can kadee knuckle couplers mate with bachmann knuckle couplers?
Do ATSF couples mate with BNSF coupers? ;)
Just kidding, only if they are a close enough or exact height, oh, and make sure they are both knuckle or the black one the look like the grim reaper's silth.
Kadee Knuckles CAN mate with Bachmann Knuckles.
Oh, and sometimes on some of the loser Bachmann couplers I can spread the knuckle enough to make it 'semi-capable' with the black life-like ones. But the stress derails most cars so I just find ways to 'break' the couplers and have me get some new ones. Then have a car half and half for 'exchanges' in couplers.
Santa Fe Buff : The Reaper uses a scythe ,happen to have one myself . The lifelike coupler is called a horn-hook coupler and was one of the first attempts at standardization . I am in the process of converting my own couplers to knuckle type either Bachmann , or Kadee .
Given the choice, go with Kadee.
And yes, at one time everything came with horn hook. Before that there was chaos.
Gene
Of Course, John Allen used neither...
Quote from: Jhanecker2 on August 08, 2008, 10:17:51 AM
Santa Fe Buff : The Reaper uses a scythe ,happen to have one myself . The lifelike coupler is called a horn-hook coupler and was one of the first attempts at standardization . I am in the process of converting my own couplers to knuckle type either Bachmann , or Kadee .
Ah, I was looking for the name, but until then I needed any example so people would know the couple I'm talking about. Horn-Hook huh, never would've guessed. Thanks.
Oh, and Kadee would be better then Bachmann couplers but that is your choice. And my Spell Check went out so I couldn't figure out how to spell 'scythe'. But you get what I meant.
Dictionary.
Gene
hi, is it horn-hook? or is it hook-horn? thanks.
Matt
Quote from: SteamGene on August 08, 2008, 04:09:46 PM
Dictionary.
Gene
Your right, I probably just wasn't thinking. Thanks Gene, I guess common sense isn't so common, yet I won't step in front of a freighter...
John Allen used the best coupler available at the time. Early kadees were not very good. The
horn hook was still years off.
It's horn hook.
And since it's lesson time:
Your: possessive pronoun designating something you own: Your diesel derailed again.
You're: contraction of you are: You're going to buy a Spectrum Consolidation to replace the diesel.
Were: plural past tense of "to be" We were happy when the Spectrum Consolidation appeared.
We're: contraction of we are: We're going to get this layout finished this year.
Where: location. In the north, the basement is where many men build their layout.
(These are common errors on this board - and not just by teens.)
Gene
How about the poor abused apostrophe. People add it to plurals. There is a pizzeria out here that is called "Two Guy's" pizza. They don't need the apostrophe and it makes me nuts every time I go by.
There is a stall in a local mall that sells "collectables."I often wonder if that's the same as "collectibles?"
As for "horn-hook couplers, I often wonder where that came from. I remember that the politically correct Model Railroader always referred to them as "X2f" from the NMRA designation. Most people I knew always called them "NMRA" couplers.
The NMRA gets the credit (blame) for designing the things. They allowed manufacturers to use the design free of charge so as to get some kind of uniformity.
Who remembers the "NMRA universal coupler pocket"?
How about the old Mantua loop couplers?
If two guys own a pizza it would be "two guys' pizza." If it's the name of a pizzaria, it should probably be "Two Guys Pizza."
Gene
I remember the Mantua Loop couplers. They worked really well. I once saw a short train derail - the whole train took a dive to the floor thanks to the Mantuas!
They were uncoupled on the layout with a large piece of spring metal that was placed between the rails. The problem was that they looked awful.
As for the apostrophe in writing, it is used to show combination or possession. If you combine two words such as "it is", the new word is "it's"
As a possessive. If I said that I had a locomotive belonging to a friend, I'd say that," It was my friend's locomotive." If I had locomotives from two friends then I'd write " Those are my friends' engines."
But if I said that I had more than one friend (which I do) then I'd simply say that "I have a lot of friends." Here the "s" signifies the plural and no apostrophe should be used. simple.
This brings me back to my school days when I had to study the "Warriner"s Handbook." Ugh.
Who remembers the "NMRA universal coupler pocket"? I remember them, I may still have some
that I have not used. The X2F was designed by a committee of the NMRA, and was voted down
by the members. I can recall 8 companies that had automatic couples. Walthers, American flyer,
Megow (sp) Mantua, Baker, MDC, Devord (sp) Kadee. There may have been more. Mantua and
baker worked best of the early couplers. MDC looked great, and worked like the prototype, How
ever due to the small size that did not work well. Kadee and Devord (sp) came out about the
same time. They looked alike but worked different. Up until this time all the couplers were
mechanical. It was not until Kadee came out with the magnetic coupler did you have one that
really worked well. I think it was Rail Line that did come out with a magnetic X2F but it was too
late.
I had forgotten about the MDC couplers - they looked nice but were a lot of trouble. I remember epoxying a bunch of them into a tank car shell for added weight. They were no trouble after that.
I have had lttle trouble mating Kadee couplers (#5) with Bachmann EZmate units. Having said that, I would recommend that you select one brand of coupler and stick with it. Couplers of the same brand usually give you less heartache than a mixed lot. On the Newburgh, Dutchess & Connecticut RR, I have switched exclusively to Bachmann EZmate: they are cheaper and very rugged. What I have done, for years, is to snip off the trip pins on all my couplers. I have found the decoupling magnets aren't all that effective and arent' worth the cost and trouble. Go to Big Lots, Wal-Mart (or whatever) and pick up a bag of bamboo skewers (should cost around a buck). Insert the skewer between the attached couplers and twist...voila the couplers part! Granted, this would not work on a wide layout or a secton of track that is not easily reached...but on my 30" wide switching setup - it works fine. I would say the most important item to keep in mind is to check coupler heights (I check the entire fleet every 6 months).
I do not see the appropriateness of the English 101 lesson; don't you think a model railroad site should be for the hobby? I am sure there are many other websites devoted to language skills. Yes, I too have been amused by misspellings and improper syntax. So what? This is a website whose function is to share our combined knowledge in order to solve a brother modeler's problem or question. Let's keep with the intent of this thread OK? Good luck to all...and thanks for the assistance you have frequently given me.
I agree about the English lesson BUT there are some postings here that look like they are written in code. You must admit that the good old English language is taking a beating.
A good friend supervises all the hiring for a large, national bank. Every applicant is asked to write a little essay about what they can bring to the bank. There are those applicants who (1) can't fill out the form at all and (2) get up and leave when they come to the essay part. After that they get an arithmetic test (good idea for a bank) and many fail it.
As for couplers, the Kadee clones are getting better. I still like the idea of metal couplers. I absolutely agree that people ought to stick to one kind of coupler. That gets difficult when different manufacturers use different brands.
Quote from: Woody Elmore on August 09, 2008, 07:57:27 AM
How about the poor abused apostrophe. People add it to plurals. There is a pizzeria out here that is called "Two Guy's" pizza. They don't need the apostrophe and it makes me nuts every time I go by.
There is a stall in a local mall that sells "collectables."I often wonder if that's the same as "collectibles?"
As for "horn-hook couplers, I often wonder where that came from. I remember that the politically correct Model Railroader always referred to them as "X2f" from the NMRA designation. Most people I knew always called them "NMRA" couplers.
The NMRA gets the credit (blame) for designing the things. They allowed manufacturers to use the design free of charge so as to get some kind of uniformity.
Who remembers the "NMRA universal coupler pocket"?
Thanks,
I've bought more 1950's and '60s magizines, and I was woundering what a 'NMRA coupler' was. It's a horn hook coupler. Thanks for clearing that up for me.
thanks for all the help. i was wondering because i cant seem to find seperate bachmann knuckle couplers to buy.
CNE,
I felt compelled. Being a retired English teacher, among other things, ever so often I have to mention something. We know each other by what we write. Some of us form opinions by what we read. All of us, particularly those younger, form habits.
There is a lot of computer English that is very useful. But one needs to know the language appropriate for the situation. Some messages get really garbled because of what is written. Those who have been around for awhile well remember the "worn out rails" thread. A whole lot of grief from poor description.
You can always delete my posts.
Gene
I agree with Steam Gene it is impossible to communicate if your meanings are not unequivically correct . Mathematics is relatively simple in comparison , language has a good deal more subtlety and nuance. The old computer phrase " G I G O " ( Garbage In Garbage Out ) always applies in information .
Helping each other means proper communication. I for one am sick of the garbage / gibberish in some of the posts.
Buff: Pretend the "quote" feature doesn't exist, way over abused.
I just received an order of 6 IHC Great Northern smooth passenger cars, discovered that the won't stay coupled to my Athern passenger cars or my Walters locomotive. I looked up couplers in HO Scale Model Railroading & the pictures indicate that the IHC cars have horn & hook couplers! I had a difficult time finding inexpensive GN passenger cars, so I'd keep them, if it is not difficult for a novice to replace them. I can see how to remove them (they look like a crab's claw gripping a T-shaped post), but I don't know what could snap in to replace them. Walthers' July flyer, page 21, shows "Passenger Truck Conversion Bolsters w/Couplers for 4-wheel IHC Passenger Trucks, & these passenger cars have 4-wheel trucks, but I don't see how they would fit.
I tried to attach a photo of the IHC coupler. First, I was told the uploader was full & to try a small file. Then I was told I'd already submitted this post!
You should also add weight to them... They are super-light. I think Kadee makes a conversion. I cut off the original couplers, and body mounted Kadee's on an IHC diner. The close coupling can only be used when coupled to different manufacturer's cars due to IHC's rigid diaphragms.
Kadee's #581 conversion kit will allow you to mount a standard Kadee #5 coupler in there. Or, you could use Mchenry's #52 drop-in replacement coupler which doesn't need a conversion kit. Regardless, like GG said, adding weight to these cars will do wonders for them.
Timothy
Thanks Guilford Guy for the benefit of your experience with IHC passenger cars, & Timothy for your information! Your advice should help me a lot. An ad for inserts to furnish the cars was included in each car box, so maybe that's why IHC left the cars light. I don't suppose IHC would tell how to get the tops of the cars off. They seem to be metal, perhaps aluminum.
They're plastic, and are at least decade old toolings, and are not up to today's weighting standards. For lack of a better car, I took the diner, which I one for $0.99 on ebay, sanded off the lettering, and added new logos, and a window stripe. I then glued pennies inside to weigh it down. Right now its in the shops, waiting for new trucks (preferably Eastern Car Works), and working diaphragms. When I ran it it was sandwiched between 2 Walther's Coaches, which had working diaphragms. With the close couple it managed to negotiate 22" radii curves. I'd recommend if you wish to close couple them, to replace the plastic diaphragms with Train Station Products' or another manufacturers. They can be nice cars with a little work, but by the time you invest the money into new diaphragms, interiors(if desired), etc, you could have bought a set of Walthers' cars for more or less the total price.
Edit: To remove the roof, there are several plastic tabs on the bottom. The Window insert is part of the roof. Squeeze and hold these tabs in with tooth picks, or small screw drivers, then pry off the roof. This will expose to inside of the car, to which you should glue pennies. Don't make them too heavy, but they will track better, especially on curves, and reduce derailments.
Thanks again Guilford Guy! At least, your tip of using pennies will save me dollars on special train car weights.
Visit your local tire dealer, get a bunch of used lead weights for free. Remember "A penny saved is a penny earned."
Lead?
Yes, its a very dense metal.
I know what lead is. I think that Bob may be pulling a leg... ;) After all, I wouldn't like my locomotives or cars weighted by lead, it is poisonous.
Lead is only poisonous if ingested. The point was the it was free and since it is a more dense metal, you would in theory need only a little bit per car.
I see. Thanks, I'll look out for it.
Most tire supply stores will give you new ones free or very cheap . The new ones have a tape backing to keep them on the rims.
Don ;)
I've already glued pennies onto the floors of 3 of my 6 IHC passenger cars
I weighed a car at 3 oz. The car is 11 1/4" long; using the rule for weight, I calculated the optimum weight at 7.5 oz. 15 pennies will fit the length of the floor & weigh about 1 oz. I glued 15 more on top of them. I don't know how much a tire weight weighs or how they might fit to distribute their weight, but you who recommend them must have used them successfully.
The hardest part for me was getting the tops of the cars off. On the third car, I found an easier way than wedging all 6 tabs at once. I pushed 2 on an end with a small screwdriver & began prying the top up.
Conrail Quality, I searched for McHenry 52 couplers to replace the horn & hook ones on my IHC cars. modeltrainstuff is out of stock & so is Horizon Hobby. On eBay, I bid last night for some included with a lot of others but find myself far outbid today. So I'll keep looking.
I have the IHC cars in both streamlined and heavyweight. It's easy to bodymount #5 couplers. You may need some plastic shim stock. Bobymounting will make performance better.
The inserts are also plastic and add very little weight. OTOH, it becomes possible to fill the bathrooms and such with lead birdshot to add weight.
The couplers you have are horn hook and recently discussed. They are the old standard.
Gene
Gene, I'll look for #5 couplers. I don't have any insert furnishing, but I see that I could get them from IHC at $5 each for the coach & dining car. I hope they will fit on top of 2 thicknesses of pennies. When I try to order from IHC online, I receive a warning from Internet Explorer that there is something amiss with the site's certification. Have you ordered online from IHC without problems?
WGL,
Don't hold your breath for the McHenry #52 couplers.
Since Horizon bought McHenry they've been focused on getting the new 'shelf' couplers out, and retooling to make the older (e.g., #52) McHenry's with metal knuckle springs instead of the plastic finger spring. My LHS doesn't expect to see the new ones before the end of the year.
Also, you can add a bit of weight below the body by converting to metal wheels. A pack of 36 metal wheels with RP-25 flanges is available through Walthers, item number 348-5997.
These are the "31in" diameter used on the IHC cars, not the more typical "36in" size used on passenger cars. You could use the "36in" wheels, but you have to trim off the brake shoes to do so.
Len
Thanks Len, for the warning about McHenry 52s & for telling me exactly where to find the right wheels. I placed them in my Walthers Wishlist. I'd need 48 wheels, which gets expensive. I am interested in getting insert furnishings for my IHC coach & dining car, but IHC's order page has a security problem with its certification, & my e-mail to IHC's e-mail address was returned as undeliverable. The one at a hobby store who ordered my IHC passenger cars said it seemed as if he were operating out of his garage. He has a nice ad in Model Railroader, though.
The current stock of IHC cars is very lacking in detail and some of the paint schemes look horrible or are wrong. NJT has a bare window on the coaches and silver trucks, the "Jersey Builders" never had silver trucks, Amtrak (P1) has the black roof (this is a Rivarossi mistake that IHC continues to make) and silver trucks. Of all the new IHC cars I've gotten over the years, the only one still in service is the DL&W HW Obs as a PV for the rear of my Amtraks or "my" business car. I'd rather find the Rivarossi cars at train shows, they look so much nicer.
WGL, before you order from Walther's try finding the same item at Trainworld, STDS, or other online stores; or see if you LHS will order it for you and give you a discount. Unless you order from the monthly Walther's catalog's and buy sales items you pay MSRP plus s&h. The same is true if you order directly from IHC.
Whether the inserts will fit over two layers of pennies, I don't know. I'd still recommend lead birdshot on the floor and in the compartments. The IHC inserts are all a sky blue - floor, seats, walls - and probably need painting .
I bought a bag of small bird shot years ago and still have about 3/4 of it left. It does wonders on such things as flatcars. I used to weigh hoppers with it, but stopped, and in fact retrolighten hoppers as I find they don't need to be NMRA weighted to track well. Wheel weights can be bought cheaply at an auto parts store, and again, one box will last a long, long time.
Yes, lead is poisonous. Just don't swallow bird shot or use wheel weight as a throat lozenge. Keep away from kids small enough to still be in the "taste everything" stage.
Gene
Ken S, my IHC smooth passenger GN cars look the right color (dark green roofs, orange sides) to me & match the colors of my EMD SD-45 GN locomotive. I chose IHC, because of the price & because their ad said that the cars work on 18"r, which was all I had. However, I just got some 22"r & built a second oval outside the one with 18"r, & plant to run my passenger train on the outside oval with its wider curves.
Gene, I'll check other sources for the wheels. I'll look for birdshot. It certainly would adapt well to the available floor space.
Quote from: WGL on August 17, 2008, 02:13:14 AM
Ken S, my IHC smooth passenger GN cars look the right color (dark green roofs, orange sides) to me & match the colors of my EMD SD-45 GN locomotive. I chose IHC, because of the price & because their ad said that the cars work on 18"r, which was all I had. However, I just got some 22"r & built a second oval outside the one with 18"r, & plant to run my passenger train on the outside oval with its wider curves.
Gene, I'll check other sources for the wheels. I'll look for birdshot. It certainly would adapt well to the available floor space.
It depends heavily on the railroad. IHC chose one set of prototypes and released it in smoothisde and CS versions whether they were accurate or not. Mind you, Walthers released PRR, NYC, and PC dome coaches some years ago.
I'm wondering how well this new UP coach will sell with a price tag equal to a Rapido car. I'm also thinking about buying a Rapido car at some point since the EL is one of my modeling interests.
Instead of lead birdshot, I thought, why not use BBs, which are steel & easier & safer to handle? So I bought BBs. They are much more expensive than pennies. :'( Covering the bottom of an 11" car to distribute their weight evenly, however, made the car about an oz heavier than its optimum weight. I don't know why birdshot wouldn't have the same result.
I don't know how much lead is used in shot, but if you hunt ducks you can't use lesd shot.
good question i'm going to modify my nickel plate road 759 with a pair of couplers for my railcars
My lead shot is probably at least ten years old. I asked if it were still made and they sold me a bag. Yes, one can't hunt water fowl with lead shot. BB's are just too light to be of any use. Pennies are one of the cheapest weights, but I'm not sure that it is actually legal to use them.
Gene
I think you are not supposed to deface coinage but using them for weights should not be illegal. However I would use the 1973 or earlier coins , they were solid copper and not alloyed with zinc . They are denser than the later issues. John II
Would the long shanks on my IHC passenger cars' couplers have something to do with these 11" cars being able to run on 18"r curves, & does close coupling require wider curves? I saw some Walthers' passenger cars with a caution that they be run on no sharper than 24"r curves. I haven't seen any 24"r Power-Loc track. I have just added an oval around my original one using 22"r curves for my passenger train & leaving the inner oval with 18"r for my freight train.
If the IHC cars had working diaphragms its POSSIBLE that they could take smaller radius with a close couple. Their diaphragms are plastic, thus if they were coupled to close and went around a sharp curve, it would force the cars off the rails. I wouldn't stick with Powerlock. EZ Track has a much broader variety of curves. Your equipment will look much nicer on 36" Radii EZ Track, and may operate just as well. Walthers cars are far superior to IHC. I have a couple of their heavyweights, which are "Awesome." If you do give in to EZ Track larger than 24" get some Rapido Coaches. These are the best plastic coaches available in HO. BTW, some Walthers cars, such as the heavyweight observation, need a radius closer to 26" to run well.
There is a reason that IHC passenger coaches are 1/3 to 1/4 the price of Walthers or Rapido coaches.
Note that while many users resort to buying IHC because they will run on 18" radius curves so will Rapido coaches.
I ordered a set of IHC coaches more than two years ago and I wans't pleased with the results. They do run on 18"radius curves but they lack in weight and some detail which have already been discussed here.
They travel on 18" curves because of the way the coupler is mounted. There is a long coupler shank connected to the truck on these cars. This allows the coupler to move with the truck and not the car body. Long car bodies swing out on tight radii so body couplers wouldn't work for these cars on 18" track. Wider radii it will work and does look better. If you notice when you run your coaches on curves, they have a large overhang (which can be avoided using wider curves). Look at the couplers of two connected coaches on these cars. The NMRA coupling goes almost to the edge of the car to keep coupled. It is hard to have long cars coupled on short radius track.
I too started with power lock track years ago because that is what came with my first sets. I would recomend switching to EZ track as well if you have the finances to do so. As well as more EZtrack pieces available (wider radii, crossigns...) , Power lock track is connected (electrically) by copper contacts which can loose springyness and cause a bad connecting as track ages. EZtrack is connected by rail joiners which is a definate electrical connection. I have not purchased EZ track myself, but I played with it in a hobby store and liked what I saw. I am not going to buy it though because I am hoping to go to a cork roadbed and flextrack once I can get my layout built.
Thanks for the recommendations & explanations about couplers. I have invested a lot of money just getting started, so I will have to defer changing to EZ track, which is more expensive than Power-Loc, for a while. Too bad Bachmann didn't have a train set in my local Fleet Farm, where I found the Walthers train set.
A set of 8 smooth passenger cars, 11" each, makes a long train! I had originally chosen heavyweight, not knowing the difference in length, but the train person at the hobby store explained that the era I want is the era of smooth cars. Actually, I have 6 IHC smooth & 2 Athearn heavyweight cars (which have knuckle couplers). Maybe I should switch to the era of shorter cars.
Today, the Intermountain 49009S HO RTR F7A w/ DCC & Sound, GN I ordered is due to arrive, along with my first 2 GN freight cars. I am eagerly awaiting it to replace my Walthers train set F7 for my passenger train.
The era of shorter cars is the 19th century. The standard passenger car length has been in the 80 foot range for years. Both heavyweights and lightweights are essentially the same length. Some model companies - Athearn and IHC for instance have built or build passenger cars that have been compressed a bit to make them compatable with a normal layout. But they are models of 80 foot cars, even though they only scale out to be 60-70 feet long.
Gene
SteamGene,
Thanks for the information about lengths of passenger cars & eras. I got out some of my 3-rail curved track for my Marx 0 set, laid them along the 18"r HO track & found that the Marx track has a slightly sharper curve, which is why 18"r seems normal to me.
While there's no doubt a bit of selective-compression goes on with the Athearn 72ft models, they aren't totally out in left field either.
A number of roads, the RF&P comes immediately to mind, actually did run 72ft cars because of the number of tight curves on their lines. The New Haven 80-seat "American Flyer" light weight coaches built in the mid-1930s were in the 70 - 75ft range in length also.
So I would suggest not gettng too hung up on the "real passenger cars are 85ft long" mantra.
Len
Some interesting trivia from 1942
Coach sizes ranged from 60' to 88'
Average size coach 72'
http://www.railwaystation.com/1942/04.html
Pacific Northern,
I did find that trivia interesting.
Don't anybody get a hernia laughing, but while I wait to get McHenry52 couplers to replace the horn & hook ones on my IHC passenger cars, I got some fine, very flexible wire & wired the couplers together, except the Athearn passenger car, which I coupled to my F7A. This is working on my layout with 22"r curves.
The Kadee-Compatible E-Z Mate knuckle coupler on the back of my Spectrum EMD SD-45 was not holding onto the knuckle coupler on the car, so I tried to adjust it. The tiny spring sprung out. I lost it for about 15 minutes. I had a devil of a time getting it back to about how it was before & not closing. I think I'd rather replace a coupler than struggle with those tiny springs. Too bad Bachmann didn't include a spare coupler. My Walthers train set includes 2 spare couplers. I guess I'll have to get some spare knuckle couplers.
(Alien spaceship approaching earth) "Mxlljiep dkibrin eisjhk bleup" Translation: "What are all those little squiggly things in orbit?"
to WGL- Kadee sells coupler springs by the dozen (in nice little packets) and they also have a really great spring tool that makes replacing them easier.
Back in "the good old days" is was not uncommon for people to put a little tiny dab of rubber cement on the end of the Kadee knuckle spring when installing one; it often helped prevent them from flying away.
You have to decide on one brand of coupler and stay with them. As for passenger trains I have seen them coupled with dummy couplers and drawbars. Wiring also works.
One thing that I do when replacing the springs is to run a tread in the spring so if it tries to fly it
can't take off. Once the spring is in place just pull the tread out. Slowly
Really? I thought the reason for banning lead shot is that it polluted the environment. It gets into the water supply.
Woody,
I believe you are correct. The duck is going to die of many other things prior to dying of lead poisioning. I'm not sure how many wounded ducks get to fly away.
Gene
The reason leadshot is no longer allowed for hunting migratory birds ( ducks, geese ,etc. ) is to keep them from ingesting lead from the environment. Birds use small stones , shot , etc. in their crop to grind food. John II.
Len, I glad to learn that 72' passenger cars can still be valid for the 1940s or '50s.
Thanks for the info about the spring tool & leashing those ornery springs with thread. It is difficult to see whether or not I have the spring exactly in place to make the coupler close.
I don't know what size number my couplers are, so I'm not sure which size number to get.
The Kadee knuckle springs are all the same for the HO coupler. I forgot to mention that I know people who have used an Xacto #11 blade to put springs into Kadees.
I will be the first to admit that replacing the springs is a tedious pain in the neck.
Quote from: Woody Elmore on August 23, 2008, 03:41:34 PM
Really? I thought the reason for banning lead shot is that it polluted the environment. It gets into the water supply.
Lead shot in migratory birds! I really think the lead shot is ingested by waterfoul as another poster stated. If you make giblet gravey from the foul or eat the gizzard such as some do I suppose there is a risk you could swallow lead shot. As far as poluting the envirionment, lead does not migrate. I went to a program invloving lead envirionmental cleanup, it was part of the program involving rifle ranges. The biggest concerns were the old lead paint and lead contain soldered copper plumbing joints. Until about the early 60's all paint contained lead and toddlers would chew on it. Most new plumbing these days are plastic.
I have worked with lead for most of my life from hand casting lead bullerts for competitve shooting since my teens to working in the field of maufactuing explosives, which are all lead base powders, such as lead styyphnate, red lead boron, lead azide, 50/50 lead salt. These powders for the explosive industry are still maufactured from lead base. Though working with lead we had a medical staff on the plant and it was policy that blood tests for lead every 6 months. It does expel from the body through excretion. I have never been found to be above my base line. I'm 64 and still cast bullets from lead. I have never had a problem with lead poisoning. I follow RULES using lead. I never melt lead in enclosed areas. I never stand over the pot with my face over the molten material and always wear leather welders gloves. Wash my hands before eating anything even a piece of chewing gum. I have always kept it away from my children and grandchildren.
I found that using the old lead shower basin's or the lead bins from torn out plumbing works great. It's about 1/16 inch thick and cuts easily with a pair of tin snips and that is what I weigh my cars with.
Geez..I forgot the topic. I am switching to kaydee a little at a time. Right now I have 24" & 22" radius curves and use McHenry talgo couplers on the long passenger cars, it just makes it easier to go around the tight curves. I believe kaydee is the only way to go in most cases!
Any time I get a new loco or some new rolling stock I change out the couplers with Kadee's. I keep a few McHenry couplers around in case I need a temporary replacement.
I would like to replace a Kadee compatible E-Z Mate coupler on my Spectrum EMD SD-45, but I don't know what the size number is.
HO Scale Model Railroading suggests using a hobby knife stuck between coils to insert the coupler spring. I can't see if I have it in correctly; I can see that the coupler is not closing properly with the spring in it.
Kadee #148 or #5. 148 is a number 5, but the centering spring is wires on the couplers themselves, as opposing to a separate piece of copper.
Quote from: WGL on August 26, 2008, 02:18:21 AM
I would like to replace a Kadee compatible E-Z Mate coupler on my Spectrum EMD SD-45, but I don't know what the size number is.
HO Scale Model Railroading suggests using a hobby knife stuck between coils to insert the coupler spring. I can't see if I have it in correctly; I can see that the coupler is not closing properly with the spring in it.
When an EZ-Mate has had it, that's it. Toss it. Kadee is the best way to go. The size you're looking for is #5 or the #148 whisker coupler as Alex suggested. I prefer the #5 myself.
I have never known a Kadee spring to hold more than a second if it's not in correctly. However, the ends of the springs must be inside the two small posts at the top and bottom. A thin knife blade does a great job. With the thread trick, I use a threaded needle to get the thread through the spring. Since learning that trick I have not lost a single spring.
Gene
Thanks Guilford Guy, KCS 1, & SteamGene. I'll look for Kadee 5#s.
modeltrainstuff.com has just gotten back in stock McHenry 52 couplers that will replace the horn & hook couplers on my IHC passenger cars! So far, my passenger train is running well with the horn & hook couplers wired together, so the MHC52s should be even better.
The McHenry is a Kadee wannabe and will not hold up well. It's all plastic and will twist under load. The Kadee is all metal and will stand up to loads that the McHenry can only dream of handling.
The horn & hook couplers that came on my IHC passenger cars are all plastic. They won't stay connected to each other, which is why I want knuckle couplers. I haven't seen a Kadee metal coupler that is identical in design to the McHenry 52, & I suppose I couldn't just pop a metal coupler into the truck where I popped out the plastic one.
Quote from: WGL on August 29, 2008, 02:50:54 AM
The horn & hook couplers that came on my IHC passenger cars are all plastic. They won't stay connected to each other, which is why I want knuckle couplers. I haven't seen a Kadee metal coupler that is identical in design to the McHenry 52, & I suppose I couldn't just pop a metal coupler into the truck where I popped out the plastic one.
Body mount all your couplers. You'll find the cars will operate better.
Quote from: WGL on August 29, 2008, 02:50:54 AMI suppose I couldn't just pop a metal coupler into the truck where I popped out the plastic one.
You might want to try this one. It's made for truck mounting.
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page51.htm
Roger is right. Cut off the Talgo arm or replace the truck and body mount the couplers with shim if necessary and coupler pockets supplied by Kadee.
Gene
KCS1,
Thanks for the link.
Will mounting couplers to the bodies of my 11" passenger cars still enable them to negotiate 18"r or at least 22"r curves, as they do now?
If you body mount(less derailments, operates better) use a "Long Shank" coupler. If you use a standard coupler, and it doesn't extend far enough, the diaphragms will collide, and being solid plastic, will derail the cars. http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page156c.htm
If they have a lot of end throw, probably not.
If I may toss in:
It also MAY depend on car model. Some passenger cars have longer 'over hang' then others. Therefore, need longer couplers. For me though, some times it's not the extension length... For I have a short coupler on a cylindrical hopper and it can go 18 radii without contact, but for it being hidden in there, it's simply a complete nightmare to even attempt to couple up. The point is, longer coupler shank, equals more distances between car and car, which that equals the cars being able to navigate sharper turns.
IHC cars have plastic diaphragms. When Coupled too close, teh diaphragms will collide and throw the cars off the track on a curve. If you body mount the couplers, with a long shank, such that the couplers extend beyond the diaphragm, they will be able to navigate the turns. However, I must caution you about coupling these cars to a short locomotive.
(http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/4599/jpgzg2.jpg)
Red represents the car, and green represents the locomotive. Note how on the second drawing, the couplers cannot meet. If they had been coupled when going around a curve one would have been forced off the rails.
Or, in other words, longer shank means it will be able to bend sharper. The short couplers are turned as far as they can go, and they still can't meet. If the shank is longer, it can reach farther out on the same bend degree. I had a good example very small, yet, uploader full thing is still trouble. I'm also too young for photobucket.
You can also see why you can not run long Talgo mounted couplers with long body mounted couplers. The green car the coupler would be out the rail while the red car with talgo mounted coupler would be right in the center of the track.
Back in '69 I had a loco that had body mounted couplers and all my rolling stock was truck mounted. I took the simple way out and joined the loco to the first car with a loop of wire. Don't laugh. It worked. Besides, I was 9 years old then and didn't really care what it looked like.
Hey on my HO scale set, my caboose has a bent coupler, so I just use yarn, tie it to the ladder, and to the last car, and BINGO, and 1 inch gap for a coupler! But you must be careful, to long and the train will yank it off the tracks, and to short, and you'll have contact=
http://trainweb.org/heathrob/wrecks/wcdc/wcdc02.html -AH!
OUCH! That ruined somebody's day!
More like A LOT of peoples days! Think of all the people counting on that car, or shipping something in it! I think you already know this is easier real, which I'm sure you already knew that, but I didn't want someone to possibly get mixed up.
Thanks for the the link & the additional information about coupler variables. We should soon have enough to make a book. This week, I should receive the couplers I ordered & can replace the wires. :-[
I did replace the horn & hook couplers on my 6 IHC passenger cars with McHenry 52 couplers. That seems to be working. I also replaced a defective coupler on the rear of my Spectrum EMD SD-45 with a Kadee 5 metal magnetic coupler. I found that Bachmann uses whisker couplers in their SD-45. Now, I can run my locomotive frontwards again to pull the train. It is pulling my 18 freight cars without straining.
The Life-Like horn & hook couplers on the cars from my initial train set hold pretty well to the knuckle couplers on other cars. I find that some cars hold better when I move them to a different part of the train.
Quote from: StanierJack on September 05, 2008, 05:11:31 PM
I have a quick question about couplers.
Does anyone think that if I was to replace the NEM socket couplers from some of my newly purchased American outline sock, that I could fit it with British Tension locks without much fuss?
I have had cars uncouple or derail, because the metal (hose) on the knuckle coupler rides low enough to strike a rail when crossing a switch. Does anyone else have these problems? I am trying to bend these hoses up away from the track. Did somebody write that he snips off these hoses to prevent problems?
When I install Kadees on a car, I always bend the hose up. I use a small needlenose pliar, hold the coupler in my left hand, with the head resting on my first finger. Then I bend the hose towards the head. I also file the paint off the rear of the coupler.
If you use plastic knuckle couplers, the only solution is to cut the bottom of the hose off.
Gene
Kadee makes a plier for bending the hoses . It also makes a gauge to check the height of the hoses to make sure they clear the tracks. Check their website .
Sometimes, the hoses on my cars jti either the rail on a switch, but sometimes, it hits the ties. The only one of my cars that hits the ties is my Union Pacific cattle car.
Thanks for the confirmation that others have the problem & for the advice, SteamGene & Jhanecker2.
Sometimes, my coupler rides low enough, and has the hose outward enough, to grind on the side of the rail, and uneven connections make for a bumpy or thunderous ride via derailment(s). Cheaper couplers likely have plastic hoses, and the more expensive couplers have metal. Also, I would like to add another coupler type that gives me trouble- the hook-horn. Earlier hook-horns and some newer ones have that needle/icicle thing sticking down, which does the same thing. But since they're only plastic, cutting is probably the easiest way to fix it.
Here's some links:
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page160.htm
http://www.trainweb.org/girr/tips/tips3/coupler_tips.html
Good luck! :)
Quote from: indianajones12 on October 17, 2008, 05:37:46 PM
Sometimes, the hoses on my cars jti either the rail on a switch, but sometimes, it hits the ties. The only one of my cars that hits the ties is my Union Pacific cattle car.
Then you need to buy the Kadee coupler hieght gauge and properly adjust your couplers. Correctly adjusted couplers don't foul the track and don't uncouple, except where you want them to.
Good Morning All !!! Santa Fe Buff do yourself a favor and replace your horn-hook couplers at your earliest convenience. Kadee and Bachmann Knuckle couplers will make your trains run better with less long term annoyance. It is a bit boring , though it can be quite exciting chasing down very small flying springs and parts . If you have a jeweler's apron , use it . You will also need good lighting , optical magnification , tools and a steady hand. Good Luck !! John II
John,
I'm way ahead of you. I have got mostly life-like freight cars with hook-horns. So I bought me a Life-Like knuckle coupler replacement designed just for those pesky Life-Like hook-horns. But due to recent packing away and cleaning out for room painting, I've only had time and space to replace 3 cars and in case I don't have enough, I made one car half and half. Those things connect just like Kadees, but I'm fairly sure don't come close, for they use an 'arm' or bendable plastic for recoil instead of a spring.
Thanks, but some of my older cars seem to be impossible to change couplers now... Can't wait to save up to buy those Kadees at the hobby shop! :)