Couplers

[Flyer]

As a beginner I need to know what type, style, etc. of couplers are preferred by most.  Magnetic or non-

magnetic?  I just want to begin with the most trouble free type.

[ABC]

Kadee Couplers, as far as I am concerned there are no other types (these are magnetic) (There is no such thing as E-z mate, Mc Henry, life-like, x2f, etc... they are not the least bit reliable)

[jonathan]

Wow.  I think ABC really likes kadee couplers.  While kadees are the standard for most modelers, let me say this....

I have naver had an EZMate Mark II give me any trouble.  Granted, the kadee #5 is in probably 80% of my equipment.  However, I will happily use the Mark II, if the application of a kadee requires that I will have to cut into my equipment, especially a locomotive.  In fact, my 44-ton does all the switching in my yard.  It still has the Mark IIs it came with, couples and uncouples repeatedly, and never complains.  My other Spectrum Locos still have their original Mark IIs and have yet to let go of a consist.

Another caveat.  I have only been at this for three years.  Perhaps a plastic coupler will wear out over time.  If they do, the kadees will have to go in, but not until then.

One more thought.  I have picked up a few pieces of Walthers Gold Line rolling stock recently.  They now come equipped with proto max metal couplers.  They seem like very, very close copies of the kadee, right down to the metal spring insert, and work well also.

Flyer, if you decide that kadees are the way to go, you'll have to add a couple of new words to your vocabulary:  brinelling and greas'em.  Read the instructions carefully.  Kadees are wonderful, if installed correctly.

There is one brand of coupler I wouldn't give to my worst enemy.  But we are polite here.

Regards,

Jonathan

[Railnut87]

To go way back I first started with horn-hook couplers..Yikes! hehe. I use Kadee #5, EZ-Mate, EZ Mate Mark II's and some McHenry. I find that the plastic shanks do wear out after time. The springs are better to use. I plan to swtich over everything to Kadee someday. Kadee sells a variety of different styles, draft boxes etc. Check out their website for further information. Most ready to run rolling stock and locomotives come with the McHenry and Ez-Mate couplers these days. You should try different ones to see how your rolling stock reacts to them and how appealing they are too.

[ebtnut]

Just as an historic aside to couplers - Way back when I was a pup, most rolling stock was built from craftsman-type kits.  And many of those kits had either brass or pot metal underframe components.  The couplers were generally all-metal as well - DeVore, MDC, Mantua, early Kadees.  And generally, the trucks had metal wheels insulated only on one side.  If you weren't careful, you could couple up a train and create a short because the power would come up from the wheels to the metal frames, which then could make some or most of the train hot.  If one truck somewhere was turned opposite the other(s), it would create a short. 

[CNE Runner]

I've been in the hobby for 45+ years and have been exposed to just every name/type of coupler going. Truthfully, I now use Bachmann EZmate Mark IIs - and have had no problems whatsoever. Please understand that I run trains of 10 cars or less...those posters running longer consists may have a different opinion. EZmate Mark IIs are relatively inexpensive and are available, in bulk, from several sources (Micro Mark being but one).

Ray

[ABC]

Truthfully, I now use Bachmann EZmate Mark IIs - and have had no problems whatsoever. Please understand that I run trains of 10 cars or less...those posters running longer consists may have a different opinion.

I run consists of over 100 cars down at the club, so that may be why I strongly prefer Kadees over all other types. I personally have had issues down at the club with the Mark IIs, they have a high tendency to uncouple compared to Kadees when I am running consists of 25+. But if you are running consits of 12 or less you can easily get away with plastic couplers (Mc Henries, Mark IIs, etc) but the larger the train the larger the need for metal couplers. I also found that the plastic ones just can't hold up as well as the metal ones do.

[jonathan]

Neat.  I would love to see a layout big enough to pull a 100-car train!  I can see why you would need metal only couplers.  My longest trains are around 25-28 cars.  Seems there is a limit to the holding power of the plastic coupler... I just haven't reached it, yet.

Regards,

Jonathan

[full maxx]

search youtube for ho scale layouts...it is unlimited probably thousands of videos

[jward]

the big problem with plastic couplers i ran into in N scale was something called the draft angle. it is where the molds arted when they made the coupler, about midway down the inner face of the knuckle. this area was slightly thicker than the rest of the knuckle, and when pulling longer trains, would cause the knuckles to ride up over each other and uncouple. the plastic micro trains (n scale kadee) couplers were very slippery, and Ntrak layouts routinely run 100 car trains.

the solution was to file the inner face of the coupler knuckle flat. to their credit, micro trains later corrected the problem with a "reverse draft angle" coupler where the inner face of the knuckle was dished. that simple redesign makes for a coupler which tends to grap under strain, rather than trying to slip over the adjacent coupler.

i haven't really looked at HO couplers as i usually don't bother with the plastic ones. i am a kadee fan too. but looking carefully at the knuckles for that bump, and filing it out if you find it, should increase the grip of your plastic couplers no matter what scale you are in.

[ABC]

Neat.  I would love to see a layout big enough to pull a 100-car train!

Here's 2 pictures of the club's downstairs layout, they also have a layout upstairs...

[jonathan]

Very nice layout indeed.  To clarify, I meant I want to see a layout that big in person.  I see them all the time in the net.  How satisfying it must be to pull a consist that long with your own equipment.  Must have taken a lot of tuning, not just couplers; weight, balance, wheel and track cleanliness, motor efficiency, strong tractive effort... etc, all these things must take a lot of precise work to get a model train moving when it's that big.  Congrats.

Regards,

Jonathan

[lmackattack]

stay away from the plastic nuckle couplers with plastic wiskers

the plastic couplers with springs are ok for trains less than 30 cars or so.

kadee metal couplers are a must for people running long trains as they will not bend at the shank when under stress of a large string of cars. many times I will see a plastic couplers lift when a car near the loco go over an uneven track. A drastic speed change such as a short in the power will cause slack in the train and the shock that the plastic couplers see can snap a shank or cause them to climb and uncouple.

I have also noticed that the plastic couplers dont work very well over magnets.

again nothing wrong with plastic but they are not very good for long trains or used with magnets

[jbsmith]

I gave in and bought a packet kadee #5 at a LHS today.
Never bought them before, although i suspect some used rolling stock i have bought in the past may have them.
Anyways, i bought them for my Bachmann FT-A/B diesels which i had put
hornhooks on to keep the A/B units together
The hornhooks worked just great but the looked odd when all of the other elements of the consist have knuckles. I did not really notice the hornhooks
at first but over time they began to stand out like sore thumbs.
But, hey, at the time they were all i had on hand and in a pinch they did the job and did it well.
Once i got back i put the #5s' on and took a test spin under load.
They have held up just great so far,no complaints.
I put the other two on a boxcar whose couplers had been nothing but trouble and voila! no more mysterious un-coupling on that one!

I'll have to get some more of these #5s' and replace the accurail couplers
that tend to come undone when backing up then back to forward.

[jward]

kadee 148's are #5's with whiskers instead of centering springs. they are much easier to get working properly.