Aristo-Craft RS-3 Coupler Modification
Aristo-Craft RS-3 Coupler Modification
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J.Banner photo  (1) The original
coupler was removed along with everything below the level of the bottom
step.
(2) A swing arm was bent up out of 1/2" x 1/16" inch brass and installed on a pivot about half way between the truck center and the end of the engine. (3) A "swing arm guide" was built up in place on the engine. The upper piece of the guide is simply a piece of 1/16" styrene cemented to the remaining parts of the pilot. Triangular spacers, narrow at the outside and wider on the side toward the truck, were then installed at the ends of the guide. Each of these spacers was made from a piece of 1/16" plus a piece of 1/32" styrene laminated together to make the slot wide enough for the swing arm to move freely in. (4) The bottom of the guide was made of a sandwich of 1/32" styrene, 1/16" brass and 1/32" styrene to make it stiff enough to resist bending under load. The brass was cut slightly undersize and surrounded by strips of 1/16" styrene so that in the finished product, no brass is exposed anywhere. This was done because it is much easier to make reliable joints between styrene pieces than between styrene and brass. Once assembled, the guide bottom piece was cemented to the triangular spacers. (5) The business end of the swing arm was drilled and tapped for an 8-32 machine screw used to hold an improved Bachmann coupler in place. An Aristo-Craft coupler could also have been used. Also shown in the photos are the incandescent lamps which replaced the LED headlights when DCC was added, and a power connector which couples to a battery car when the unit is run with radio control and battery power. Normally the power connector is covered by the brake wheel when not in use.
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