I have noticed that several pictures in Model Railroader magazine and in Allen Keller’s latest DVD #64 and #65 (Greely Freight Station Museum) have the shanks removed from the couplers. Does this affect their ability to uncouple over magnets? It does look interesting. I always thought that the shanks “resembled” the air hose connections.
Once the “hoses” are removed you cannot magnetically uncouple and are left with manual uncoupling.
Joe
The shank is the part of the assembly that goes from the knuckle to the pivot mounting point of the coupler. I think you mean the part that Kadee calls the trip pin (http://www.kadee.com/html/205ins.pdf).
The trip pin is what gets attracted to the magnets and allows the uncoupling to occur. So if you cut off the trip pin then the magnet is useless. Those that cut off the trip pin generally use some version of the “jam a pointed stick between the knuckles” method or the “giant hand of the superintendent lifts the end of one car” method.
Note that if you chose to cut off the trip pin and are using one of the shelf coupler versions, then the method of choice is the “pick up both cars and twist the heck out of them while saying bad words” method.
Maybe the items are equipped with Sergent Engineering couplers, which operate using a magnetic rod.
The only place you wouldn’t see a brake hose hanging like that fro a couple would be on the front of a locomotive then you would see M/U hoses attached to the front on a diesel of course. If you want to get down to the nitty gritty of rivet counting you shouldn’t see the brake hose in the form unless cars are coupled together so what are you going to do every time you uncouple cars? Sure you can go out and spend a tidy sum on Sargent couplers but they are not compatible with Kadee or other brand knuckle couplers from what I understand and some company’s who make detail parts sell real rubber or vinyl M/U hoses. It one of those allowances we have to make when it comes to modeling such as not having all the wheels flanged on some steam locomotives to help them negotiate curves etc.
Thanks, that is what I thought, but it seemed that the layout was so large and had deep scenes, that it would be impossible to uncouple manually.
On most steam models of specific prototypes, the prototype was followed in deciding whether to use blind drivers or not. Blind drivers were surprisingly common for some prototype locomotive types and railroads; others because of their geography and big curves didn’t need them. It is pretty much the generic steam models of no particular prototype that use blind drivers regardless.
Fred W
Hi!
I assume we are talking about the KD coupler “air hoses”, and not the shank which is the central body of the coupler…
While I do not use magnetic uncouplers, I have bent (rather than cut-off) - (using a KD specific pliers) - the hoses up a bit so as to avoid eventual tangling with turnouts, etc.
I do have a couple of situations where I had to cut a portion of the “hose” off. Both being on head end cars that attach to E units with their extended “nose”, where the head end cars’ hose caught on the nose or E unit hose.
I’ve been using KDs since the early '70s, and often thought of just cutting the hoses off, but figured that someday I might need them. In any case, KD’s pliers are a must for the manipulation of the hoses, and I recommend them.
Mobilman44
Sort of the same as me. I use wooden skewers to uncouple ($1 buys a lifetime supply - and no need to worry about someone loosing one or breaking one) and so I don’t ‘need’ the ‘air hoses’ but I have yet to bring myself to actually cut them off. I usually set them to be well above the height based on the Kadee gauge, so they probably wouldn’t wor well on the magentic ramps anymore, but neither will they ever catch on anything. I do mean to try the pencil method Andy S. uses - seems also very practical, inexpensive, and maybe provides an extra benefit of lubricating the couplers. My problem is finding a regular pencil - I do most of my writing with a pencil, but I use mechanical pencils. Usually AFTER I’ve been to the office supply store do I remember that I wanted to grab a box of cheap pencils.
–Randy
I DO use the magnetic uncoupling feature - which is preferable to putting the 80 times too big (and all too klutzy) Great Hand of God into the scenery.
Where front clearance is critical, it’s possible to turn the trip pin 180 degrees and hide it underneath the car. It works with the normal-length Kadee magnet, but could give problems with other magnet arrangements.
There are some cases where I want automatic coupling, but won’t ever need to uncouple except for maintenance. In those cases, I remove the trip pins - from the truly ancient non-magnetic Kadee K couplers installed on the ‘inner’ cars of unit trains that will never be broken up.
Those K couplers pre-date my modeling era!
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
No, they are standard Kadee with the uncoupling pins cut off.
I much preferred those “K-type” couplers, Chuck, and was disappointed when Kadee replaced them with the Magne-Matics. I’ve never been able to convince myself that the magnetic trip pin in any way resembles an air hose. At least the mechanical version was very unobtrusive, and it worked well, too, although there was no “delayed uncoupling” feature possible.
Wayne
None of the switching areas are that deep. There are a couple that are a bit tall - Sycan Junction specifically. Fortunately I’m 6’ and they don’t pose a huge problem to me. For shorter people, there is a good supply of porter steps available.
There are many reasons folks may not want to switch to Sergent Engineering Couplers, but to be fair cost isn’t one of them.
from the Sergent Engineering home page
144 (one gross) EC87 couplers in kit form, only $84, or .58 each.
20 pairs of number 5 KD, for $23.18 (Cherry Creek Hobbies) are also .58 each.
So for folks who don’t have some of the restrictions in place, and who are either starting out or who regularly replace the stock couplers on cars with KD, there isn’t a real price difference.
Cheers!
I’m operating both Kadees and Micro-Trains with the trip pins removed. There are two reasons for this:
- Prevention of interference on steam locomotive pilots
- Realism
With the trip pins removed, I’m able to achieve fully automatic coupling on both ends of my steam locos. Given that my layout’s only about 2’4" deep, reaching in with a skewer to uncouple cars isn’t a problem.