I am not trying to start a war or reinvent the wheel. I just wanted some brainstorming for new ideas.
If you really want that kind of “intimacy” in simulating operations, maybe a larger scale would be good idea, like 1/4" “O” scale two rail?
I have heard about and seen the videos on the magnetic air hoses. My 50 years of experiance in this hobby questions the reliable operation of such a design in HO.
DISCLAIMER - I own about 800 freight cars all with regular head Kadee couplers with the pins in tact.
Reliable operation of moderate or large fleets of HO rolling stock requires some concessions in my experiance.
Here are my standards:
No semi scale couplers - why? Because I have found they require extra force when coupling to regular head Kadee couplers. And while they are smaller, they have a strange looking shape to allow coupling with the regular head coupler.
No code 88 wheels - My track is pretty close to original NMRA standards, and code 110 wheels work best. Plus I feel you are simply trading one out of scale look for a different one - the masive gap between the wheels and the side frames with code 88 wheels.</
Mike,With today’s highly detailed and fragile cars you’ve been extremely lucky… Even with the old BB cars one could cause the coupler box to come loose.
I’ ll tell you straight up, I have some cars I was half afraid to change out couplers because of the minute detail.
I started with Kadee #5s. Then after a while the trip pins started bothering me (appearance wise). I started snipping them. Ran into some couplers from canada with stronger trip pins (you cant use xuron pliers on them). Along the way I met my wife’s classmate from high school at a train show. I was introduced to Sergent couplers.
Ordered my first pack of six the next week.
Then a second pack of six.
The the bulk pack…so on.
Im about 60-70% converted. The rest have glued on coupler box lids. Slow, painful progress from here forward. I usually build about 20 in a row then install them.
Doesnt solve your remote uncoupling desire. Still need a magetic wand. I enjoy the enhanced operation, and not having to do what I might call the “Kadee shuffle” to uncouple cars over fixed magentic ramps, or jam a skewer into the couplers (no risk of loosening coupler box cover, ie glued or screwed inplace, I dont go for the Athearn metal clip solution, so thats not a problem).
So I third the Sergent Coupler recommendation. As I (and I think others) mentioned, they will not provide you with a way to uncouple remotely, and you need to be able to reach every industry spot.
I wasn’t trying to rebute your post Larry, and I know all about that metal “clip on” Athearn box cover, I’ve undone a few. [(-D]
I don’t have many cars that are detailed like that, and few that I have, I have not had a problem, but the detailed cars are mostly in my continuous running trains.
I just don’t justify the extra cost of making my cars with automated uncoupling hardware.
To me, it’s not a big deal. To the younger, or perhaps “more savey” operators, if this is what your striving for in realism, go for it! Let the rest of know how it works!.
Mike
Mike,No worries…Its just these highly detail fragile cars we have today and I handle them like they was antique China dinningware…
Maybe I should have kept my old trusty BB and Roundhouse cars…[:O]
The coupler boxes can fall off Athearn BB cars just looking at them sideways - it was perhaps an ingenious design but as the modl ages, the tab on the frame seems to get smaller ans amaller, or at least less sharply defined, leading to the clip to not hold so well. Even when the clip is bent. Most of mine I have since screwed on, and most other brands, the couple box screws to the car instead of clipping on.
–Randy
There is no question the Athearn coupler box cover can be problematic. Easily one third, or more, of my 800 freight cars are Athearn blue box cars. I have not had a coupler box cover fall off in decades. And I have not added screws or otherwise retrofitted them.
The real pribkem is not the design, it is variations in quality contol for both the plastic underframe and cover.
Here is what I do. Carefully clean excess mold flash from around the latch pins on the side of the coupler box using an exacto knife and a small file.
Next make sure the sides of the metal cover are truely 90 degrees to the bottom. Don’t just squeeze the sides together, this just bends the bottom part. Hold the bottom against a flat surface, and bend one side tab at a time until they are truely 90 degrees to the bottom.
I buy extra covers and will reject “problem” covers in favor of a new one.
This has pretty much always worked for me, figured this out about age 14 building blue box kits on the counter while working in the hobby shop…
Sheldon
Pinching the Athearn metal coupler covers enough to ensure a snug fit has worked well for me; I’ve never had any fall off. But as it is, my Athearn blue box colleciton has slowly dwindled in favor of other, newer, freight cars. Probably my biggest collection of Athearn blue box is mostly 86’ auto box cars. Assuming a better version of those doesn’t come out sooner, I will proabably modify the coupler box with the Details West Long Cushion Draft Gear box for 86’ long cars.
Randy,When I started building BB cars back in the 60s I soon learn the secretes of building those kits and the most important step was to hear a click when you place the clip on the coupler box. A good 30% of my old BB cars didn’t have screws holding the clip on.
When I get a new house car, I generally remove the floor/underframe assembly and stick the body on one of those spring-loaded paint holders so I can weather it (powdered charcoal) and then spray it with flat finish. I did that with one of the new Tangent 40’ ‘baby hi-cube’ cars and IIRC broke two of the stirrup steps and lost another one just separating the chassis from the body. I had to buy some new ones (Detail Associates I think), not expensive but another cost to an already fairly expensive car.
[:(!]