Have been away from the hobby for a spell and just noticed some of my engines and rolling stock have a two piece coupler. Since I’m only familiar with Kadee’s, please shed some light.
Thanks
Hello all,
Please elaborate…
Hope this helps.
I believe it’s just another design solution. I suspect it’s also cheaper to make/install than a Kadee style.
The two piece type is not highly regarded. Except perhaps by manufacturers who install them.
Welcome back to playing with trains. I would recommend staying with Kadee’s and their clones (Walthers comes to mind).
And be sure to check out Sergent couplers. They are superb. They are reputed to be unforgiving on trackwork, but I’ve run them over several Free-mo setups and yet to have a train part.
Ed
Atlas uses Accurail 2-piece plastic couplers which are Kadee compatible but many, including myself, don’t care for them.
KD’s #148’s IMO, the way to go
A few of my newer model trains have come with these two piece couplers. If you are familiar with Micro-Trains standard N scale coupler, these were very similar.
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I made a jig to couple on of them to a kadee #5, and pulled on them. The plastic two piece coupler failed almost immediately. Then all of them joined the NMRA X2-F couplers in the landfill.
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-Kevin
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Sounds like the dreaded Accumate. They have a split shank design that can wedge open when slack runs in, causing uncoupling. They also tend to require more force to couple than Kadee types. Whenever I acquire a car with Accumates, they get replaced with Kadees before it goes into service.
As has been stated, that coupler has gotta be an Accumate from Accurail. It seems the design is very similar to Micro Trains N scale knuckle coupler. I have talked with a coupla gents with switching type layouts where long strings of rolling stock do not occur and they use the Accumate and have had good success with it. However, like others, I use good ol’ Kadees. [C):-)]