heard them called round end, boat tail, or if the roof is smooth over the round part, beaver tail observations. The Budd dome observations used on the California Zephyr were beaver tails.
 
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MikeGTW said:
Sounds like to sharp a radius at that spot and the couplers can't compensate so a longer shank would help
Click to expand...
Good news. I don’t have the new long shank couplers yet, but I tried the duo of E7s in an elephant consist, and there was no problem going thru the problem curve in either direction! Coupler length is sounding like it may indeed be the problem! 🙏👍✅
 
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