Large Scale Central

What kind of couplers do you use and how do you work them?

Operations
#1

I have Kadees on most of my trains and have played, briefly, with their magnetic uncoupling system to uncouple cars. Mind you, I am not “operational” yet, so this has involved merely pushing cars around to see how it all works.

But, the cosmic question is: How do you guys do it? And with what? I know some of you use Accucraft couplers, which have actual lift bars (I think), while others have Kadees that the operator pops open with a chopstick or sumthin’ (How do ya do that, anyway? I can’t get the knack of it.).

So I’m wondering what y’all use and do.

Bonus question: are Kadee’s track magnets proprietary? I have a couple, but they are not inexpensive, relative to what magnets cost and it would be nice to find a cheaper substitute if I decide to go with magnetic uncoupling.

BTW, speaking of magnets and for your trivia file, Diet Smith, inventor of the Space Coupe, said, “The nation that controls magnetism will control the universe.”

#2

On my 1:20 stock I use mostly Accucraft and a few Bachmann Spectrum. I find that without some tweaking of the couplers, the lift bars don’t always work well and they are difficult for my fingers anyway. I use a tool (Harbor Freight pick) to lift the pins from the top, or a Popsicle stick to push up the pins from below.

On my 1:24/1:29 stock I primarily use Delton couplers and lift the pins from below to uncouple.

I have a few Kadees. They couple nice, but I’ve never gotten the hang of that twist with a screwdriver to open trick. I would find the magnets to be impractical because I never know exactly where on the railroad I will need to make a cut.

P.S. The Accucraft couplers can be made to work very well with some work. I tweaked about a dozen with methods from Al Pomeroy last winter but still haven’t got them placed on cars.

#3

KD’S and long screwdriver. For the last twenty years or so.

#4

Kadees and a long Phillips #1. Works every time.

#5

Joe, As tight as you are laying your new track, I’d be a little leery of body mount couplers. Any manufactures, that body mount have about an 8 diameter as a minimum. Before investing in a lot of couplers of one type or another, You need to see how they do on tight curves, and or if they will work with talgo trucks, which you may need on your tight turns. Play around first.

I run talgo trucks with Bachmann Knuckle couplers, Most of my cars have working lift rods and chain connects to the pins, with levers on both sides of the coupler. I have some rather sharp curves, and talgo is a must. I also cast my own trucks.

#6

I switched to all KD back in my HO scale days. I switched to KDs on all my O scale next. So now I’m switching to all KD in G scale. I have a ton of Aristo couplers that will need to be changed out. I like the Aristo couplers however, I want everything body mounted. I also liked the metal USA trains ones, but they were truck mounted and didn’t work with the Aristo’s. I’ll play with the body mount AML’s. If they don’t cooperate, they go too!!

I have MTH electric couplers on most of my engines to drop cars off. I’d like to try the KD remote ones on the cars. Maybe just certain cars for now?? I don’t see much excitement from the crowd on these.

http://www.remoteuncoupling.com/

#7

I use the ole reliable hook and loops. They are cheap and work very well. Of course up close they look silly compared to a kaddee or other coupler but most of the time I am several feet from my running trains and don’t even notice them.
It would cost me a fortune to upgrade.
Unhooking is easy with my high tech popsicle stick.

#8

Dave, my Kadees are mounted on my talgo trucks, not to the body. Work just fine, except that you can’t couple/uncouple on curves. But then what coupler can?

The only body mount couplers I have are on the four 1:20.3 cars I have, which are shelf decorations right now, as I am still pretty much in 1:22.5.

#9

Since the majority of my rolling stock is Aristo, I use all Aristo couplers, and they are operated by “that big hand in the sky”.

Ed

#10

KD’s and a screwdriver…:wink:

#11

KD’s and a small Lazer light pen, But as said before, with your tight curve you may want to stick with a truck mounted coupler.

#12

I started with Kadees in large scale, based on my experience from HO. But, I didn’t like the way the cars surged and I hated the way they uncoupled, so I switched to the Accucraft couplers.

All my cars have lift bars, but I usually just reach underneath to pop up the pin. It does take a bit more effort to couple as you have to make sure the bar drops; I “paint” all the bars with Neolube and this seems to help.

#13

Anything but Kadees. With some caveats.
No Aristo couplers.
They don’t couple with anything else unless you close them both and jam one down into the other.
USA’s don’t usually get used…however, visiting equipment with USA’s work just fine with our equipment.
Bachmann, Lionel, Delton, those are all used, and no tools to operate them required. Plus, no front suspension spring out of a 1958 Cadillac painted gold strapped to the side of the coupler.
20 years outdoors, almost ten before that indoors, no real issues.
TOC

#14

Kadee and a long screwdriver. I cut the uncoupling rod off because I don’t use them.

Terry

#15

Curmudgeon mcneely said:

Anything but Kadees. With some caveats.
No Aristo couplers.
They don’t couple with anything else unless you close them both and jam one down into the other.
USA’s don’t usually get used…however, visiting equipment with USA’s work just fine with our equipment.
Bachmann, Lionel, Delton, those are all used, and no tools to operate them required. Plus, no front suspension spring out of a 1958 Cadillac painted gold strapped to the side of the coupler.
20 years outdoors, almost ten before that indoors, no real issues.
TOC

I’ve found that when I weather the coupler, along with the rest of the car, the gold paint on the Cadirac suspension spring gets covered up, and you don’t tend to notice it so much. :slight_smile:

#16

Wow, how long has it been since the new KD coupler has been out with no spring showing?

#17

Couple years?

#18

I use Bachmann couplers. I modified them and then body mount. They work good for me and can handle 6 ft dia curves. Plus I get them for free from people who use kd.

#19

Mostly Accucraft. I admit that they don’t always couple together with the pin. I’ll have to try Kevin’s trick with Neolube.

#20

Curmudgeon mcneely said:

Plus, no front suspension spring out of a 1958 Cadillac painted gold strapped to the side of the coupler.

Mine are from the rear suspension of a 58 chevy station wagon…I can’t afford the Cadillac ones…:wink: