UB25 Coupler Conversion

I finally got my package with the Micro-trains conversion kit for my UB25 locomotive. It included a pair of what appeared to be the standard short shank couplers (formerly MT # 1015), however the package said they were the new reverse draft angle version "for improved pulling power", as well as a pair of pilot faces to cover the gaping holes where the truck mounted rapido couplers used to protrude.

The installation was fairly straight forward: Chop off the old rapido couplers. Smooth out the bottom of the deck where the pilot will be attached. Assemble the pilot and coupler. Glue pilot assembly in place to bottom of deck. The instructions stated that disassembly of the locomotive was not necessary, however I found it was much easier after the shell was removed from the frame.

The one peculiarity I found was that the screws appeared to be slightly too long for the pilot and protruded out of the top, which should have been flush for good contact with the bottom of the deck. They also provided shims which the diagram indicated should be mounted on the top of the coupler. I found this lowered the height of the coupler too much, however the shim helped to ease the screw overhang, so I ended up mounting the shim the bottom to help take up the excess screw height but not affect the coupler height.

Overall the conversion went much smoother then the conversion of my Bachmann GP-50 from scratch, even though the mechanics were similar. Not having to do the fabrication made it much easier. The molded details on the pilot face also make the UB25 conversion look better.