I have a question…are Kadee G-Scale couplers 1:24 in scale, and are the Kadee #1 couplers actually 1:29 in scale?
Thanks (I guess that’s two questions!)
John Passaro said:
I have a question…are Kadee G-Scale couplers 1:24 in scale, and are the Kadee #1 couplers actually 1:29 in scale?
Thanks (I guess that’s two questions!)
I doubt that either one is to scale, but the #1s are considerably smaller and look much better on my 1:22.5 stuff.
Actually, according to the KaDee site, the Gauge 1 couplers are for 1:32nd scale, and the “G” couplers are for narrow gauge 1:20.3.
If that means anything to anyone. 
This is why scale matters not to me like I stated already…I model by eye and the Kadees work great in certain applications for me
I like the #1 couplers but have trouble with them due to limited eyesight. I use g scale couplers even though they are oversize. I have early 1970s HO boxcars with Kadees. It’s the only coupler i’ve ever used.
I run Kadees on all my outdoor trains. I run American Steam era. I have kept with truck mounted because of tight curves and I don’t run long trains. Don’t have the space. I haven’t had one come uncoupled yet. I now buy the new style 909s but do not plan to swap out the older ones. Its not an issue for me. I also don’t do operations so can’t speak to how troublesome or not uncoupling can be.
I used to not like them because they would always catch on track crossings, sound magnets, reeds etc… After a while I noticed it was the same two cars I was having trouble with and those cars had the same kind of wheels. Turns out the wheels on those cars (bought used) were smaller in diameter than my LGB ones putting the “hose” too close to the track. Swapped them out and don’t have any more issues, so far.
Haven’t tried any other types except the original hook and loop.
FWIW I started with G kadees and before I got too many, switched over to #1 because they looked better to me For my backwoods circa 1920s steam railroad. I build my structures as 1:24.
You can just bend the hose up… no need to go with over size wheels.
Nice to see old friends from 7 years ago
John Caughey said:
You can just bend the hose up… no need to go with over size wheels.
Nice to see old friends from 7 years ago
Or you could just cut off the metal hose like Ric Golding does
I like others have a mix of almost every brand of rolling stock and kind of wish I had left the H&L couplers on, I am now starting to standardize everything to KaDee , but will probably go with truck mounts for ease of installation. I have backed my trains around 10diameter curves on my layout with little problems so unless I get a bigger back yard and longer trains I see no need to do body mounts. Besides 90% if people cannot tell what coupler you’re are using if the train is moving.
I’ve never used 'em. At my tender young age of 12-13, I loved how the Aristo couplers looked closer to the real thing than Bachmann’s knuckles, (and latched better, too!)
For my school’s HO scale table, Kadee’s all day. For the big trains, I’ll take Aristo all day.
I like to run long trains, and my layout has many loops and grades. I (and other folks) had too much trouble with Aristo knuckle couplers having to slam cars together to get them couple or coupler jaws pulling apart when operating longer trains.
Truck mount couplers are best for operating shorter trains on smaller layouts with tight curves (the extreme of which is like going around the Christmas tree). However, when operating longer, heavier trains on grades and loops (by necessity usually greater than 8 foot diameter) body mount couplers show their prowess.
To make things easier for folks, Kadee facilitates many applications with truck mount couplers having different offsets, but these have drawbacks compared to body mount couplers. Because the couplers can suffer from leverage affects being mounted on the tang extremity of the truck and may not be the optimal distance from the railhead they can flex up or down, so they may uncouple on some track work or trip pins (if not re bent) can strike track work . That’s why Aristo couplers have the chin “shelf”.
Starting some time ago I went with Kadee “G” scale body mount centerset couplers (no offsets) on all my 400+ cars & locos for universal coupling of all brands.
Over time, I compiled and document experiences, some listed below.
’Body Mounting Kadees with focus on 1/29 Scale BAGRS 2/’18 Clinic’ (BAGARS 2018 Power Point Presentation)
“Kadee Coupler Body Mounting Considerations: Car Height & Attitude, Floors, Trucks, Wheels & Prototypes”
Videos:
(best viewed on YouTube so resolution can be set to HD and see the “show more” descriptions)
Southern Pacific 61 car freight train (on indoor part of layout)
I just did the following video on May 1:
Southern Pacific Daylight mixed type 11 car passenger train (mostly on outdoor portion of layout)
-Ted
For open houses I strongly suggest to my club members to run double hook and loops, never an issue all day.
Myself I do have some train sets that are all Kadee and just love the way you can just pick up a car to place it back in the storage container.
One set with kadee’s is the complete LGB Campbell set with a Delton Soup car.
Another set with kadee’s is my C&S mogul passenger set.
I even have a 29 inch diameter circle running with short FRR type cars with body mounted kadee couplers.
Things I like about Kadees
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I don’t have to try to collapse the end beam of the car (or coupler tang/tongue) to try to make them stay together.
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I love the clicking they make when you take the slack out on starting a train…sorta prototypical.
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As Dan mentioned, I can pick a car or two straight up for storage and quickly recouple the train for more running at the end of the day.
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To spite all the nay sayers, I have not had one train break with Kadees. My Spectrum and Accucraft coupler I have experienced train breaks. I don’t use any other couplers…Kadee, Bachmann Spectrum, and Accucraft. (And I can tell you that Kadee ‘G’ couplers will DIRECTLY fit into a Bachmann Spectrum coupler bos, and vise versa)
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Kadees play well with every other couple, except USA Trains. They only play with USA Trains.
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Although I don’t have any of the new style that look more prototypical, when the train is going past I have never had anyone tell me they look bad.
FWIW
Back in the 60’s & 70’s, I installed Kadee’s on all of my HO engines and rolling stock.
When I got into Large Scale in the early 90’s, I installed Kadee’s on my LGB C&S mogul and five passenger cars. These Kadee’s were 831 off-set truck mount couplers. About 10 years later, after I left then got back into the hobby, I found out that truck-mounted Kadee couplers were not as desirable as having body-mount couplers (long trains backing up, ‘S’ curves, drag, etc.). So then I accumulated some USA Trains and LGB locomotives and over 100 USA Trains and LGB reefers/box cars/cabeeses.
I would LOVE to have Kadee body-mounted couplers on all of my train collection. I already have metal wheels on all of the rolling stock. The cost is not the primary reason for not doing it. None of these older cars have coupler pads already molded into the underframes as the newer cars do. And it’s likely that they were all designed before Kadee even had body-mounted “G scale” couplers available. It’s tearing up the ends of the cars that bothers me. Cutting off the end of the underframe to accommodate the coupler pocket, cutting the body end frame, drilling holes in the floor, and installing spacers and shims, just doesn’t appeal to me. I’ve been told by a couple of dealers, one in Tehachapi CA. to keep the original hook/loop couplers intact in the interest of retaining the value of the loco/car. I know some would tend to disagree with that, but I align with that mindset, especially with the more expensive ‘collectible’ cars. Go ahead and shoot me if you don’t agree. Thanks for listening.
Ted, if you’re still reading this, while giving your presentation on Kadees at the BAGRS club meeting a while back, there was a USAT Anchor Steam Foghorn Ale wood-sided reefer sitting on the table. The Kadees on that car look perfect and prototypical. What size Kadee coupler set are those?
Michael,
I chose the centerset coupler from the Kadee 789 kit to use in the USA Trains Woodside Reefer. The bigger AAR type E coupler from the 907 kit could be trimmed to work, but I think the 789 looks more prototypical for that era car.
To make for a more friendly installation, I designed a 3-D printable box, spacer and template in which to body mount the coupler. Colin Camarillo implements them with his software expertise and 3-D printer.
See “USA Trains Woodside Reefer CamPac BoxTM Install Guide”
If interested in obtaining the 3-D printed parts, contact Colin via his website.
Having done so many body mounted applications with discrete parts on a whole host of car brands & types, I (in concert with Colin), designed direct fit coupler boxes for many other applications that can be seen on Colin’s website.
-Ted
For what it’s worth, here’s a super short (and pretty crappy) video of decoupling and spotting a couple of cars using the standard Kadee “temporary” uncoupler magnet:
I’m waiting for Large Scale MacHenry’s …
Bob Cope said:
Things I like about Kadees
I don’t have to try to collapse the end beam of the car (or coupler tang/tongue) to try to make them stay together.
I love the clicking they make when you take the slack out on starting a train…sorta prototypical.
As Dan mentioned, I can pick a car or two straight up for storage and quickly recouple the train for more running at the end of the day.
To spite all the nay sayers, I have not had one train break with Kadees. My Spectrum and Accucraft coupler I have experienced train breaks. I don’t use any other couplers…Kadee, Bachmann Spectrum, and Accucraft. (And I can tell you that Kadee ‘G’ couplers will DIRECTLY fit into a Bachmann Spectrum coupler bos, and vise versa)
Kadees play well with every other couple, except USA Trains. They only play with USA Trains.
Although I don’t have any of the new style that look more prototypical, when the train is going past I have never had anyone tell me they look bad.
FWIW
Any pics of your experiences with the Kadees ?
Kadee coupler box with Bachmann Spectrum coupler installed.
Kadee coupler box with Bachmann Spectrum coupler installed aligned with Kadee ‘G’ coupler height gauge.
Bachmann Spectrum coupler box with Kadee ‘G’ coupler installed.
Bachmann Spectrum coupler box with Kadee ‘G’ coupler installed aligned with Kadee ‘G’ coupler height gauge.
There does seem to be some thickness difference in the top of the coupler box between the Kadee and Spectrum box but I have run this these cars with the mixed assemblies with no issues.
And lastly for Rooster’s pleasure, here is the #779 Sill mounted coupler on a Hartland Linecar.
