Hi all,
I standardised on knuckle couplers when I entered N scale, but I’m curious. Is there anyone out there who uses rapido couplers on an operating N scale model railroad, why, and what are the positives/negatives?
Cheers,
tbdanny
The 1970’s called…they want their coupler-standard back.
It was an old standard. MT couplers have been around for a long time now, and there really is no reason to use the old Rapidos.
David B
I HAVE cars and locomotives with Rapidos on them, but only because I haven’t converted them yet. They’re a work in progress! LOL
Everything else came with or has been converted to knuckle couplers. I’m still evaluating Mt’s against all others. I like the MT’s best, but if the different knuckle couplers will play together well enough, I’ll leave them.
Darrell, quiet…for now
Danny -
All my N scale cars/locos have rapido couplers. Just don’t see a good enough reason to change.
Positives - I have a lot of older rolling stock that has them, and just don’t see a good enough reason to swap them all out. No need for transition cars. Seem to work and when they don’t, I can either fix/replace as necessary. (I have plenty of them.) Bigger, easier to see and work with (getting older stinks). Maybe a little bit of nostalgia (my first train sets had them - and I still have those sets from 40 something years ago!
Negatives - They don’t “look” realistic (not a real concern). Newer rolling stock doesn’t come with them (so I buy the older / cheaper stuff). Might not be as efficient as the newer stuff (can’t say for sure.)
I do most of my hobbies, because I like doing them, and sorta gave up of the latest and greatest thing a long time ago.
If it ain’t broke, dont fix it … [:)]
Archer
Darrell, I’ve been using M-Ts and Atlas/Accumate couplers together since I moved to N scale 4 years ago. They do seem to ‘play well’ together, but one thing I have noticed with the M-Ts is a slight ‘back and forth’ effect at slow speeds due to the way the couplers are sprung.
The other knuckes around - older Roundhouse kits and that one-piece thing that Bachmann’s putting on their rolling stock now - get replaced by M-Ts.
They’re sure out there, and I suppose there are those who still use them. It was a gradual conversion for me, too. Back when I was just “running trains” it didn’t really matter much, you throw in a transition car to deal with old vs. the new. But over time, I found that the Rapidos tended to cause problems due to the springs losing tension, or burs on the castings, or different coupler heights etc.
Also, when I became more interested in switching and operations, it became imperative that every car be interchangeable with every other car. So, over a course of about 5 years, I got rid of all the rapidos.
Now, I’ve upgraded my layout to Atlas c-55 track, so now I’m getting rid of all the “Pizza cutter” wheels and replacing them with more reliable, better looking low profile wheels.
It’s really a matter of where you are (and where you want to be) as a modeler. To guys who just want to run trains and have fun, it’s not that much of an issue. But if you want to strive for a better looking, better operating model, it’s nice to know that you have options.
Lee
Well said, Lee… Although I do like David B’s response!
Be careful, though… Each step toward realism begets the next. I’ve recently gone through that as I move into finer-scale rail and low-profile metal wheelsets. It’s all a good thing though, for while it’s hard on the wallet, improving what you have is less expensive than starting anew. Long story short, Rapidos look and operate less like real couplers than knuckle (obviously) and once you replace them you’ve started on a journey toward realism that can be as long or as short as you want it to be.