How to Find and Choose Aftermarket Replacement Couplers (N-Scale)

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Anyone know how to figure out which aftermarket couplers fit on an N-scale Kato SD70M?

So far I have Fox Valley, Walthers Proto, and Atlas engines. I guess I like the Atlas couplers most though the greatest selection seems to be with MicroTrains. Any port in a storm at this point.

…I wonder when Kadee will get into N-scale.

2

Kadee has actually been in N scale for decades – MicroTrains and Kadee were the same company for a long time, and then split by scale in the 1990s. So the MicroTrains couplers are made under the Kadee patents, were designed by the same people, and work the same.

Here’s the MicroTrains website with all the conversions

3

Actually, Kadee is (in a sense) already in N-scale. They are called Micro-trains. Although not the same company these days, MT originated from Kadee.

I think your best bet would be to consult the MT conversion table on their website. They design replacement couplers for most N-scale equipment.

4

The choice is simple, MicroTrains couplers. The others may work, but MicroTrains are the best the are the best.

5

For our N scale stuff we run at Christmas, and for the new stuff My Other Half gets in N scale, we prefer Micro Trains couplers.

Just our preference. [2c]

[8-|]

6

If your going to use uncoupling magnets the MTL are the best choice.

Since I do manual uncoupling I have no need for the trip pins so the couplers that come with the cars are just fine. Except the Rapido horn hooks. Any that break get replaced with MTL as that is what I bought a large batch of to replace the Rapido’s on older cars I had.

I have replaced some of the Bachmann couplers with the MTL because they were way to big.

7

Food for thought.

The MicroTrain couplers will cause cars to unrealistically slink back and forth.

Solution.

Adding a MT retaining spring to the axle of your caboose or FRED car or the passenger car you use as the end car will end the slinky motion-except for switching moves…

IF you intend to run short train the Atlas coupler made by Accumate will work quite well and will not slink.

8

Hi,

I use MTL couplers since they appears on the market.

The slink back and forth was often mentionned as a unrealistic feature, beside the unreached qualities of the couplers system.

The best answer I have found about this problems is weighting the cars to NMRA standard; it’s reduce dramatically the slinck.

I use “life coal” from my mines to the delivery points on my layout; the 33’ hopper weight much more than the NMRA standards and the slinck has completely dissappear on the coal trains, so surewheight is the answer to the “slinck” problems.

Good luck.

Marc

9

Thanks for all of the comments. The links provided to the MicroTrains site don’t list the SD70M specifically. The website lists the SD70MAC. Don’t know enough about the shell though to know for sure. LHS didn’t have the conversion kit in place and didn’t know if they took the same kit anyway so I’ll check with Kato and MT I guess. Thanks again!

10

Spoke with Kato and Micro-Trains. Replacement couplers for this loco are: Kato 923500 Micro-Trains 1015-1