What are Kadee couplers and why should I use them?
Most locomotives and rolling stock come with an industry-standard coupler - for HO they are X2f (commonly called horn-hook) and for N they are Rapido. These couplers are only suitable for those who
don't plan to do much switching and coupling/uncoupling of the cars, their primary advantages being that they are free and require virtually no adjustment.
Kadee makes a line of more prototypical looking couplers that are available in all common scales and which are used by most serious modelers. They are magnetically operated, allowing you to uncouple
cars without touching them. Uncoupling ramps made of permanent magnets or electromagnets can be positioned at strategic places on your layout to perform this uncoupling. Rix (another company) sells
an inexpensive magnetic rod, which can be held between the cars to uncouple them without removing them from the tracks. Note that Kadee couplers are not compatible with the standard couplers, so once
you switch you'll have to convert all of your equipment. In HO, the most common size (#5) costs $2.95 for a package of 4 (2 cars).
Does anyone have a source for "screw-type" couplers?
I used 3-link and screw couplers in 4mm scale, although the screw couplers didn't actually screw. A variety of suppliers make them. They look good, but I found them too fiddly. They are one of the
reasons I moved up to O-scale. My Eric Underhill 0-6-0ST has screw couplings that actually screw. I think you can get them separately from Slaters.
I think that there is a working metal screw coupling in H0 built by Brawa. For train compositions that are never separated, there is a screw coupling imitation by Maerklin (in H0).
In `1' scale, there is a fully functional screw coupler by Maerklin. It can only be used with a curve radius larger than 210 cm.
Marklin sells a box of 50 in HO scale. I ordered a box, but have not come in yet. That means I have not seen them and do not know exactly how they work. They do go with the NEM pocket. I will use
them with my Roco passenger cars, since the trains do not get switched that much. I am using the new Kadee couplers for the NEM pockets and they work great. Of course, they look terrible on European
cars.
Symoba and Maerklin makes dummy screw coupling imitations for HO NEM 362 coupler pockets. If you use them, the cars become permanently coupled, and have to be turned over if you want to uncouple
them. It has been described in the literature how you modify the NEM 362 pockets to let the couplers be retained by steel wire, enabling magnetic uncoupling, but everything of course will hang out
from the other car.
I can't help you with 3.5mm screwlink couplings, but the following company supplies working (and non-working) screwlinks for 4mm scale:
Exactoscale Ltd, 29 Crouchmore Avenue, Esher, Surrey KT10 9AS.
The last time I bought some; they were #2 for the working pair and #1.50 for a non-working pair. They look very good, and yes, by twisting the coupling on the working ones, the two links do get
closer.
I have to admit that I've only had a fifty percent rate of success with the working ones, as I tend to get solder into the screw thread, but maybe you're better with a soldering iron.
Most of Exactoscale's items are concerned with 4mm, 18.83mm gauge, dead-scale locomotive construction: gearboxes, drive shafts, frame spacers, sprung hornblocks and so forth; so I don't imagine their
24 page catalogue will hold a great deal of interest to most readers.
Their advert in Model Railway Journal states that the catalogue is available on payment of #2.00, of which #1.50 is refunded on the first order over #15.
Screw couplings are certainly very common on fine scale British layouts in both 7mm and 4mm scales. In 4mm, they are usually somewhat over scale to ensure that they are robust enough to be used,
although for many years PC made (and may still make - I don't build models in 4mm any more) etched couplings which are very close to scale dimensions, but are a little to delicate for continuous use
as train couplings. The Jackson ones are much better for train coupling, but are a bit over scale.
In 7mm, CCW make a very nice unit, which is very close to scale.
Slaters make a set of lost wax brass castings, which I have yet to build totally satisfactorily (I now throw Slaters screw couplings away, and replace with CCW). Slaters three link couplings in both
4mm and 7mm although again slightly over scale work and look fine.
A tool for manual uncoupling is to take a pen light and a piece of sheet brass, and a piece of brass rod, cut a section from the sheet brass about ¼ inch wide and long enough to almost go
around the pen light, now bend the brass sheet into a C small enough it fits snug around the light shaft. Now take a hammer and flatten one end of the brass rod (about 6 inches long piece) until it
looks like the end of a screwdriver blade, test that when you slip it between two knuckle coupler rods, and turn it, it opens the couplers. Now solder the rod to the brass C-clip on the light. Now
when you go to uncouple cars you can turn on the light to see what you're aiming for.
On the advice of several of you I am wanting to upgrade couplers on all of my rolling stock. Where do I start and what do I look for? I have found the catalog sites overwhelming and confessing and
I know nothing about shank length or coupler model or type numbers.
Sounds like you've visited Kadee's page at www.kadee.com , eh? ;)
It can be confusing. Kadee's section in the Walthers catalog has a chart showing the *likely* Kadee item number that will fit various pieces of equipment. The chart is also on-line at http://www.kadee.com/conv/ho.htm or http://www.kadee.com/conv/list.htm
For most cars with couplers attached to the car body (not the trucks, or "Talgo"-style), the No. 4 or No. 5 will work in the car's existing draft gear box (box that the coupler fits in). The No. 5 is
most popular and readily available. You can also get the No. 5 in bulk packs of 10 (No. 10) and 20 (No. 11) without the draft gear boxes.
There are various Kadee clones available, such as McHenry and Accurail; I've tried these but they don't seem to work as well as the Kadees. YMMV.
For locos, the No. 5 can be used directly or adapted, sometimes with considerable effort. The 20- and 30-series couplers have various lengths and designs that are supposed to relieve many of the
adaption problems. Kadee has "test kits" for each series (representative couplers of the series) that can be used to see which will provide the easiest fit in the loco's coupler pocket.
One other item that is almost necessary is the No. 205 coupler height gauge. Some of your uncoupling problems may stem from non-uniform coupler heights on your cars and locos. This gauge provides a
standard coupler height that you can then adjust all of your cars and locos too. To adjust the height, you can place a fiber washer between the truck and bolster to raise the entire car;
alternatively, you can raise or lower the coupler height by using an underset or overset-shank coupler, respectively. The gauge also let's you see if the curved, metal trip pin is hanging too low,
which may cause it to catch on ties and cause uncoupling or derailments.
You may want to lubricate the coupler with a small amount of *dry* lubricant, such as graphite or Teflon powder, when you install it. I've never had the need. Again, YMMV.
Unsolicited advice:
Unanticipated uncoupling can also be caused by poor track conditions, which you should check if the uncoupling always seems to occur at the same place.If you do standardize on Kadees, most on-line or
mail-order shops offer much lower prices than Kadee's MSRP.
John Monrad
How about similar info for N scale. The standard Rapido couplers are ugly and too big. What is the best replacement, taking into account cost, availability, ease of use and installation, and
adaptability to a wide range of locos/cars?
The Micro-Trains couplers are working knuckle couplers that will automatically couple up and will uncouple using a magnet system. The automatic coupling works real good, the uncoupling depends on the
magnetic 'ramps' and dependability drops off on curved track. The best part of the Micro-Trains system is the various models available for mounting to the many engines available. They also have a
coupler mounting reference manual available that list the recommended Micro-Trains coupler for many of the cars and engines that have been produced(even out of production models). Of course, they are
the most expensive coupler on the market!
Red Caboose(formally Precision Masters) has 'dummy' knuckle couplers that will drop into most of the standard Rapido boxes. They will NOT automatically couple up with the Micro-Trains coupler, but
you can manually couple them up.
Intermountain has what looks like a solid 'dummy' coupler on their trucks that will 'auto' couple with the Micro-Trains - no auto uncoupling however. The 'auto coupling' is not real reliable, and you
may shove a car a few inches to get it to couple.
Model Die Casting has has a solid knuckle coupler that drops into the Rapido style box. It is supposed to be capable of some 'auto coupling', but I have not seen it in action. They refer to it as the
'Mighty Darn Compatible' coupler. One of these days I will order some to test with.
What do 'I' use? All of my engines have Micro-Trains couplers, except for some 'B' units that are in the middle of some matched covered wagon sets. Those units have the Red Caboose/Precision Masters
couplers. Most of my freight cars have Micro-Trains couplers. Some of my cars have the Red Caboose/Precision Masters dummies as they are run as solid unit trains.
Jim Bernier
For a look at some new scale HO couplers with top-operated magnetic manual uncoupling visit this site.
http://user.icx.net/~sergent/
I have built some of these and think they will be the next standard coupler for those HO modelers who use "hands-on" operation..
Art Armstrong
Here are some Sergent Assembly Instructions by DickDrawbar
In an ideal world all track would be perfectly aligned and all couplers would engage at the same height but my model trains run on the layout I built so if you want to keep two locos or cars from
decoupling try( DONT flame me ) a pinpoint I really mean a pinpoint of aquarium silicone glue to the top of the engaged couplers. OK you are saying "he's nuts and maybe thats true but it works and
the aquarium glue will not attack plastic and the couplers ar easily separated and any glue is peeled off. You cannot use any other glue like rubber cement since most contain solvents that will
attack plastic. Now if you need to decouple for your operations this is not a good idea. I'm not saying to glue trains together just those few pieces that never seem to stay coupled.
John
Fred Dabney said:
I could really rant on this, and I have a bucket full of fixes I've come up with to handle this. If I can't use a centershank Kadee, something is /wrong/, and I fix it first. For more, write me or
wait until I feel like typing and I'll post further.
Well Fred has written some of his hints and tips on Couplers which you can read here at Couplers by Fred.
Thanks Fred lots of good information there.
Donald and The Haggis List