I have read about and seen examples of modelers who cut the pins off Kadee couplers. Obviously this makes magentic uncoupling impossible so I’m guessing manual uncoupling tools are used instead. I use a combination of magentic uncoupling and manual uncoupling. I’ve removed all uncoupling ramps from the mainline to avoid unwanted uncoupling on moving trains. I’m curious as to the reason for cutting the pins off. Is it for appearance sake or is it to avoid the pins snagging on turnouts and grade crossings? I’ve found that even if the coupler itself is the correct height when checked with the coupler gauge, the pin is often too low and I have to bend it upward but then I am still able to use magnetic uncoupling in yards and spurs.
I cut mine off and use skewers for uncoupling. I also add brake hoses to all my cars.
I prefer the hose look and I think cars look funny with both.
All hail the mighty skewer!
When I am running on my clubs HO layouts I use Skewers to do the uncoupling. On my N scale home layout I use rics pics as well as on the clubs N layouts. I only cut the trip pins off if I have trouble with them (too low). I have made a couple of lighted uncoupling tools by gluing cut down rics pics to lenses of Maglites solitare flashlight for use in dimmly lit areas
I don’t use magnetic uncoupling, but still leave the trip pins on all my cars. I usually insert the uncoupling pick between the trip pins rather than the knuckles. I also have to do a lot of manual uncoupling in my lower deck staging yard, and another area or two where it’s more convenient to handle the pick from the side instead of the top. Keeping the pins is helpful for such situations.
Properly tuned couplers won’t snag on anything. From the people I know who’ve done it, trip pin removal was an aesthetic issue.
I only remove the pins on the pilot (front) couplers of my locomotives since they stand out like curved fire-hoses. All others stay as provided.
While I do enjoy the appearance of well detailed cars, the trip pins on KD’s have never offended me or bothered me. Cutting them off seems rather permanent and also expensive to replace them all if I changed my mind at a later date and decided I wanted them back!
It’s easy enough to bend them up a little to make them never cause issues with hanging up on anything below. I bend all of mine up just a tad when I add them to cars.
I cut them off. If I want to uncouple I will use a skewer.They look better with out the darn thing hanging there .Oh, and they can’t hang up on crossings and turnouts either.
That Y6 is mighty nice looking without the large pin hanging down.
Good scene and nice smoke and turbo generator exhaust.
Is this your new layout??
CZ
The very first time I visited (and operated) on a layout, the owner made full use of the delayed action uncoupling feature of Kadees, and I was hooked. But it is astounding to me how many modelers – guys who absolutely insist on KD couplers over all other brands – have NEVER used the delayed action feature and have no intention of doing so (and either don’t care if the pins are there are not, or routinely remove them).
I don’t mind using the almighty skewer or other such tools, but it has always seemed to be that the less we jab at or push or touch our couplers the longer they’ll stay properly aligned.
Dave Nelson
All of my magnetic Kadees retain their pins - but some have been turned 180 degrees to alleviate other problems. I prefer uncoupling magnetically to sticking the (clumsy, arthritic) Hand of God into the scene - disregarding altogether the need to uncouple at totally inaccessible places in the netherworld.
Certain places have fixed uncoupling ramps - and operating conditions that take that into account. In other places I’ve installed drop-down under-tie magnets, and only raise them when uncoupling is necessary. I tried a Kadee electromagnet, but it doesn’t work well with my (mostly) galvanized steel (aka tinplate) cars.
OTOH, I have removed the pins from some of my Kadees - truly ancient K couplers which had a vertical pin dropped directly from the angle of the knuckle. The active diamond ramps they need have long since faded into history. Those couplers are never uncoupled in operation (they’re between cars which run in permanent cuts) but they’re handy to re-couple after maintenance.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in 1964 - with K couplers that were old in 1964)
I use “delay” all the time - but I use a pick instead of a magnet. The principle is the same (uncouple at one location and push the car where it goes). I’ve used the feature with magnets on layouts where the owner insists on it, but prefer not to be forced to uncouple only where there’s a magnet.
On my layout we move hundreds of cars a session. Many of these cars have been in regular service for 20 years or more, on at least three layouts, and have endured countless instances of uncoupling with picks. I don’t recall a single instance of a coupler becoming misaligned or otherwise damaged from such use. Every so often a knuckle spring may get dislodged, but I find myself replacing only a few springs a year.
I have to agree. I like to use delayed action uncoupling when switching industries. I have industrial belts on either side of a double track mainline with multiple spurs off each one. A few well placed magnets will do the job of magnets on each spur. One thing that is a must with delayed action coupling is keeping the track clean. Even a momentary hesitation will cause the car(s) being shoved to seperate briefly from the loco allowing the couplers to swing back into coupling position. That can be very irritating. I still use skewers to uncouple on the mainline or in locations where magnets aren’t feasible. It’s good to be able to do both.
I also like the idea of using the skewer to seperate the pins from the side rather than the knuckles from the top. For switching close coupled passenger cars with diaphragms, this is about the only way to do it. I was skeptical at first, but after a few tries, I’ve found it no more difficult than topside uncoupling.
If you cut off the pins, and you have passenger cars with diaphragms that touch, how do you uncouple cars?
If you have car body locomotives (like F-units or PA’s), and they have diaphragms that touch, how do you uncouple them if the pins are gone?
If you have neither, than I can see cutting off your trip pins for looks. I don’t, but I can see why.
For trip pin height, sorry folks, but if your Kadee’s are at the right height, you don’t have to adjust the pins. Other brands may vary, and if you use a Code 100 magnet on Code 83 (or Code 70) track, then it’s going to hit. But otherwise, Kadees are the right height from the factory unless your installation is drooping.
Paul A. Cutler III
Kadees are great, but I have had a couple that were too low from the factory. Not many, but a couple over the years.
Cars and locos with diaphrams that touch aren’t air tight. Uncoupling can still be done from the top, it just requires a little more finesse.
Thanks, CZ. I’m afraid it’s the old layout, now two years buried. Steam and smoke were hand-crafted using the cloning brush feature in SageLight Image Editor. Now that I look, I could have cloned out the small brass pins on the tabs of the closest points rails. That would have been yet more license with some already taken to add the smoke and steam.
Most of my shots are head-on, or on a quarter, so the pinned coupler really looks huge and unrealistic. The couplers don’t change with the pins removed, but at least the pins aren’t visible and competing for attention.
-Crandell
I leave them on but paint them black with a spot of silver paint on the end to represent the glad hand. I uncouple by hand with a rixpic. This takes longer to do and further extends the time of switching etc. I also pause for 20 seconds or so before and after uncoupling to simulate the time it would take in the proto world. I do have a small layout so these things extend operation time.
To each his own! I leave mine on, I still make use of magnetic uncoupling in a couple of places where access is difficult. I use skewers everywhere else. I paint mine dark gray with a touch of silver on the tip. I’m not as hung-up on everything being completely scale like others seem to be. In fact, I really don’t like all the delicate plastic grabs irons, stirrups and other easily broken off and lost details on my freight cars that the new standard dictates and even think some of the molded on details look better.
I routinely cut about half of the shank off and use skewers. I had some that were hanging up on turnouts that were at the bottom of a grade. I know thats not good track planning but it is what it is and I took the easy way out. Now it is just a habit. To each his own.
Marty C
LION removes couplers. Him installed DrawBars. : )
48 Wheel power pickup : )
Him make 4’ long styrofoam cradle for removing set from layout.
Powered Frogs? Not on this layout, LION does not even bother to wire the double crossovers or slip switches. All fancy track work between north and south routings is electrically dead.
ROAR