I have used Kadee couplers since I first got the Model RR bug, and am grateful they exist.
The only complaint I have is that the part of the coupler, that resembles an air hose is not where the air hose is suppose to be. Are there other couplers that somehow work and have the air hose in the right place?
If there are I haven’t seen them. Kadee’s, EZ-Mates and McHenry’s all have it in the same place as do the other clones and Sergents don’t have one at all.
I agree with Jeff, and I haven’t seen them. If you want air hoses, you will have to add them yourself. I use Cal-Scale air hoses. They also have a all rubber hose that works real good also.
The air hose on freight cars does not attach to the coupler, rather to the frame just to one side of the coupler box. The piece of wire that is the hinge point of the coupler and which serves as the air hose for those who don’t care is really the uncoupling lever for use with an under the track magnets. If you don’t want to use the magnetic feature it is perfectly OK to cut off the wire under the coupler. So far no one has devised a workable HO scale air hose system, at least not to my knowledge.
<The air hose on freight cars does not attach to the coupler, rather to the frame just to one side of the coupler box. The piece of wire that is the hinge point of the coupler and which serves as the air hose for those who don’t care is really the uncoupling lever for use with an under the track magnets. If you don’t want to use the magnetic feature it is perfectly OK to cut off the wire under the coupler. So far no one has devised a workable HO scale air hose system, at least not to my knowledge. Bob DeWoody>
I know how Kadees work and also that the prototype hoses are not attached to the coupler. That was the reason for my question. So if you cut off the uncoupling lever as you suggest, how would the coupler work at all?
After googling them, It looks like “Sergent” couplers, as suggested by " jeffrey-wimberly" are the most prototypical in appearance. Has anyone used them and do they work OK?
None that I know of.
Below is what I do for the Kadee coupler. I cut off the Glad hand. Cal Scale or Precision Scale hose and Glad hands. Still not prototypical though. You cannot connect the Glad hands.
I do not know of any trains that operate with couplers connected and Glad hands disconnected. Looks worse than Kadee with the Glad hand simulation.
Reality, we are just boys of any age playing with toys.
Rich
The coupler will work fine without the pin. If you use a magnetic uncoupler, that’s when you have an issue. The pin is used for the Uncoupler. I think they look better without the pin.
These are the best air break hoses I’ve seen/used but I know I have seen someone who made air hoses that actually coupled together but can’t recall who it was. I could only see this being practical on a diorama or maybe G scale or able. I maybe have added this detail to a dozen or so cars but figure it’s something to do when I get the layout finished…lol by then I’ll be too old to even remember my own name.
The horror! Maybe I should go back to 1-to-1 boating!
Mark
I’m still not clear on some of this information:
#1) If you cut off the airhose looking pin on kadee couplers, will they still work using the standard Kadee magnets, and IF NOT, how do you uncouple them once the pin is cut off?
#2) How do the Sergent couplers work? Do they automatically uncouple using some uncoupling device?
When the trip pin has been cut off the Kadee couplers will no longer uncouple with the magnets. The couplers can be still be uncoupled by inserting the tip of a small screwdriver and twisting it or by doing the same with a bamboo skewer. Sergents couplers use a magnetic wand held above the coupler to uncouple. Is it clear enough now?[:)]
Use a small jewelers screwdriver or grab a Kabob stick out of the kitchen. Clean off the residue meat and vegetables first.
Use your imagination, experiment. That is how many ideas pop up in the model train forums.
We use the thin pointed stick , Kabob stick, where we want to uncouple even with the Glad hands still in place.
Rich
Kadee also makes some nice air hose and angle cock setups. Part#438.
jeffrey-wimbly said:
<When the trip pin has been cut off the Kadee couplers will no longer uncouple with the magnets. The couplers can be still be uncoupled by inserting the tip of a small screwdriver and twisting it or by doing the same with a bamboo skewer. Sergents couplers use a magnetic wand held above the coupler to uncouple. Is it clear enough now?
>
Yes it’s clear now.
So what it adds up to then, is that either cutting off the Kadee pin, or going to Sergent couplers, gives a more prototype appearance, but you get stuck with the cumbersom “giant hands” operation that Kadee couplers (with the pin) eliminate, which includes, scale decoupling in some hard to reach area of your layout; a tough choice between the two options. Too bad there is not a prototype looking coupler, that operates without giant hand assistance.
I don’t mind the little curved wires, and keeping them in place allows for all methods of uncoupling. My guess is that as DCC progresses, a remote uncoupling capability will become available (cool idea!). When that day comes, change over to it.
Well, you can’t please everyone I guess. I have been using kadees since 1960’s, they have improved a great deal, I use them now with a combination of undertrack magnets or skewers, and quite frankly, I am glad I don’t have to stick my hand down between cars to uncouple them. Good grief, after all you are dealing with a greatly scaled down car/coupler/glad hand and I will state that on my layout, which is three decks with lots of staging tracks, industrial sidings, yard tracks that I am happy with my Kadee the way they are now.
But if you want to be completely " prototype, then use Sergeants, hire a bunch of midgets and have at it.
Bob
This is a very unrealistic expectation for HO scale. Not saying that better systems will not be developed, but they are likely to be expensive, complex and a long way off yet.
It seems ashame to me, and that a part of the hobby is lost, when we need SO MUCH realism that our imagination does not need to fill in anything (sound, no matter how bad it sounds, smoke, etc).
I’m perfectly happy with Kadee couplers as designed and I will not even use the “semi scale” versions because reliable operation is more important than appearance.
If you don’t want giant hand intervention, install lots of electro magnets. BUT, most “opreration” that requires uncoupling also requires being close enough to the train to see what you are doing (spoting cars in the correct spot, reading car numbers, etc), that is why all current trends in layout design put the track close to the operator, so what is the big deal with the uncoupling “pick”?
I personally think hand uncoupling and ground throws ADD to the realism of being the crew, not detract from it.
AND, from a distance, the kadee trip pins do look like the air hoses on a coupled string of cars - which look is more important?, the RUNNING TRAIN or the static model? AND the scale is 1/87th - at 3 feet away you are 261 scale feet away - keep that in mind when you “view” your models - you’ll like them better.
But what do I know…
Sheldon
As has been mentioned by others, my preference is to cut off the Kadee hose and handle uncoupling with a skewer or small screw driver. The magnets might be handy for those rare folks that have access problems. If all track is in easy reach of the aisle I think using a stick to uncouple is easier (and cheaper) than going with a magnet. With the magnet method you are sort of limited by the location of the magnet. With the stick you can uncouple where you want.
One of Kadee’s nicer coupler products is the 158 ‘scale’ whisker coupler. In addition to being closer to scale in size I really like the whisker that replaces that old copper spring. Photos of the 158 can be found in the July 4 entry of my blog: http://www.lancemindheim.com/blog.htm where I detailed an old Athearn reefer.
Lance
the trip pin was never supposed to to be an air hose , it is just there to allow you to use a magnet to uncouple the cars and if set up right they work great for switching in places where you can not reach .
Actually I do believe that the Kadee wire trip pin was placed so that it generally looks like an air hose connection from a distance. As far as having to manually uncouple cars I agree that it makes operation more hands on and realistic as the railroads require a human to move the coupler lever and uncouple cars.