1 Have powered F-7’s A and B Athearns. B’s coupler sticks out about a 1/4 inch if not a little more to the freight. When running with just the A unit it’s fine. Hook a load to it and it lifts a axle and off the rail it goes. Using the stock horn hooks they came with. Bought around March or April.
2 Up grading my cheap LL, Tyco and Bachmans rolling stock. Installing Kadee coupler boxes and # 5’s as I go. How far should the shank stick out from the car? Or how far should the box stick out from under the rolling stock?
Cuda,
It depends on what your min. radius is and the type of equipment. You need greater coupler swing – and thus shank length – for sharp curves, less for bigger ones. For longer cars on the same curves, you need proportionately longer coupler shafts.
Kadee makes a variety of couplers and mounting kits so that you can bring your rolling stock and locos closer toegther so they look more prototypical. For instance, the 450 kit allows closer coupling of Stewart F units. They look much better coupled closer, but you have to have wide enough curves to run them this way.
Some couplers protypically stick out more, for instance, those cars with various cushioned draft gear. These tend to be modern cars.
It’s really going to pay off in the long run to get rid of the horn-hooks, particularly on your engines. If you’ve got a lot of “horny” rolling stock, you can make up a few half-n-half cars with a horn-hook on one end and a Kadee on the other. The design of horn-hooks makes them very assymetrical. Often, they will cause problems on right turns, but work fine on left turns, or vice versa.
Is the B-unit a dummy? It may need weight if it’s causing problems.
I’ve got some very old Athearn F-units. I’ve replaced all of the horn-hooks. I used Kadee #5’s on the B-unit and the tail-end of the A’s, but I needed long-shanks for the front of the A’s. This gives me pretty close coupling, where the distance between the B-unit and the A’s is pretty small. Still, I can run the whole consist around 18-inch radius curves with no problem.
The upper lid of the Kadee box should have the lip against the leading edge of the car. Basically flush with the car end. The most important thing other than coupler height is that the box be in the centerline of the car.
Something else to check (whatever the coupler type) is that the coupler is free to swing sideways but doesn’t have more than a tiny fraction of vertical movement (only the amount that allows the sideways movement). Screwing shut the coupler box too hard is more usually the issue if the coupler will not swing. Occasionally dirt or grit will get in. Very occasionally a part will break inside the box and jam things up.
I’ve always used a Kadee #27 on the nose of the F7A, a #7 on the rear…and on both ends of the B unit. A #5 would work too, but the #7 is a bit shorter, and brings the two Fs closer together.
MisterBeasley, A is a Super Weight and the B is a powered but no flywheel engine, both have the same motor. But, the B as the plactic clip on coupler holder. I have a Super weight Chassis and will switch out the guts to it later.
As far as the Horny Hooks, to tell you the truth in some ways they are under rated. But, only reason I am using them is because I don’t have the funds to buy all the # 5’s I would need at one time. I am adding just the couplers box’s and using the Horn’s is to get them ready to the next step. But, 30 cars drag seems to think they are just fine.
On the turns, I am sad to say there are still 2 18" turns.[:(] Rest have been up graded to 22 to 26. Bright side I am buying lumber![:)]
Yes, I do know to make sure the couplers move freely and there is only 2 right hand turns. 1 on the A line and same on the B line.
Coupler height has not been much of a problem with the ones that had Kadee’s added.
One thing I did find last night is the coupler boxes act as a brake in the turns! Boxes I am using as for a lack of better terms has Ears on either side of the box! Happen too roll one to see how freely it rolled into the 26" turn and it was like someone turned the brake wheel. Ears where hitting the wheels in the turn. Got out the rail cutters and stared cutting off Ear’s! Slow speed is much better and odd clicking sounds are gone. Tripled headed PK’s E-6’s could over come the drag action, but way better now.
Thanks for the link and the help as well folks.
Dragging 70 cars around the board makes me a happy man.
