I have installed #158’s on most of my rolling stock and to date they are working great. The “scale” couplers are a little less reliable about coupling due to a smaller gathering area.
John in Mebane, NC
In addition, as everyone probably knows, Kadee makes a special tool for installing new springs, it’s handy and prevents (for the most part) the rocketing of the spring into nowhere land when trying to attach it to the nubs in the side of the knuckle.
I think we’re safe, this thread and that rumor is 5 years old, [swg] and the #5’s are still in production in good ol 2010.
I have been using the 148 for some time now. Always struggled with the # 5 spring or centring device. The knuckle spring is still better than the plastic ones in other makes, in my opinion. Kadee has been the unofficial standard for many years now. Metal parts dont break as easy.
This my opinion only, we all have our favourites.
Dave
Just used my first Whisker couplers and I like them. Will I discontinue use of # 5’s? No! Both have their uses and I’ll be keeping a good supply of both on hand as time goes on.[:)]
…and the copper spring piece on the #5’s can be made into good electrical wipers.
The only real problem that I see with the “Whisker” couplers is that if you lose the whisker you are S.O.L.[:(!]
I still use the #58 with the copper/bronze centering spring…if the spring goes bad it can be replaced…not so with the “Whisker” types.
How are you gonna loose the whisker? I haven’t seen that they come off. Maybe if I pull on it or something, but it has never slipped or moved even when I dropped couplers while trying to hold the car with one hand, the coupler with another, and use another hand to screw on the coupler box lid. Oh wait…
These things seem tailor-made for Athearn Much easier to clip on the lid with the single piece whisker couper than trying to contain the couple plus the spring of a #5. Stewart/Bowser hopper car kits too, with their upside-down coupler boxes.
Also it seems these days they are preinstalling the knuckle springs - and I haven’t had any fall out, either. That’s through 2 bulk packs of #5 and a bulk pack of #148. Every coupler had a knuckle spring firmly in place.
–Randy
There should be a rule against reviving old threads unless there is something new to be added or something old to be changed.
This is like the third or fourth revived old thread this week.
Is it a prank?
Rich
Nope, just having flashbacks… [8D]
Maybe the dude doesn’t know that he can sort the threads by newest first. Again I say, why not put locks on old threads…especially the ones that are over 2 years old. Any new material should get its own thread and just reference the old thread if need be. What say you mods…too much to ask for?
But then you have the opposite complaint of people starting a new thread when their question and the answer could have been found by using the search. What’s the threshold? A week? A month? A year? I tend to be more annoyed by a repeat thread, especially when the first one was still visibile ont he first page (search wouldn’t have even been needed) than occasionally an old thread popping up. While there definitely are some fast moving elements in this hobby (a 5 year old DCC thread would likely be out of date), there are some things that seem almost timeless - like this one. Frankly I’m sirt of suprised that the whisker couplers have been around that long now, and I only recently broke out of my #5 habit to try them. I have a rather extensive collection of old books and magazines, and there’s stuff 30 years old that is still relevant. Much of this hobby isn’t at all like talking about computers and video games, where what you bought yesterday is already obsolete.
Anyway, your wish is likely granted now since the last 4 posts have had nothing whatsoever to do with whisker couplers.
–Randy
Maybe things over two years, depending on the subject matter as you suggested. The mods are modelers as well so they can probably use good judgment on what is still relevant or not. If I had their “power”, I’d probably put tags on the OP or make one last entry with tags to facilitate a search query and then lock the old thread, but that’s just me.
Nah, the fact that I suggested it to be locked is more of a reason not to lock it. I’m not on the mods good side so they’re not going to listen to me. That just strengthens my argument of them (mods) having favorites and only listening to certain members here, but that’s another can of beans…er worms.
I’m switching to Sergents so I didn’t really get to experience much with the whisker couplers but I know a lot of people like em.