I have resumed work on my HOn30 coal gondolas. They are Graham Farish N scale British 4 wheel gons with the lettering removed and painted black.
I think they will stand in nicely for a small mining operation, but I don’t like the look of the stock couplers. If I am correct, based on eBay listings, they are referred to as ‘Rapido’ couplers. They are body mounted which I like.
I did a search of Walthers N scale coupler offerings and found a couple of possible replacements which have a more prototypical shape. Unfortunately they were out of stock, but before I go any further I thought I would ask for any recommendations here for replacement couplers that will fit into the existing coupler boxes. If possible I would like to be able to uncouple them without having to lift the cars off the track.
The couplers on your gondolas are of the rather old-fashioned Arnold style, which has become the standard for European N scale trains. Unlike more modern HO scale couplers, which come in a NEM pocket and can be exchanged with drop-in Kadees, changing couplers in N scale is a rather surgical affair. Maybe Z scale “Kadees” from Micro-Trains do the trick.
The only N scale coupler I have experience with is the M-T 1015. I use them for the narrowgauge couplers when coverting locos to dual-gauge couplers. The standard gauge coupler is a Kadee 714. The main issue with these is getting couplers whose draft gear is small enough that you can mount close enough that the couplers line up correctly with the centerline s of both NG and SG on dual-gauge track. The 1015 comes assembled, which saves some grief. The draft gear looks pretty short to me, but then I’m comparing them to the HO scale couplers I use.
As everyone has suggested, just use Micro Trains couplers. I do not know the size of narrow gauge couplers, but MTL’s Z Scale coupler is a scale N Scale coupler. Micro Trains also makes HOn30 equipment, so you could check out what they used. As for uncoupling without hands, use a magnet for magnetic uncoupling.
I used the new Bachmann sprung knuckle couplers on an N gauge to HOn3 conversion. They are used on the new Bachmann switchers. They are short so you can get that close couple look. They were listed on ebay.
Thanks everyone for the the suggestions. I had a heck of a time finding N scale couplers on the Micro Trains site. For some strange reason the link to the couplers page doesn’t show up until you click on N scale ‘loads’. Unfortunately I couldn’t find any pictures or size specs for their couplers, and as the photo below shows, I don’t have a lot of space to work with.
Just to clarify, I am working in HOn30 scale. The N scale gondolas happened to be just the right size for my very small mining operation but they are representing small HO scale gons, not N scale.
Here is what the whole train looks like. The gons are small but that is appropriate for the very small mine I am modelling. I want them to be small enough that they could conceivably be pushed by hand in the mine:
Here is the coupler style I want to replace. I should have posted these pics in the original post:
There isn’t enough space to mount something like a Kadee #711 which is what is on the front of the locomotive. The 711 coupler box is about 1/8" too long to fit between the end of the gon and the axle.
Ideally I will be able to find an N scale realistic looking coupler that will fit into the existing coupler boxes. In a perfect world they would also couple to the #711 but I’m not holding my breath for that! I found some Red Caboose couplers on eBay that may work.
Again, thanks for your suggestions and information.
Their Z scale couplers are a little smaller, but will work with the N scale. http://micro-trains.com/pl-ZCouplers.php Could not find any dimensioned drawings. I would seriously consider the 902, 903, and 905.
I think you are right - Micro Trains is the way to go.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for the link to the coupler diagrams![bow] I had missed the line which linked to the diagrams. Duh!
Unfortunately there is a key dimension missing from the diagrams and that is the overall length of the coupler boxes. I have about 6.5mm between the front of the gondola and the axle. Some of the coupler boxes seem to be within that dimension (just) but I am guessing at that without the exact measurements.
I think the best course of action would be to contact Micro Trains directly and see if they can suggest a solution (probably should have started there in the first place but I wasn’t initially aware of Micro Trains).
The draft gear on the 1015 measures about 3/16" x 3/16". You could leave a little bit hanging out past the end beam if you’re really tight on space, as the mounting hole is offset toward the back of the box. I’m pretty sure it was designed as a drop in replacement for those Rapido couplers you have now.
Please help me out here. I need to stop guessing at this! What exactly is the “draft gear”, and how have you measured it? The dimensions certainly sound like they would fit in the space I have available.
Also, when you refer to ‘replacement’ for the Rapidos, are you talking about replacing the whole coupler including the box or just the coupler itself?
The draft gear is the box that holds the coupler on a model. On the prototype, it’s bigger, heavier, more complex. Sothat’s the size of the whole enchilada, excluding the length that the coupler sticks out of it, which doesn’t interfere with the mounting.
Just looking at your pic and what I remember about Rapidos, I think that taking out the Rapidos will leave you with a space that will fit the 1015 almost exactly right. If the current couplers are screwed or pinned on, it made be as simple as just substituting one for the other. The 1015 comes totally assembled, coupler and draft gear, you only need to attach it however the current couplers are mounted.
The existing coupler boxes simply clip into the bottom of the body. They actually come out quite easily with a bit of a squeeze.
I think I will wait to see what Micro Trains suggests simply because if they have a coupler that drops into the existing coupler box that would obviously be a very easy solution, not that installing a new coupler box would be any big deal.
Actually I had thought of using permanent draw bars between the cars but that would eliminate any switching options. That would relegate the mine track to simply going round and round. After all the work I have put into scratch building my two HOn30 critters (Yes! the original now has a twin!) I want to get more than that out of them. Besides, can you seriously suggest that pulling one of the pins in that arrangement in N scale would be doable? Ya, I thought so too.[swg]
Thanks for the laugh! (I really hope you weren’t serious!)
I just made an interesting discovery. When I bought the lot of seven gondolas they were advertised as Graham Farish and sure enough the car I checked when I got them (eBay) was Graham Farish. However, upon closer examination I have discovered that only two of the seven cars are Graham Farish products. The others are Bachmann! The bottom view of the car I showed was a Bachmann. The Bachmann coupler boxes come out quite easily but the Graham Farish ones are molded into the bottom of the car. Now I understand what Ulrich meant when he said they would require some surgery.
Mike:
I’ll have to check with Micro Trains but I think you might be right when you suggest the #1015 couplers. It should be pretty easy to mount them on the GF cars because the underside of the car pops off easily.
