Model Railway Forum

Hi all you isolated train buffs.
I am considering buying a few Lima GUVs or Royal Mail PO vans, how easy is it to convert these Lima type tension lock couplings to the NEM type, or are the Lima ones best left alone and buy newer types with NEM fitted?
I have also read in other posts that the Lima wheel axles are a different length point to point than Hornby or Bachmann wheel sets, what are the options?
I am quite handy at modifying things so if it is feasible i will give it a go.
Stay safe.

Question. You mentioned changing them for nem type couplings. Why do you need the nem coupling pockets? As you can fit different couplings without the nem pockets and they will be firmer and give better coupling. Probably the most common are to convert to the snall tension lock (Or even to the medium tension lock type that Mainline used to fit, which is a better a"All round" solution for going round sharp curves), or some would prefer to change to a fully automatic couplker like a Kadee. None of these need a nem pocket.
The only advantage nem pockets have is that one can change coupling types easily. I feel there are more disaadvantages then advantages so unless one keeps changing ones mind as to which coupling type one wants to fit into the nem socket, then I would bypass the nem idea and look at ways to fit a new coupling to ones Lima vehicle directly.
I would buy a pack of the couplings one intends to fit that are designed to be bolted, glued or screwed direct to the vehicle as these will geve a far more relable end result then using the nem pockets.
My pet hate were coaches with both the close coupling system and nem pockets, because combined, these give so much flex that trying to keep them coupled while negotiating ones coaches through pointwork is difficult, and worse still try reversing them! Lima coaches as they are will cope with pretty much anything.
Now the normal need to change from the wide couplings to a narrower type of couplings are two fold. The first is to adopt one coupling size to ones entire fleet so one can eliminate break aways and also de-railments, as couplings of different sizes tend to be prone to both of these scinarios when mixed.
The second is more about visual looks. Contrary to some peoples views, the metal wide tension lock couplings that Hornby used to fit around the 1970's to early 1980's I found would blend in well due to the thinness of the metal, and they would couple and uncouple (Over a ramp) faultlessly. They also allowed more then enoug lateral movement to go round sharp curves and they were stiff, so having ones train part mid way along the track was extremely rare. (Most parting of trains happen due to coupling flex where one coupling bar slips under the other if the train jerks, and they part company when the train pulls again. Eliminating coupling flex gives a reliable coupling in regards to the tension lock system). The only downside to these were that though they tended to blend in well due to their thinness and their black colour, if they were noticed they were really noticed due to their size. Another point was that they were usually not that close coupling but with many of todays nem pocket couplings used with small tension locks, the gaps between vehicles are often noticably wider then they once were!
My personal preference were the medium sized couplings I first saw introduced by Mainline. They were the smallest practical coupling that was reliable round sharp first radius curves and the gap betweenvehicles was reduced. The only criticism was that the coupling hooks were to a sprung design (On Mainline versions) so the hooks didn't always return to sit on the bars, but if one had later versions this size from the likes of Dapol etc, which had conventional hooks.... To me this was the most practical of all worlds when it came to the standard tension lock design.
The third are the small tension locks which I first noticed on Airfix models. These needed to flex sideways so did not want to couple on curves. They were also prone to falling off as their retainers would decide to disslodge themselves on occasions. More modern small couplings that were fixed onto the vehicles bodies were prehaps the most reliable, but they did not like sharp curves and second radius was really the most extreme practical limit for reliability. They also had issues with having the hooks dead centre where somehow hooks that were to one side tended to be slightly easier to engage when coupled together.
When the nem and the close coupling systems came in on coaches, I basically stopped buying any bogie vehicles, which for me was the death of wanting to stay in 00 gauge. I immediately sold at a much reduced price a fleet of eight brand new MK1 Bachman coaches when they first came out as they were soo unreliable that they were practically useless over my complex pointwork. No other stock or locos I had had issues with the pointwork unless one aas stupid enough to run trains flat out, and even then 90% of the time they would make it! I took a huge financial hit on selling them on and stuck with my older fleet of Lima and Hornby coaches.

Lima coaches run very well as they are but unfortunately their flanges are just a little too deep if one sants to use modern low profile track. I was slowly converting my coaches to either Romford wheels or Hornby wheels. (Romford wheels are no longer available). I did try Bachmann but in those days Bachmann wheels were poor quality. My Lima coaches ran so well I didn't get round to changing them so they were left for future upgrades. Axle length differences can be adjusted by buying top had or/and non top hat brass bearings. (I now have both types which are used according to the needs of the conversion). I fit them using the drill and fill method. Drill a suitable hole in the outside of each axlebox, fit the bearings and adjust to get good running, and later fill the visible viewing side of the axlebox with a suitable filler.

You could leave the lima bogies intact and instead buy sets of replica railways bogies and convert them to run with nem pockets. then you can put the bogies with if boxed the lima ones inside so if you come to sell you can convert them back to stock