Can anyone tell me what the best kadee couplers are for Athearn’s GP7, SW1000 and SW1500. in Walthers reference catalog it says for say SW1000 and SW1500 to use kadee 33 couplers. And in magazines like model railroader and railroad model craftsman it says use kadee 35 couplers. I want to run my SW1500 with one or two of my SW1000’s or singular GP7 without shorting motors. Which couplers are insulated and easiest to intstall. the 30 series of kadee couplers look like a lot goes into them, with the amount of small parts that go with the coupler boxes.
IMHO the #5s in the KD box…You will need to do some grinding on the coupler pad to get the correct coupler height and drill and tap for a 2-56 screw…
I have no problem at all with Kadee #5’s on Athearn units. As far as insulating them, that could be a problem.
The #33 is a short, centerset shank coupler, and the #35 is a short, overset shank coupler. These are for different coupler mounting heights to compensate for differences in the frame to railhead height. The 30 series (as well as the 20 series) are plastic couplers, so they eliminate the possibility of shorting through the couplers if you double head your locos. If you pull short trains, this shouldn’t cause a problem. But I agree with Brakie, and will expand on his recommendation, start with mounting the #5 in its own box by filing off the cast on box then drilling and tapping for a 2-56 mounting screw. Set the frame on the track and check it with the Kadee height gauge. If it’s too high or too low, change out with the 40 series coupler with an overset or underset shank as needed (40 series are metal couplers like the #5 but with the short, long, over, and underset shanks). They also give you the option of long and short shanks for closer coupling or wider coupling to compensate for sharp curves.
This link will show you what’s available from Kadee for HO couplers:
Well the 28s have insulated shanks…They look like a #5.
I’ve found that body mounting of the Kadee #5 in it’s box has worked the best for me. Athearn shells are extremely strong, so there’s no problem w/ mounting on the pilot. Glue shim styrene blocks to the underside of body and mount w/ 2/56 screws. Body mounting allows for much better detailing of the pilot and still easy to remove the shell.
Bob K.
I’d check the Kadee website. I have a BB GP35 (I think), and the suggested coupler worked fine. I think it was a #27. I installed them by drilling and tapping through the existing tab on the frame for a plastic screw. I found the metal easy to drill and tap. I used the existing hole for the coupler cover pin to start the through hole. The coupler boxes were a bit smaller than the #5’s, so the hole was in a good location. I’m glad I did it!
Jim