I’m working over my Bachman Climax. I want to use it with my link n pin cars as well as knuckle coupler cars. I knew the Westside ran both kinds, so I dug out my Westside book and researched what they did. They simply knocked the knuckle out of a Janne coupler and pinned it.

So digging into my KD junk box, I found these couplers. They are the new style 830.

I cut the shank off about center, just in front of that wide spot. I knocked out the knuckle and here is the end result. It looks exactly like the pic in the book.

Of course, I know I can simply pin without the knuckle, but I thought it was cool.

Yes, that is cool. I did something similar on both my Shays using an Accucraft coupler adapted to fit the pin box. I didn’t go so far as to use a pin to hold the knuckled closed as I still want normal function on the knuckle. If I am going to use link and pins I would pull the pin and drop the knuckle. My crews complain because it is so heavy, but I tell them that is what they are paid to do. Like it or move on!

You could have made them Janey-like by notching the ‘fingers’ and using the hole already there for the pin.

John

I like the look, I may do my westside shay conversion the same way. do you have more pictures of the climax?