Hello again all!
If you are just an enthusiest with model railroading, as apposed to a hobbiest, looking for the right Kadee couplers can be overwelming. There are so many kinds! I have a couple Atlas Engines that I need to keep coupled when they are on the go. I want some super good couplers that will hold their grip. I bought Kadee couplers #146. These are great couplers, but the shafts on them are too long. So, what number Kadee do I need, or is there something even better?
Hi KevinsHope
First, I don’t think you will find too many people who can suggest “something even better”. Kadee is considered to be the bench mark in couplers.
The #146 couplers that you purchased are the ‘long shank’ variety which likely explains why your locos are too far apart. There are two alternatives i.e. #148 medium shank, and #143 short shank couplers both of which are center set. There are overset and underset couplers in both lengths if your mounting point is not at the recommended height. Check out this chart for further info:
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/HO-Scale%20Couplers.htm
Dave
Selecting the proper Kadee coupler can appear to be a daunting task, but it is really quite easy once you understand the Kadee classification system.
hon30critter covered the basic pretty well in his reply and the link he provided, which I have restated here, provides all of the essential information.
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/HO-Scale%20Couplers.htm
If you study those charts, you will see that Kadee groups its couplers by material (plastic vs. metal), shank (centerset, underset, overset), length (short, medium, large), size (standard vs. scale), and spring (bronze centering vs. whisker).
In terms of material, Kadee manufacturers a variety of plastic couplers but most modelers choose the metal couplers for a variety of reasons.
The shank is determined by your individual needs although the typical shank is the centerset. An underset shank raises knuckle height, while an overset shank lowers knuckler height.
The length of the coupler seems to be your issue. The short length coupler extends .25", that is 1/4 inch or 16/64. The medium length coupler extends .28125", that is 9/32 or 18/64. The long length coupler is .3906", that is 25/64. So, you can see the difference that the length makes especiall
I use the 148’s on my Atlas loco’s and they hold great on 3 loco consists. As noted you simply got the long version with the 146.
Here is also a conversion chart to KaDees:
http://www.kadee.com/conv/holist.pdf
It may help you also!