hey all, i know most of you (if not all) are ussing some type of knuckle coupler, i just recently began to run some equipment that came with knuckle couplers and found they too look great, but didn’t really provide any operating advantage over the old horn hook style for my small switching layout. Now to get to my question, half my fleet is knuckle couplers, the other half of my models are horn hooks, now my LHS is out of knuckle couplers and he won’t be geeting nay in for a week (maybe) should i convet my knuckles back to horn hooks (i have tons laying around) this way i’l be able to run all my equipment that i need, or do i only use half my models with knuckles… i’m not quite sure what to do. [:)]
sounds like you have the plastic try the kadee’s you will see the dif
K
about half of my fleet has completes the transition from the horn hooks to knuckle. When the funds are avalable I go to the LHS and buy a pkg of 25 prs and start converting. All will be knuckle soon. So keep with the transition…thats my thoughts…
J.W…Pirate for hire
Take a freight car and put a coupler of each type on oposite ends. This can then act as a transition car between those equipped with hornhook and those with knuckles.
by all means keep converting to knuckle couplers.i’ve used kd’s for over 40 yrs now and have had very few problems with them.kd has couplers for any type of car and or loco you might get in the future.a few of my cars have come with other brands of knuckle couplers but i generally change em over to kd’s.terry…
If you run certain cars in permanent sets (unit coal train, or a reefer block that is iced but never switched) you can install Kadee MKD’s on the end cars (outer ends only) and use whatever else you might have on the “inside.”
My unit coal trains have MKD5’s under the brake cabins (ie, both ends), but are internally coupled with ancient Kadee K couplers (without operating pins) that I got from Malcolm Vordenbaum when he converted to magnetics back in the early '60’s.
(For those who aren’t old enough to have voted for JFK, the Kadee K coupler was the predecessor of the MK, and disappeared long before the first MKD came out. It was mechanically actuated by a diamond-shaped ramp spreading vertical actuating pins that were fitted to the knuckles at the extreme outer corners.)
It took 2 years to convert my whole fleet 140 engines 220 cars. by spreading it over 2 years I could work on other project and not have to spend a ton of money at once. Another thing to consider is placing the couplers on the car body instead of the talgo type (on the truck). It was part of the project to move the couplers also. It was a fun project to do and I only have problems now if I couple way to hard or loose a knuckle spring. You can purchase bulk couplers in a 20 pair pack from places like www.internettrains.com but if you type Kadee couplers into google you can find even better prices. I highly recomend converting the rest of your fleet. Good luck, Joe A.
be a bit patient and install Kadee couplers on everything…you won’t regret it…you can get a good deal on #5 couplers from trainworld (they always have a big ad in MRR magazine) the ten pack is only about $22 and will fit 20 cars with couplers…a note too…install #26 kadee couplers on your locomotives especially if you use athearn locomotives… www.trainworld.com chuck
I’ve been using Kadee couplers for 22 years and my “whole fleet” is still not converted. As Simon1966 stated, if one really wants to run their entire fleet before 100% conversion, make some transition cars.
I don’t understand how you haven’t noticed any operational advantage. How are you uncoupling the old horn hooks vs. the knuckles? As I recall the horn hooks were uncoupled by backing them over a special track with two spring loaded finger rails. I could never get them to work as advertised.
i only have about 25 cars and three loco’s to convert.had to sell my stuff some time ago but am slowly building my stock back up.was hard to give up over 200 plus cars,loco’s.BTW…great replys from people who know their stuff! terry…
First, you should find the the KD’s uncoupling is far easier that the old horn couplers!
Second, Even KD’s are not going to do anything if you don’t have the magnetic uncoupling devices to go with the under the track.
While were on the subject of Couplers, I have some older cars that I would like to run but they have the old style of horn coupler, the type with the small plastic pin, you have to bend (or lift) up to get the old coupler out and/or new coupler in. The old trusty KD #5 is as loose as a goose in that connection. Do I have to by every type of KD made to find the one that fits (if they make one)?
ennout
hey what is the best kadee uncoupler to use and if you roll overthem will it unhook or do u have to turn it on and off
most of us use the universal #5 kadee coupler…the magnetic uncoupler can be two types …there is one that uses a magnet that you have to install under the track (some between the rails and others under the ties ) and then there are some that use a push button to engage a coil to create a magnetic field…the way they work is to back up over the magnet, the magnetic field will pull the coupler hose pins apart to separate the couplers, then pull forward, leaving the car over the magnet…once they are separated you can back up again and pu***he uncoupled car back to spot it…i use kadee couplers and mchenry delayed action magnetic uncouplers, the mchenry’s are longer than the kadees and i think they work better…here’s my web site describing how to install the magnets just click next and it will take you thru the process with explanations in the lower right hand corner…chuck http://community.webshots.com/photo/137793353/1168986987055249160VwofYq
Kadee is the way to go. Below is a link to info a lot of us have seen many times, BUT for those who have not:
http://www.kadee.com/html/delay.pdf
“A picture can save 1,000 words”
I have about 200 freight cars to convert to kadees, sadly I dont have the huge amounts of money its going to cost to convert them all.
Jeremy
Stay the course and use the knuckle couplers. As other suggest make up a couple of transition cars with a horn hook on one end and a Kadee on the other.
My experience and that of a several friends who are getting rid of plastic knuckle couplers, like McHenry, is that the all metal Kadees work better and do not have the problems with the imitation knock-offs.
Bruce Wilson
Barrie, Ontario