Accurail couplers

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Hello;

I have been putting together some Accurail boxcar kits and was wondering if anyone had some tips on getting there couplers to work with the kadee magnents I have installed on my layout. I would like to use the ones that come with the kits but they dont seem to work like the Kadee no. 5s. They seem like nice couplers and would like to use them along with the Kadees I have on other cars.

Bill

2

Just my opinion - leave them in the box and use Kadees. The accumates are much more difficult to install, do not perform as well and are not as reliable. I too use to leave them on kits that came with them but they are not worth the effort for a not as good product.

3

[#ditto]

My thoughts exactly. Go with Kadee’s.

4

I have had mixed results with AccuMate couplers. Since we don’t use magnetic uncoupling on our club layout, I just leave the trip pins off of them. But as others have said, for best results use Kadee couplers and leave the Accurails in the box or throw them away.

5

I have removed any accumate couplers as I find they do not couple reliably with Kadee’s or Mc Henery’s and tend to jam or break. Stick with the Kadee’s.

6

Thanks for the info. They are very hard to adjust. I only had luck with one car using them , I will stick with old reliable no5s.

Thanks again

Bill

7

That’s why the Kadee #5 is called ‘Ol’ Reliable’. It works every time.

8

Just to chime in on the Accurail coupler issue–they are not very reliable if you have any grades on your layout, especially if you’re running a train on a downgrade. They tend to split open from the rolling weight of the cars, and when the train reaches the level trackage, you’ve got about two or three sections of train that you have to re-adjust and re-couple. I’d really replace them with good old Kadee’s, if I were you. Lots less problems.

Tom