i use KADEE’S #58, just curious what everyone uses and why.
I use link and pin, as this knuckle stuff wasn’t around in 1865.
i use the Kadee stuff. well the boxcars i got and caboose have kadee couplers but my locomotive doesn’t so i’m going to get some extras this weekend.
I like my KD # 58’s. Everything else is just a knock-off.
Kadee only here…all the others are pretty much crap…i like to run long NMRA weighted cars on my home layout and the club layout…and both have some hefty grades. Needless to say when experimenting with the plastic couplers…they have a tendancy to break apart.
I generally use Kadees, most often the old reliable #5, where I can. I picked up a box of McHenry couplers this weekend because they were cheap (a box of 25 pairs for $5) and they look fine, but I swapped out the horn-hooks on a “bobber” caboose for two of the McHenry’s, and while moving it from the hobby table to the layout I dropped the caboose (horrors!) about three feet, and both the McHenry couplers snapped off instantly. While I don’t recommend dropping one’s rolling stock at any time, it never would have happened with Kadees. I’ll stick with them for my more expensive and prized rolling stock, and the $2 train show specials that come in the door with horn-hooks can get the McHenry’s. They do seem to work fine on the layout–I uncouple manually so I don’t need metal…but I do appreciate the strength!
The brothers Keith and Dale, short form, KADEE
how much do you think like a box of 20 pairs would cost. the Kadee couplers i’m talking about. i’m going to a hobby shop this week and i saw in the Terminal Hobby catalog that they had a box 20 pairs for like $18.95 or something.
OTHER - Micro-Trains which i guess really were KD at one time
Whatever knuckle coupler comes on the model, if it breaks, the model gets Kadee. If it doesn’t have knuckle couplers to start, Kadee.
Kadees, mostly #5’s. I haven’t switched to #58’s yet because they aren’y available in bulk packs.
Tom Watkins
I seem to be in good company, I use Kadee only. But I will always give away the other brands to people who have horn hooks, It’s an easy and cheap way to intro them to knuckle couplers.
I am absolutely stickler for reliable “Delayed Uncoupling” Kadees don’t dissappoint.
Dan In Bend
I have used Kadees in three scales, HO, O, and now S. I have always found them to work well.
Enjoy
Paul
If I were to use two different manufacturer’s couplers would they connect or not fit?
Well, that depends–Kadees generally connect well with McHenry and other brands that generally look like Kadees (that is, ones that resemble real-life Janney couplers.) Supposedly some combinations don’t work too well, but generally anything that looks like a Kadee will hook up with a Kadee.
Horn-hook couplers don’t connect to Kadees. although when I was a kid and had no funds I’d cut the little horns off of horn-hook couplers so they’d sort-of connect with a Kadee (I don’t mind manual uncoupling anyhow.)
I’m a little out of the loop on N scale but one of the things that really turned me off of N scale were those awfu-looking rectangular couplers.
In HO it is KD #5 in N scale it MT 1015 loco and 1030 cars then weighted other wise it doesnt TOUCH the rails
Regards
Larry
KD and KD only.
Slack action in a 100 car train can be deadly to plastic, so why bother?
I will stick with the #5s…I do not like the looks of the 58.
FYI…i contacted KADEE, and they said there is no plan for bulk packs of #58’s in the near future.
I use Mc Henry