Im looking to change the couplers on the cars I have. Most have the horn hook which i like, but are not always working out the best, mostly age I think. On an engine I recently got it has a coupel thats a spring laoded c shape. Im including a pic (i know its a little blurry). I like it better then the horn hook. On 1 car it has this one and the horn hook and would not mind switching over completely to the c shaped one. Thanks for the info and help.
That’s a knuckle coupler. Most model railroaders prefer this type of coupler. Kadee makes what most consider the gold standard HO couplers. Go to their website and check the information they have available. There are other makes of knuckle couplers available and I’m sure other replies to your post will be informative.
What you have is a knuckle coupler similiar to the one in the photo below. Probably a McHenry or EZ-Mate.
This one is a Kadee #148 Whisker standard head coupler.
Other standard head couplers I use are #5, #118. There are also scale head couplers on which the coupler is smaller, closer to prototype but less tolerant to dips and rises in track work. The ones I use are #158, #119.
If you want to convert all your stock to knuckle couplers, KaDee is the way to go. I htink you will find the knuckle couplers easier to deal with, Here is a conversion chart for about any brand of equipment you may have:
You are on the right track! (Sorry - couldn’t resist the pun) By getting your weight correct, wheels in gauge and installing reliable couplers you will vastly improve your trains’ performance.
When you convert to knuckle couplers (Kadee or otherwise) you should also invest in a coupler height gauge. This lets you set all your couplers to the same height which contributes to more reliable operation.
You will also want to get some fibre washers which can be used to raise the height of the car body when the body mounted couplers are too low. There are two different thicknesses:
If the washers don’t provide the right adjustment, Kadee also offers special overset or underset couplers where the shank (the arm) of the coupler is set higher or lower than the normal “center set” shanks. So far I haven’t had to use the special couplers. Every car I have had to adjust has been done with only the washers, so I wouldn’t buy any of the special couplers until you have a specific need.
You have the opportunity to convert all of your rolling stock so you can choose a style of coupler which will be consistent throughout your fleet. Kadee now offers “whisker” couplers which can make the conversion a lot easier. Basically the “whisker” refers to the type of spring that is used to keep the coupler centered in the coupler box so it is lined up properly to connect to another coupler. Whisker couplers have the centering spring built right into the coupler which makes it easy to handle. Older styles use a copper spring which has to be installed in the coupler pocket before the coupler goes in. That can be a pain. If I was starting over I would go whisker coupl
Be sure and go to the NMRA website for info on standards and recommended practices which can make your railroading a lot more reliable. I don’t know if someone’s already mentioned it, but a Kadee height gage is important. It’s interesting how many people don’t know it exists.
Indeed, that was the effect I was trying for. I have two cars (same type) that I did like that. I’m thinking they were made by AHM/Roco. One has an Athearn bottom in it and the other the bottom is unmarked but it was cut and glued in.
