More on couplers

[jward]

usually kadee 5 or 148 will fit. they are drop in replacements on at least 90% of the stuff out there. over the last 20 years or so, manufacturers have done a great job of retooling cars to accept these couplers and their plastic clones.

[Len]

If your Bachmann cars use the medium center shank EZ-Mate coupler and you want metal couplers, you can use the Kadee #5 w/bronze centering sping, #148 "whisker" coupler, or #58 scale head "whisker" coupler. You may have to thin the coupler box lid a bit with sand paper if it's too tight a fit.

A fairly comprehensive list of recommendations for converting Bachmann locos and cars can be found at http://www.kadee.com/conv/hocc14.htm

Len

[mabloodhound]

The Kadee's ARE thicker shanks and you WILL have to adjust.   Another suggestion is to glue a very thin shim to each side of the coupler box before putting the lid back on.   This will give you the space needed for the thicker shanks and is much faster than sanding/scraping down the lid thickness.

[Jim Banner]

... metal couplers are not really need [sic] unless you are going to be running trains of 20 cars or more ...

Basing the need for metal couplers on the number of cars alone makes no sense.  Pulling double that number of fully weighted, free rolling cars on the flat is no problem with plastic couplers if you drive your trains realistically with gentle starts and stops.  On the other hand, when dragging a dozen less than perfect cars up a twisty, winding 4% grade with two or three locomotives at the point, even metal couplers will fail occasionally.

If you want a rule of thumb, try this one:  If a single locomotive can move the train without slipping its wheels, plastic couplers will do the job for a careful engineer.  If you find you have to use multi-unit consists to move the train, metal couplers are in your future.

Or to simplify it:
                            With one locomotive - plastic couplers will do.
                            But better get metal if you use two.

Jim

[ACY]

I see what you mean Jim. But I have a couple locos that can pull as much as several other locos mu'd together, so I guess there is no good rule, each has some exceptions. So I guess it is just best to decide on a case by case basis.

[mf5117]

Or if you do like I did, and forget to remove your magnet from a piece of track you replaced . And your rolling stock starts uncoupling for no reason and you cant figure it out . Then one day you make a change and find your problem stuck underneth that piece of track . nice thread, got some good info I needed to hear .

[mf5117]

oh it was EZ TRAC I left the magnet under ...

[CNE Runner]

This is related to the post regarding Kadee's for Thomas the Tank Engine stock. Recently I built a mini layout for a client who planned on using the MinitrainS Plymouth set. These cars have European couplers and are not compatible with our knuckle couplers. I called Kadee's tech department and asked if there was a Kadee replacement product...there isn't. My point is that the Thomas rolling stock appears to have the same type of couplers as the MinitrainS and, if so, do not have a direct Kadee replacement unit...no idea about EZmate II - but I doubt it.

I would like to report on the client's success with coupling/uncoupling his HOn30 rolling stock; but he hadn't received shipment of the set when I delivered his new layout.

Ray

[Jhanecker2]

to Jward  :  have you  considered  mounting the hook & loop couplers that  Bachmann makes to one of your tenders or other rolling stock to couple to the "Thomas" line  of rolling stock ?  I modified a tender from one of my  Hogwarts sets to pull  Thomas  express coaches .  It worked well because the connection to the tender required only the removal of one screw and replacement of the original coupling. John II.

[jward]

i don't run much steam, and i'd like to retain the flexibility of my locomotive fleet. i may try mounting a thomas coupler on a boxcar though.