Large Scale Central

Home made link and pin couplers

Modeling
#1

I spent the morning trying to find the best way to make some link and pin couplers for my hartland mini series rolling stock. (I hate the hook and loops). I wanted to avoid buying them because Im too cheap and broke. AFter a while I came up with this. I took a piece of wood abou 1-2 inches long drilled a hole and mounted that to were the old hook/loop coupler was. Then I drilled another hole on the other end for the link and pin. Ithen took a saw and cut through the middle for the link to fit into. The I took some old bike chain and took the links off. Thats my links. Of course the pin is a cotter pin. I also rounded of the ends. I really wanted to use metal but I could not find anything that was easy to work with and mount. I had to settle for wood. Now all I need to do is smooth it out better and paint it to look like metal. Any ideas ???

#2

Nice idea Shawn. Your wooden pockets and pins look good. You might get some issues with the links pushing off to the sides.

The prototype operation is when slack, the pockets act as a buffer, allowing the cars to push solidly against each other. Your home made design would work the same way if your links were just an elongated circle rather than the solid link with two holes. I can’t think of a common item you could use, but there is probably something simple and cheap. Perhaps some very light welded chain ?

#3

Shawn, that looks really good, and in our size, will probably not give you any problems.

If you want to be more prototypical, you might look in the cheap junk jewelry section at the local Wally-World for a chain that would serve. Or, you might make something from styrene, using your bicycle chain link as a template of sorts, making it perhaps a bit longer, and drill out the elongated circle that Jon spoke of.

It looks like you have used pop-rivets for the pin. That is a good idea.

#4

Shawn see my comment on MLS :wink: