e-z mate knuckle couplers

[skooksteve]

I'm very new to model railroading (just an egg compared to some folks on here). Just purchased a Bachmann Chattanooga and don't know what type of (e-z mate) couplers it has. Online I see several kinds: center shank, under shank and over shank. Don't know what this means really. I'm hoping to adapt some used cars I was given to work with the e-z mate system.  I appreciate any education I can get.

[jward]

most couplers that come on new locomotives and cars are centerset shank.

on a knuckle type coupler, you have 3 basic parts:

the knuckle is the moveable part. it usually has a trip pin for use with magnetic uncouplers.

the head is the thick part the knuckle pivots off of.

the shank is the part that extends back into the coupler box, under the floor of the car.

on a normal coupler the shank is positioned in the center of the head. overset means the shank is positioned at the top of the head, lowering the coupler. underset means the shank is at the bottom of the head raising the coupler. these variations in shank are intended to help in converting older cars to knuckle couplers, which may not have their coupler mountings at what is now a standard height.

[Jerrys HO]

skook,

To add to jwards post you mentioned  some used cars given to you. Depending how old they may have the horn hook style coupler mounted on the trucks (wheels). Most of these had plastic wheels which are ok for some but most prefer metal wheel sets.

I replaced most of my older cars with new wheel sets and purchased the Kadee #5 coupler. It comes with coupler boxes and knuckle couplers that I built and mounted under the car. Some cars I was able to drill and screw the box on and others I had glued on.

Jerry

[skooksteve]

Jward, thanks for the basic ed on couplers. Also, thanks Jerry for giving me some things to consider when adapting older cars.

[Doneldon]

skook-

You will also see couplers with different shank lengths. This is to provide enough clearance between cars, but not too much, when there re different shapes to the ends of the cars or different equipment on the ends of the cars or some problem with where the couplers attach. They can also be used to provide sufficient clearance between cars which are longer than average. There are also different ends on the part of the couplers inside the draft gear (coupler box) because of manufacturers' quirks. There are also scale size couplers and some which are just a little larger. And some are made of plastic but others of metal. This may sound pretty complicated but it really isn't. I only mention all of these variables so when you encounter one or more you don't feel overwhelmed. Too, this information should reassure you that you can get a knuckle coupler on virtually anything. Some installations can be a bit of a challenge but, overall, knuckle couplers are easy to install and use.

In recent years, more and more manufacturers have been using a relatively standard coupler pocket (yet another name for the coupler box) configuration and knuckle couplers. There are several brands of knuckle couplers but they are compatible with one another in pretty much every respect except for coupling on a curve. (This can even be a sticky issue when you have couplers from the same company.)

I suggest that you use only knuckle couplers, not the so-called X2f or horn-hook couplers. I feel confident in saying that a very large majority of model railroaders would agree with that statement, for both appearance and operational reasons. I believe that most MRs would also agree that Kadee makes the best quality couplers, but not to quite the same degree as they would concur on the knuckle versus X2f question. Kadee is by far the company which has made model knuckle couplers the longest and in the greatest variety of shapes so you can fit virtually any rolling stock or locomotive. I believe, and here the number of MRs who would agree with me is fewer yet again, but probably still a majority, that you'll experience the best performance with Kadees. Many modelers convert all of their trains to one coupler brand, usually Kadee, but that's not a requirement. I believe it's a good idea, and I do it, but many skilled modelers would say it's not critical.

In any event, welcome to model railroading. I'm sure you'll find it to be an intriguing and rewarding hobby.
                                                                                                                                                                 -- D

[CNE Runner]

Steve - Just adding my own thoughts to the excellent advice given above: I suggest you purchase a bulk amount of Kadee draft boxes (coupler boxes). As your 'stay' in the hobby increases, you will undoubtedly have to change out the old X2F-style couplers to magnetic (knuckle) types and many times that process will include the addition of a draft box (and cover)...Kadee #232. These draft boxes will fit the popular Kadee #5 units as well as most other brands (Bachmann EZmate, Accurail, etc.). Please note some specialty couplers require a different box - but you can acquire them as needed.

If you chose to use Bachmann EZmate couplers (I tend to like these) make sure you are purchasing EZmate II units and not just EZmate. The EZmate II couplers have a metal spring to operate the knuckle...the standard EZmate (I?) use an inferior plastic piece. Check the discounters; but Micro Mark (www.micromark.com) sells 20 pairs of Kadee #5 couplers for $23.75 or 12 pair of EZmate II units for $17.95. Coupler mounting boxes (draft boxes) are listed at 20 pair (lids & boxes) for $5.70 plus the ever-present shipping costs.

Oh, I should mention that Kadee sells the #13 Coupler Sample Kit that includes a sample of most of the couplers Kadee sells...'might be a good thing to have on hand. Check out the Kadee website at www.kadee.com

Good luck,
Ray

[mabloodhound]

I also suggest that instead of the Kadee #5, buy the #148 couplers!

The #148 are identical to the #5 except they have a whisker spring already attached to them.   The #5 can be difficult to assemble at times and you MUST get the spring positioned properly or the #5 won't work.   Kadee came out with the #148 to make it easier for everyone and it has for me.
Check the Kadee website for more info.   These are all compatible and will work with the EZ Mates.

[Len]

One caveat regarding the Kadee #14x series "whisker" couplers. The mounting end of the shank, with the pivot/screw hole, is slightly thicker than a standard #5. This was done deliberately, so these couplers wouldn't flop around in a coupler box designed to take a #5 with it's bronze spring assembly.

Some coupler boxes designed specifically for EZ-Mate, McHenry, or Accumate couplers aren't quite as tall as older coupler boxes. So you may have to give the shank of a #148 a couple of swipes on each side with a fine flat file or emory board to keep it from binding in these boxes. And don't forget a shot of powdered graphite.

Len

[mabloodhound]

Good info Len!

[ebtbob]

Skooksteve,

      I basically read thru the responses to your original message and saw a lot of good info.    But.....unless I missed it,  two tools you need,  1 the KD coupler height gauge so that you know that all your couplers are at the same height,  and 2 the KD trip pin pliers.   Most of the couplers I have encounted require the trip pin,  "air hose"  whatever you want to call it, to be bent up ever so slightly so they do not drag going thru turnouts.

[skooksteve]

Thanks to everyone for the wealth of information. I've checked out the Kadee website and it looks like a great resource. I really appreciate how folks are so willing to take the time to share what they know. I t makes this hobby all the more interesting.

[Doneldon]

skook-

I know I can speak for all of us on this web site in saying "You're more than welcome," for your warm and generous thanks. You know, all of us were new at this once upon a time and we struggled to learn the basics, couplers among them, just as you are doing. From what I can surmise about many of the posters here, myself included, a ready-when-you-are web site would have been a welcome resource in our learning the ropes years but, alas, it seems as though humankind had barely discovered the paper and pencil calculator and digital computing hadn't even been dreamed about way back then. Being friendly and helpfull to new modelers and one another is something which many of us really enjoy. It's nice to feel a little bit needed and it's nice to pay back a little for all of the fun and good advice we have enjoyed on our own model railroad excursions.
                                                                                                                          -- D

[jward]

i got my start in the hobby in the early 1970s. you learned from other modellers local to your area, or if you were lucky you had family in the hobby you could learn from. coupler conversions in those days were mostly diy. there really was no standard coupler pocket. and kadee was the only game in town for working knuckle couplers until their patents expired in the 1990s. kadee thus made couplers to fit many different applications. the kadee #5 became the standard, probably because it was a drop in replacement for the horn hook couplers in the athearn  and roundhouse kits. in time, most other manufacturers adopted similar coupler pockets, and later, plastic knuckle couplers based on the kadee design.

a little more about the trip pin pliers: they will work with all brands of couplers with trip pins. they are not an absolute necessity as it is possible to adjust the trip pins with regular needle nose pliers. but doing so requires you to put pressure on the coupler head and it is easy to snap the head off doing this. the trip pin pliers allow you to bend the pin without applying pressure to the head. also, pins adjusted too low can snap on the trackwork. with the kadee metal couplers this usually causes no damage to the coupler, but with the plastic types like ez mate, accumate, etc you can bend the coupler shank if you are moving fast enough when they snag. once the shank is bent it is very difficult to get the proper coupler height back. mismatched coupler height causes uncoupling problems, so if i do bend a shank i replace the coupler right away. the best way to avoid this, of course, is to make sure you have the trip pins adjusted properly.

[CNE Runner]

Well said, Don, well said. Steve - Another annoying problem with couplers is the 'droop' one sometimes gets when installing, say, an EZmate coupler in a draft box designed for a Kadee #5 (and spring). As Len mentioned, one can run into a draft box that is deep enough to allow the coupler to hang down excessively. In this case I recommend you purchase a bag each of Kadee's #208, 209, 210 washers. These washers are numbered differently because they are of differing thicknesses. When a loose fit, or droop, is found - place the appropriate washer between the coupler and the draft box cover.

In summary to become coupler savvy you will need: an coupler height gauge, a coupler pin adjusting pliers, some extra coupler draft boxes, the Kadee coupler conversion chart (free on the Kadee website), and a set of Kadee washers.

Regards,
Ray