Using Pilots AZL GP7

Before I starting cutting things, has anyone installed the pilots on the new AZL GP7s. I think there was discussion about them before, but I believe they were discussing the older ones, and do not know if it applies to the current ones.

I know you would have to manually couple the engines to the cars, but could you pull long trains with these? I also know I could not use these on short radius curves, but I intend to use them more for running as switching.

Have you guys put them only on the front, or have you mounted them on both ends?


Thanks

Installing pilots on both end of tthe GP7 just completes this model and it looks like its big brother and does not take away from it performance as to what ti can pull or push. The autolatch couplers will auto couple but does not uncouple over a magnet. but if you keep one car behind the engine or in front of the engine then you can uncouple anything using micro trains couplers from that car one car length from the engine. The length of the body of the GP7 does not have a problem with pilot coupler overhang until you start operating on track radius of 145mm, or smaller, and then the truck mounted coupler is an advantage over the body pilot mounted one. Also cars longer than 50ft run better right behind the truck mounted coupler as the car you are pulling have truck mounted couplers on tight radius curves, where with some when right behind a pilot mounted coupler thy might be pulled of of the track at the far end. In switching I use cars that have body mounted couplers and engines with pilot mounted couplers as they perform better in switching and the addition of metal wheels really enhances their performance I have found. Metal wheels also do not attract crude from the track like plastic or delrin ones so another plus. So in summary I find the only difference between pilot mounted couplers and truck mounted couplers is negligible when just running, and I have a preference for pilot mounted ones for switching.
On other thing I have found with switching is the is an advantage in suing N scale under track magnets from Micro trains thee comprise a metal plate and ceramic magnet on top of it and it was placed under the track. Well finding these magnets is now difficult and Micro Trains only make the one designed to fit between the rails of N scale track. So I found this system, while designed for N scale it can be scaled up to HO and I have been able to scale down to Z scale as well as Nn3, as Nn3 uses the same track gauge and couplers as Z. www.gardenmetalmodels.com/magnets/Totally%20Hidden%20Uncoupler%20Review%20MRN%200907.pdf

When using the above system you can move the magnets around on the plate under your track until you find the right spacing for consistent performance. the key I have found is to be sure the magnets extend out beyond the rail on both sides of the track, by about 1/2 the radius of the magnets and you can extend the length of the uncoupling zone along track covered by increasing the spacing of the magnets along the track. Using this type of uncoupler I have found I can get about 40% uncoupling rate with auto latch coupler connected to Micro Trains coupler. The trick is the extend range of the magnetic field outside the rails and it only works with body mounted couplers not truck mounted ones.