I am looking at converting all my N scale to Kadee stile couplers. I have seen the type where the truck assembly has the coupler monted to it. The other type is where you mount the coupler to the underside of the car. Other that the second type beeing more realistic what are the pro and cons of each.
in advancd thaks to all who make sugestions
I don’t believe there are KDs for N but there is a comparable knuckle made by
some other company. H E L P! and Welcome aboard.
The most widely used N scale KD style coupler are Micro-Trains Line. Us old timers often call them KD’s because they were originally made by Kadee. Micro-Trains, Kadee’s N/Z scale line, was spun off into a separate company. They is still a close relationship however.
Micro-Trains offers coupler conversions that will fit almost all American prototype locos in N Scale.
The easiest to convert cars with Rapido couplers to Micro-Trains is to replace the whole truck. This is the method used by most of us use, and we find it satisfactory. The MTL trucks also track better than many of the ones that come on the cars.
Of course truck mounted couplers are not prototypical, but in N scale they do not detract from prototypical appearence as much as they do in larger scales.
Some modelers do advocate body mounting the couplers. Doing so may be very easy or very difficult depending on the car (house type cars generally easy, hoppers very difficult). MTL offers couplers designed for body mounting and other companies have offered adapter kits for some of the difficult cars.
One problem with truck mounts is that when cars are pushed the forces may cause the trucks to **** at an angle to the track potentially causing a derailment, however modelers do regularly push long strings of truck mount cars successfully.
Cars with body mounts require broader curves. Also if the couplers must be properly placed and alligned with the centerline of the car (accurate measurements and drilling of mounting holes is required). Accurate vertical alignment is also required.
Many modelers who body mount use Z scale couplers. The N scale couplers are oversize. The Z are very close to the prototype dimensions in N scale. The Z coupler will couple to the N so consists with mixed types can be run. Mixed truck and body mount can be run too.
There are other brands of N scale couplers that are
Nice epistle Donald.