I guess the reason that I use the LGB knuckle couples (2019/2) ($6.00 pr.) is that back some 40 years ago I purchased some 50 pair of these couples as there was nothing else on the market, no Kadee at that time. I realize these are oversize and for some that might be a problem and they are a manual operation which some may not car for. I thought about changing to Kadee, but just don’t find what it would cost worth the investment at this time. Does anyone else still use the LGB knuckle couplers and why. I model in LGB scale 1:22.5 so for me it works, I realize in other scales it probably wouldn’t work out so well.
Having only ever owned one LGB car (that I currently can’t find) I never had the opportunity to try them out. Oversize doesn’t bother me if operation is smooth. I started out with mostly Aristo/Delton cars and like the Delton style couplers. When I up-scaled to Fn3, I initially converted most of my cars to Accucraft couplers because I like the lift-bar connection and the look, but they take lots of tweaking to operate well for switching. Recently I started using Bachmann’s metal Fn3 couplers. They are even bigger and have little detail, but they work fairly well with very little help. You can usually get the free from folks that have upgraded.
I pretty much stay away from Aristocraft 1:29 couplers. Just too hard to open and close, but they will stay connected for 100+ cars!
A few of my cars came with Kaydee couplers and I left them in-place. Some the larger “G” couplers and a few of the smaller #1 scale. I bought a bunch of the #1’s used a while back with thoughts of converting my EBT cars to a more true to scale coupler, but that hasn’t happened. I don’t ever plan use the magnetic uncoupling feature and usually cut off the ‘brake hose’.
With three major brands currently in use, I’ve become a master of interoperability…
To couple Accucraft to Bachmann Fn3: Keep the Bachmann closed and it will close the Accucraft when coupled.
Kaydee to anything else: close the anything else and Kaydee will couple to it!
Like anything else, couplers are a personal preference. Many will tout the Kaydee as the only way to go, but for switching operations, I’ve never been good at the screwdriver uncoupling method.
Thanks JRad, I pretty agree with your thoughts on couplers. I would like to give Fn3 a shot as I have sold all my HOn3 and being a model narrow gauger, it sure looks tempting. I just don’t know at this point in my life I want to start another scale, but who knows down the road what one might do. Thanks for the reply.
John;
I think I may have one car with the LGB knuckles. They are ungainly looking, but they do “play nice” with the Kadee ‘G’ size knuckles. I started out using the Delton, then Lionel, and now slowly adding the Kadees.
Regards, David Meashey
I personally do not. However they kinda remind me of a bachmann coupler in a sense. I do like the lever at the bottom and they seem to play nice with other couplers except USA trains as they really don’t play nice with anything.
Yes, I said it Mr. Ro or Charlie (how you preferred me to address you)…I told you were wasting money on your couplers!
kind of wished I would have stuck with truck mounts, and standardized to one brand, but now everything is body mount KaDee. I have a growing box of “other” brands that come off when I get a new car
i had started to equip my LGB cars with them (to work together with the Bachmann couplers)
but eventually returned to the bottle-openers/loop-n-hook, because the latter behave better on my R1 curves indoors.
since then, every now and then i come up with a new “perfect idea” for scratch built couplings.
but so far none survived the practical test phase.
Yes, add the second hook to every car, they stay connected even through track imperfections. Prototypical look, no, function yes.
Here are two pics of an LGB mogul, LGB couplers on the rear and USA Trains couplers on the front. Since I don’t switch with the front of the Mogul I went with a smaller coupler to look better than my LGB larger coupler on the rear.
John, this may help out. I took part in this evaluation when it was happening. https://www.nmra.org/sites/default/files/standards/sandrp/pdf/tr-21_ls_coupler_2010.06.15.pdf
Good to know that the NMRA hasn’t completely thrown their hands up in the air with attempting Large Scale standardisation. Kadee must be chuffed to be chosen as the standard and possibly concerned that potentially everything else would be compatible with their coupler.
Bill, keep in mind that that study and report is 15 or so years old. That said, nothing much has changed in that time.
Just as an update, in case anyone is interested;
we have been using the KADEE "#1 Scale (1:32) couplers ever since they were first introduced. They started out with plastic knuckles, which tended to crack over time and use, but for many years now have metal knuckles…at least on their #820’s which have proven for us, the most dependable couplers with our two fleets of over 250 cars each. We never use the magnetic features, preferring to use long shafted small Philips screw drivers for uncoupling tools. The #820 gear boxes generally are the most versatile for most applications.
At least they don’t look OVERSIZE when properly installed.