Plastic Automatic Couplers

Model Railroader General Discussion (Model Railroader)
1

Is it just me or do we all have a high failure rate on plastic automatic couplers on our layouts?

2

General consensus will say yes. In my travels, I have observed this:

Bachmann EZ-Mates w/ plastic spring: Very high failure rate, ranging from pulled knuckles to failed springs.

Bachmann EZ-Mate w/ metal spring: None have failed yet on my layout.

Atlas Accu-mate: None have failed yet, except the one on that hopper that took a nosedive to the floor…

Walthers Scene master w/ plastic spring: All have failed, mainly the spring wears out.

I do not have any Scene masters with metal springs.

Hope this helps.

3

Nope, not just you. [st]

Our club is not using them anymore because they fail in long trains.

As for my home layout, I haven’t had them fail because I run short trains. However, they don’t operate as well as the metal Kaydee couplers, so I don’t use them.

4

I avoid them like the plague. Whenever I buy a new locomotive or piece of rolling stock, it goes through the same pre-flight, if you will:

  • Check wheel gauge, making sure that the wheels are both centered in the truck. If one wheel is closer to one side of the truck than the other, it puts sideways stress on wheels, causing derailments.

  • Make sure all wheels turn freely in the trucks. I use the Truck Tuner from Micro-Mark when needed. Check ALL equipment for proper lubrication. If there’s too much, disassemble, clean and relube.

  • Replace couplers with the appropriate Kadee coupler.

  • Check couple height.

  • Light to heavy weathering, depending on what I want it to look like.

5

This is partly why I replace every non-Kadee coupler with a real Kadee. Experience has shown me that they just work better. Some of the knockoffs are better than others - some of them are simpyl not worth the plastic they are molded from. Others do a better job and in a pinch will suffice, but I still switch them to Kadees.

–Randy

6

Well, you can run “recaps” as they’re still round and have tread, but I’ll stick with new name brands.

To me it’s Kadee and the “also rans”.

Remember, as Dale Earnhardt once said, “second place is just the first of the losers”.

Mark

NMRC

7

I remember that as “… always remember, if you ain’t first, you’re last …” from Talladega Nights…

Anyway, Kadee is first.

8

That works too!!

Mark

NMRC

9

I use all sorts of plastic knuckle couplers, and even old horn-hooks with zero failure rate!

!(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee101/jfallon_tar/My Model Railroad/Stage 3/IMG_2037.jpg)

That’s right, not one has failed as a piece of junk! The operating rolling stock all gets Kadee’s. As I replace the wheels with metal ones, the old ones end up here or in gondolas, too.

John Fallon

10

The title of the thread should read “non kadee couplers”

Plastic is like window dressing to get the car sold. Cheapest way to get it built. The manufacturers know that most will be tossed anyhow and replaced with Kadee’s.

11

John

I had to read your post twice before it sank in![swg] Well said.

Dave

12

Yep, Kadee only on my Santa Fe.

Bob