Just got a bunch of older used cars(boxcars,log cars, etc) some in rough shape, a lot of abused couplers (and a million different varieties) I hope to use them as static cars and on sidings and at plants,so they do not have to be able to run well, I need some couplers so I took off a broken one and it was: kaydee(in script) u.s.a. pat.# 3111229,(these seemed most of the bunch) where can I get some of these? I don’t want to spend a wad on new type couplers if there is no use and they won’t be functional, are they still available? even used ones will be great. by the way, what year are they from?? Thanks
Go to the Kadee web site and look at what they currently offer – they are very much alive and well. http://www.kadee.com
I am a little surprised that you are unaware of the Kadee product. They are an advertiser in MR and can be found on many model railroads. From a cost standpoint, they are reasonable and if you look around, there are bulk quantity offers.
Back for help, looked through the kadee catalog, to no avail, nothing even similar to what I took off the boxcar, the catalog couplers all have springs on them, mine has no springs and has no curved pipe sticking down, it has a small plastic pin pointing down to the tracks, these cars are quite old and could have very old kaydee couplers that haven’t been made for many years, they also may have been modified as a lot of the cars were added to and converted to other uses, such as gons converted to logging cars, boxcars made to haul large lumber loads, etc. also, going through the kaydee catalog what reason is there so many different types of couplers, there seemed to be hundreds and they are all different. I have a feeling I will not find an answer to my question.
At 75 cent’s each, or $1.50 per car? That’s hardly a "Wad"of bills.
- KD #5’s are available in bulk packages (#20?)
Early Kadee #4,6,7,8, were metal and had small centering spring’s INSIDE the the shank. The metal ‘foot’ extending below the coupler was meant as an 'uncoupling device. They aren’t required for cars to join together.
Contact Kaydee if you require more specific’s.
What scale trains do you have and what company manufactured the boxcar? If I remember corectly the Micro-Trains was spun off of Kadee. I think that means that for a short time Kadee made N scale couplers.
The original Kadee K-series couplers were mechanical and had a coupler release pin that pointed straight down. I have never seen any of these couplers in person, but you can see them in pictures of John Allen’s Gorre & Daphetid from the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Back again, this time with an answer, I zoomed around the internet and think I solved the problem, what happened is someone used a horn hook (athearn?) and used another part from a kadee coupler, I assumed the whole system was kadee, but not. maybe they are old kadee-K series, who knows. Thanks for the input everyone, I’m sure I can get some old horn hooks somewhere eh? thanks again.