Finally able to get back into the hobby after a hiatus of approx. 15 years (loving wife, adorable kids and a mortgage) but am overwhelmed when looking into changing couplers on older and less expensive rolling stock.
Accumate, McHenry or Kadee?
Used Kadee’s years ago but now there seems to be more choices.
Looking for advise.
i’ve always used kadee’s although i have a train buddy that swears by the mchenry’s…i’ve used the kadee #5 for over 25 years in the hobby and they don’t let me down…(well almost)…i loose an occasional knuckle spring once in awhile, but that goes with the territory…Chuck[:D]
Kadee couplers are all metal, and hardly ever fail. I’ve got a few #4s running around that my dad bought in the 1960s. My new default coupler is the almost-scale #58s.
Accumate couplers are two-piece plastic, and are strong enough for use. However, they don’t really like to couple onto anyone else’s couplers, meaning that for reliability’s sake you should ONLY use Accumate couplers on everything.
All other plastic couplers are crap (to put it nicely). They bend, they break, they warp out of alignment, etc. Throw them away and don’t look back.
http://www.nmra.org/beginner/couplers.html
http://www.kadee.com/conv/list.htm
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page120.htm
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page160.htm
I use Kadee simply because they never fail. I have bought locos and rolling stock that had other brands of knuckle couplers installed or in the kit. If that coupler used the small plastic strand to close the knuckle i trashed it and replaced it with a kadee with a metal coil spring to close the knuckle… If I happen to stop a car with the plastic spring over a uncoupling magnet (permanent type) or anything that caused that coupler knuckle to be open the plastic “spring” would distort and not fully close the knukle cauing problems. The only problem I ran into was going to DCC and having to watch out for shorting caused by using a metal Kadee coupler in a metal locomotive frame.
I’ve used Accumate, McHenry and Kadees, still find the Kadees to be the most reliable. One problem with Accumate is that they have a split shank, and if you’ve got a heavy train on a downgrade, chances are that that shank will split and you’ll have a derailment. I’d stick with the Kadees for reliability.
Tom
Kadee are the best - I’ve used E-Z mates whern fitted to RTR stock before I get round to changing to Kadees, but they’re nothing like as good - apart from the fact they don’t work as well for delayed uncoupling (tricky to get the plastic spring to allow the knuckle to move across and allow the car to be propelled), they don’t look as good as Kadees to my mind. Having said that, I have three Bachmann diesels which have no trouble at all with delayed uncoupling, these still have their original E-Z Mates and will probably be keeping them for a while for cost reasons!
I’ve used Kadee for years, mostly #5. I must admit, though, that with newer rolling stock, I’m moving to #58.
kadees are the best by far, they dont uncouple on downgrades like the accumates, and ive had plenty of the plastic substitutes snap in long trains. dont want to get those pieces of plastic flying into your eyes. Kadees are the way to go.
I’ve tried all the others and for one reason or another always return to Kadee. You cannot go wrong with them. Plus, the Kadee line has now expanded so much they have couplers for everything: long shank, short shank, under set knuckle, overset knuckle, etc. It is wonderful. I use the #58 now as my standard, they look better.
My question has always been and will always be. Why do the manufactures not just include Kadee’s on their equiptment? When ever there is a discussion about couplers, Kadee comes out on top… They can’t be that expensive !
I have to change the clones out after a given time, as they just fail or are not working well. I understand change, but it appears to not be working…
Just purchased two of the new Atlas S-2 switchers, run like a clock. At the end of the session both operators requested that I change out the couplers… Think I will go on the Atlas forum and ask Atlas…I’ll let you know what they say. [:)]
I’ve tried most of the newer couplers, too, and still prefer the Kadee #5 for reliability. I haven’t tried the #58 yet, but I can’t fathom changing out couplers to “scale” size. There are a few oddballs in my fleet because of the specific requirements of the rolling stock, but I’m sticking with Kadees for the foreseeable future, too.
I always use the “insulated” shank Kadees on my engines so that I never have to worry about shorting through the couplers. Something I learned, and adapted to, years ago.
Mark C.
when KaDee’s patent expired and all of a sudden we had a jillion “just as good” I tried a sample size of all (inluding Intermountain’s… remember them). I had about400 frt cars then and planned on getting more so the potential saving was considerable. My first move on getting a new car or engine is to change out the whatevers for an appropriate KD. From previous reples it would seem that the election is over.
I also recently returned to model railroading since 65. I had the same delima as you.
My 40 year old KDs are the same as the new ones, and dusting them off a bit work the same and as good as ever. I tried other brands and KDs as the above post state, are overwhelminly the best bang for the buck.
The old saying of “If it aint broke, dont fix it” I change out my new Proto locomotives to KDs, straight out of the box, as I know I will have to later due to malfunctions.
My only suggestion is to purchase the large pack 20 KDs and go for it…John
When I get around to it, I’m going to investigate the couplers from Sergent Engineering. They are supposedly exactly scale and function like the real thing.
http://www.sergentengineering.com/
KaDee couplers are the BEST by far.The #5 coupler with some tinkering with its draft gear will fit anything in the freight car line.I use KaDees short shank couplers on locos because they look better coupled close together. Also you have to have KaDees coupler height guage to make all the couplers the correct height, plus to adjust the trip wire to the right height.
KaDee couplers don’t have a memory so if you put your prized frieght car ,loco back in the box with couplers cramped up , ten years later they still work like brand new. TRY THAT WITH THOSE NEW FANGLED PLASTIC COUPLERS…
I recently purchased a Broad Limited GG1. What Kadee Coupler can I use with this Engine?
I recently purchased a Broadway Limited GG-1. It has Dumy couplers. I wi***o replace them with Kaydee Couplers. What # Kaydee Couplers do I use and How di I do It?
Check to see if instructions on how to get to the coupler pockets are included in the paperwork that came with the locomotive. A Kadee #5 is the “ol’ reliable” that will work in most situations. If not, you could contact either Broadway Limited or Kadee, either of which is likely to have an answer for you.
If a car or engine comes with non-Kadee knuckle couplers installed, I normally don’t bother changing them out immediately unless they’re really egregious. But I do change them out with Kadees when those couplers break.
Not if. When.
Then, once the Kadees are in, they just don’t break again.
For Kadee information