"However note, there are certain limitations to shelf couplers that will cause derailments. “Couplers are not designed to compensate for rough trackage”. Although they may help in certain areas, do not expect them to alleviate the problems with poor modular connections, dips, bumps, gaps, sharp grade changes, or any other rough track work. "
I read this more as “although it will help prevent unintentional uncoupling in certain cases, they aren’t guaranteed to always work, and should not be a suitable work around to bad track.”
IMHO, it sounds more like a way to cover their butts in the fine print in case someone complains how their shelf couplers still uncoupled. But I do think t
It stands to reason that the way the shelf coupler works any force that might uncouple a non-shelf coupler would generate a derailing force instead.
The experience of users and Kadee themselves suggest there is a practical limit to how much shelf couplers may help on irregularities in track elevation.
It is perhaps a little ironic that the prototypical function of a shelf coupler is to retain the coupling of cars during a derailment. Hence its adaptation from passenger cars to tank cars.
PLEASE…it was not my wish to see a blowtorch match between fellow modelers.
I understand and appreciate the comments regarding the importance of good trackwork. No argument there. However, as stated, I sometimes operate my passenger equipment on a friend’s layout who, unfortunately, has a few dips on his track work. He’s slowly working to redo those sections.
In the meantime, I’ve been reading posts from modelers stating that the KD “whisker” couplers perform better than the traditional KD’s with the bronze-“spring-in-the-box” set up. When I discovered that the “shelfs” are availabe in whisker form, it seemed like a win-win scenario. [;)]
I have used the Kadee scale shelf couplers on my Athearn streamline and heavy weight passenger cars for several years without a single problem.
I went with the shelf couplers because any jerky operation on my 3½% grades regular couplers would cause an occasional uncoupling and an embarrassing string of cars to roll at a pretty good clip down hill.
I use the stock Athearn talgo trucks and with the exception of the intermittent uncoupling the regular Kadee couplers work great, even backing into my yard through #4 Atlas turnouts with S curves.
All my passenger trucks have the Athearn metal wheel sets and are slightly over weight.
I have been slowly replacing all my larger Kadee couplers with scale size shelf couplers because they look much better.
Incidentally the shelf couplers work great over the Kadee uncoupling magnets, actually better than the regular couplers.
Mel
Modeling the early to mid 1950s SP in HO scale since 1951
What I can add about "Shelf couplers’’ is that if I pick up two cars that are coupled together, I can twist the two cars all I want, within reason, and they will not come apart. I need to use a uncoupling tool of some type. Looks like I use them on many, if not all of my Auto Racks and Flex-Van Mark III and Mark IV. The Mark III and IV cars do have different wheel base’s. The trucks are closer to the ends on the Mk-III and set in from the ends more on the Mk-IV.
I’m still looking at my Passenger cars for any with Shelf couplers.
