I have 3 Bachmann train sets, one is new the others are not. The new set has easy mate couplers but the other two don't. Can I replace all of the non-easy mate couplers with easy mate's? It looks like all of the cars have short couplers, the caboose has long couplers but I really don't have anythng to compare them to to know which length I need to order. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
jlgoyette
If they are knuckle couplers and have body mounted boxes I used Kadee#5 to replace my older car couplers and also started changing my newer cars with the Kadee's.
There is nothing wrong with the new easy mate couplers but I like the operation I get from the Kadee's.
If your older ones have horn hook mounted on the trucks I would replace them with new trucks and convert to body mounted couplers. Kadee has them pre-made or you can build them yourself.
Jerry
I don't know what horn hook couplers are, but on the newest set, purchased last fall, they are the easy mates and are attached to the trucks.
jl-
Horn hook couplers (more accurately X2f couplers) are the bizarre looking things which I suspect you have on your older trains. They functioned relatively well when carefully adjusted, but modern knuckle couplers look much better, as well as allowing magnetic uncoupling and Kadee's patented delayed magnetic uncoupling. LSS: Go with the Kadees.
-- D
jl
Your new set should have the couplers mounted to the cars(rolling stock) not the trucks(wheel sets)
This pic is the horn hook mounted to the truck.
(http://i1120.photobucket.com/albums/l499/jeborne/B439yQ2kKGrHgoH-D8EjlLlcYWBKenJi6Gu_12.jpg)
Jerry
truck mounted knuckle type couplers doesn't sound like bachmann. all the bachmann cars i've seen with knuckle couplers aka ez mates have body mounted couplers. model power is the one still using truck mounted couplers. unless you are talking about passenger cars......
as an interim solution, you might consider converting one end of one of your cars to the other type of coupler. that would allow you to run the different types together in one train.
cars with truck mounted couplers work well going forward, but if you intend to back them into sidings or yard tracks you will definitely want to mount any couplers on the car floor instead of the trucks. truck mounted couplers often cause the cars to derail when you back them.
replacing couplers that are truck mounted is not a simple drop in replacement. for one thing, the coupler height will usually be lower on the truck mounted cars.
to answer the original question: i would start out with the medium, centerset shank couplers. assuming that your older train sets have freight cars with truck mounted horn-hook couplers, you will also need the following:
coupler boxes. kadee sells these as a seperate item, or they come with kadee #% couplers.
coupler height guage. height is critical with knuckle type couplers. the guage gives you something to measure them against.
pin vise with drill and tap set for 2-56 screws.
2-56 screws, 1/4 or 3/8" long
coupler trip pin pliers. of the trip pins are too low, they will snag and derail your train.
thin fiber washers (kadee) these will fit between the truck and car floor to raise the car if the coupler is too low.
thin styrene strip. this will be used to shim the coupler box if the car floor sits too high.
t