Kadee offset-down couplers

Kadee makes couplers with the head offset-up and offset-down.  Try the latter.  The 20-series and 30-series couplers are also made of a hard plastic so they won't conduct electricity, which can be a problem in older Athearn diesels.

Scott Chatfield 

Glue styrene to the Athearn

Glue styrene to the Athearn coupler pad. You'll need .060" thick, sounds like.

Thanks Scott... I've ordered

Thanks Scott...
I've ordered a pair... and we'll see. Sounds about right though.

Allen

Thanks, The coupler pad

Thanks,
The coupler pad doesn't seem to allow for such manipulation without a bit more cutting than I would be comfortable with. I'm trying the overset couplers... if they don't work, then comes the slicing to add the styrene. It is kind of hard to find the styrene here (not to mention the screws) because my nearest hobby shop is a bit over an hour from me and ordering such online is harder right now. I'm not as mobile as I used to be.

Allen

My solution.

You didn't specify if your loco is a newer model or a blue box model.

 I've seldom had a problem with coupler height with any Athearn equipment. Until the introduction of the newer styles of couplers that lack the Kadee style bronze centering spring. I've noticed that the newer couplers tend to sag. Likely because of the extra vertical space in the coupler box. Creating a coupler height issue. So I automatically  plan on replacing the newer couplers with the older styles. Problem solved.

What type chassis

Athearn made 2 different chassis. One mounts the coupler from the top while the other mounts the coupler from the bottom. Ways to fix the problem are different. 

First make sure that the  metal tabs that are uses to mount the truck are flat.as any difference here will affect the height. Are the couplers high on each end? Can you swap trucks with another engine that is correct? Is the frame level from front to back? Could a coupler be bent? I would rather search for the problem and fix it before trying add a crutch since there should be no need to use one.

Kadee makes shims that can help make adjustments. If you have the newer type frame you can fit a couple of shims on top of the coupler box to lower the coupler. Add shims as needed. If you have the type supported from the bottom you can file some material off the mounting platform. I have only needed to use offset couplers on one Athearn engine - a Genesis F3 from the first run. 

Good Luck.

Lou

If coupler offset is not enough …

And styrene is not readily available … any thin cardboard will work.

Typically lots of thin cardboard around (cereal boxes, Kleenex boxes, business cards, etc.) and 2 or three layers could be cut to size with scissors or a hobby knife.  I also use my old plastic credit cards, membership cards, etc.  Once even used a guitar pick in a pinch.

If the mounting screw is too short, this may prove to be a bigger challenge as hardware stores don’t tend to carry anything so small.

I agree with trying the first suggestion, first, Kadee has a huge variety of couplers with the knuckles offset vertically, and then the same combinations with short, medium and long shanks.  I often wonder where our hobby would be if the brothers hadn’t created Kadee.  I still remember those ghastly horn hook (HO) and Arnold-Rapido (N) couplers as a kid.   Nothing was better than Kadee finally releasing replacement a coupler/pilot kits for the otherwise perfect Kato N Scale Diesels.

Hardware

I have found 2-56 screws at the neighborhood Do-It-Best hardware.  For coupler mountings, I like the Kadee nylon 2-56 screws from the model train shop which can be cut to length.

https://www.kadee.com/fasteners-c-274_334_281/256-screws-insulated-nylon-256-x-12in-p-336.htm

Couplers that are loose in the coupler box can be adjusted to level by cutting paper or plastic shims to fit inside the box and around the mounting post.  If the post is a problem, you can spot glue rectangular shims in front of and behind the post.  A guy in our club used his laser cutter to make a selection of shims.

I try to use only the center-set couplers, but sometimes you just get stuck. 

Not trying to plug Amazon but

Not trying to plug Amazon but they sell lots of small screws like 2/56 and others that are useful to model railroaders. They also sell them with various heads so you can get one that works best for you. One other benefit is the bulk price, one can buy 100 for the price of 10 from a retail place. I will add that you could the last time I bought some. One more benefit is they will send them right to your house so you need not burn up some of that 3.00 plus a gallon fuel to get them.

Oh to pay $3 a gallon for petrol

Consider yourself lucky. I just did some rough conversions, and here in Melbourne we are paying the equivalent of about $4.85 a gallon. My arithmetic may be off, but I’m in the ballpark.  Current prices are about $1.70-1.75 a litre.

1.70 x 4

Is not 4.85.  It’s 6.80/U.S. gallon. As bad as here in Vancouver and we make all the bloody oil the world could want in our country.

I understand that in parts of California...

... it's as high as $8/gallon.

Somehow, I'm not missing driving so much anymore.

2.65 a litre where I'm in New

2.65 a litre where I'm in New Zealand right now. 

John

Thoughts on various solutions

I agree with most of the solutions posted, but wanted to share some of my experiences...

1. Instead of the 20- or 30-series couplers, go with a 140-series.  I avoid plastic couplers on any of my locomotives, as the pulling force tends to bend them, causing additional problems.  While this definitely applies to most non-Kadee couplers, the 20's and 30's are also plastic.

2. For adjusting vertical slop, I've used very small pieces of off-brand "magic" tape to make shims.  Material thin enough to take up that slop is usually too difficult to cut the screw hole into it effectively (although I've considered making a set of custom punches), and as a bonus, it sticks to the coupler lid, keeping it in place.

3. I agree with other comments about checking other "upstream" issues causing the height discrepancy.

4. Are you using the stock coupler box?  (Assuming this is an Athearn blue box GP7, not a Genesis GP7?)  You may get some improvement in height by replacing the stock box with a Kadee coupler box, after drilling and tapping the mount.  If you really want flexibility of adjustment, consider using the 30-series draft gear, although most modelers faint at the sight of the parts on those things. :-D

Good luck!  Hope you find a simple resolution!

-Fuzzy
DM Rail Group