I’m slowly converting over my fleet of equipment from Bachmann, Lionel, USAT, Delron low mounted couplers to a proper body mount (ie when I build or buy a new model it gets Kadees). For those of you who cut off the trip pin on the Kadee’s, what’s the process that you use? Do you remove the trip pin from the coupler completely and than trim, or keep the trip pin on and trim?
Last question, what do you use to trim the pin? Flush cut pliers, dremel?
Craig
I use bolt cutters while the pin is still in. I have a couple different kinds, one only leaves about 1/8", then I grind it flat.
I tried grinding the remnant off, once. I had to replace the coupler. 
The tip is on the underside, I don’t notice it unless the car is wheels up, and I try to avoid that. 
I cut them (pin left in) with a pair of side cutters and then smooth the burr with a dremel or a file. Easy-peasy.
I think Kevin Strong may have come up with this trick, but if you tap the pin from the top with a nail set, then you can nip it off at the bottom with pliers. Tap it back into place from the bottom and you can’t see the cut.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll look around to see what I can use for a nail set. These Type E couplers look a lot better than the over-sized Bachmann ones I had been using. I’m laying 100% of the blame on TOC as I made sure my equipment was able to operate on his railroad. Now that I’m a few hundred plus miles away, its unlikely that I’ll be operating much on the Colorado Consolidated.
Why don’t you try using a nail-set, Craig? I understand that they have other uses, as well.
Ducking and running for cover.
I just saw this. I put the Kadee coupler in a vice and cut it off with the razor saw.
I use a dremel with a cutoff wheel. I just take it a little at a time so the metal doesn’t get hot enough to damage the plastic coupler.
Just to be difficult, I am going to say that I leave them. I just make sure they are 1/8th an inch above the rail-heads so they don’t snag on anything.
Steve Featherkile said:
Why don’t you try using a nail-set, Craig? I understand that they have other uses, as well.
Ducking and running for cover.
Cause I don’t have one… I’m already approaching the upper limits of the CFO’s approval after purchasing $130 in styrene for this project. We don’t have any projects around the house the would require ‘purchasing’ one for either… I’ll dig through my tool box tomorrow when the little guy is awake (that would get the CFO/SWMBO even more mad if I woke him up now…) to see if I happen to have a nail set.
A 16d nail will work just fine
Broken drill bits are saved for these jobs and others…
Chuck it in a pin vise and you have a push pin.
I take them out and make them into a right angle, put them back in with the the angle uppermost. Makes it easy for uncoupling ???
Rod Fearnley said:
I take them out and make them into a right angle, put them back in with the the angle uppermost. Makes it easy for uncoupling ???
Ron, you’re going to have to take a picture of that.
Tom send me your e mail address and I,ll send you pictures. I just tried again to post pictures here and failed, again. It’s me, my fault, I’m not a techy.
Ok several hours later… I have the picture uploaded to albums on here. How do I get it into a reply in the forums/
Thanks Tom.