Adding a Screw to Athearn Coupler Box Clips

[tompm]

Tom:  Could you do a description of how you modify the Athearn cars to put screws in the couplings?

Here is the promised thread.

Over time I have grown frustrated with the Athearn Blue Box kits and their coupler box clips. I have had them fall off numerous times during operating sessions. I find couplers loose in the box. I have even had a couple of cars lose their couplers just sitting on the layout.

As part of my tuning up program I have begun adding a screw to the coupler clip to keep it from falling off. The following is how I go about doing it.

Here is the car I am going to modify. An undecorated box car I painted and used dry transfers to make it a New Haven boxcar.