Most ads for locos specify the coupler manufacturer.
I am wondering if couplers of different brands are compatible? Since I am new it seems like this is something to be aware of?
Thanks
Fran.
MOST couplers, of different brands will not work well with each other. Such a Kadee, with Bachmann. One is metal, Kadee, and the other is plastic…I’m speaking of the body of the coupler. Going over a uncoupler, the Kadee will pull the plastic one with it, and not uncouple. This I have found on my layout!!!
Most of us switch out, to Kadee, just for that reason. Hope this helps.
Robert
Most knuckle couplers are compatible to a point. They will work, but in the long run, the cheaper ones will eventually fail at some point. Kadee is the most popular knuckle coupler in HO. They are relatively affordable and offer different variations in order to fit most cars and locomotives.
Micro-Trains is popular in the N scale market.
The Kadee No.5 has been the standard HO coupler for many decades. It’s been around so long that a while back their patent expired. Since then, a number of companies have produced “knock off” couplers, often of plastic rather than metal, that are approximately the same size and work the same general way the Kadees do. Since Kadee won’t sell their couplers at a bulk discount rate to model railroad manufacturers, those manufacturers usually supply their cars and engines with “knock off” copies of the Kadees. The copies will couple with other copies or Kadees fine, but over time tend to fail. Generally if I get a car or engine with copies, I leave them on until one of them goes bad, then I replace both of them with Kadees.
Since Kadee’s patent for their coupler design lapsed some years ago, I do not remember when exactly, but it had been sometime in the '90s. In my experience all the knuckle coupler designs are largely compatible with one another. The main coupler makers these days are Bachmann, McHenry, Proto-2000, Accurail and Kadee, and they’re all compatible with one another. Although for consistent reliable operation, many people including myself have preferred to standardize on one brand of coupler. My preferred choice is the KD #58 as it is more to scale then the other brands listed and still largely compatible with other numerous other coupler brands out there. An important consideration when operating at a club.
MR published an excellent article comparing all brands of available couplers around 2000-2001.
The Accumate coupler that Atlas uses will last for a long time-I had a Atlas tank car I used for months at the club before I realized the car still had its Accumate couplers.
However,you will be wise to switchout to KD couplers.
In N the Atlas Accumates works good and plays well with Micro Train coupler.I only replace the Accumates on a has needed bases and that hasn’t happen yet…The newer Athearn/ McHenry couple with the knuckle spring seems to be a excellent coupler…I haven’t had to change these out yet either.
Welcome aboard! [#welcome]
Since you are new to the hobby, I’ll provide a bit of information that may be too basic, just to be complete. There are different brands of couplers, and also completely different types of couplers. By far the most popular among serious model railroaders is the knuckle coupler, and the most popular brand of knuckes is Kadee in HO. In N, it’s Microtrains (I think.) I believe Microtrains was once a part of Kadee, but I’m not familiar with the history.
In general, differnent brands of couplers will be compatible, but different types of couplers will not.
When I started HO scale modeling in the 1950s, most couplers were of the “horn-hook” type. They don’t look particularly realistic, but they worked, well, OK. Most of the times the trains stayed together when you wanted them to, and sometimes they’d uncouple when desired as well. If you go to train shows and pick up used equipment, you’ll often find horn-hooks installed.
You can also still get the hook-and-loop couplers. I think the Thomas the Tank Engine sets still use these.
I still have some old equipment from my first HO layout, and I’ve been gradually replacing the horn-hooks with Kadee #58 knuckle couplers. Also, if a car goes into the shop with “off-brand” plastic knuckle couplers, it comes out with Kadees. The plastic ones will all fail, eventually. Whenever the subject come up here, no one can recall any Kadee ever failing in service. That’s a pretty good reason why they are number 1 in my book.
Most knuckle couplers will play well together,as has been stated.
Some will couple with ease, some need help from “the hand of God” {your help} to couple together. Plastic couplers may not last.
Many convert to KaDee couplers either right away or as the couplers wear out. #5 or its whisker equivalent #148 are popular conversions.
Here is the KaDee conversion chart:
http://www.kadee.com/conv/holist.pdf
The only type coupler that is not compatable with any other brands are the metal Sargent couplers.
The Lone Geep
And another thing to be aware of is the scale sized couplers. They are made by Kadee and others and don’t always play with standard sized couplers well.
I don’t have a problem. At this point, I have about a 50-50 mix of Kadee #5 and #58, the “standard” and “scale” sizes. They seem pretty inter-operable to me.