Morning all. This past week I purchased 2 new P2K GP38-2, and on both of the locos there are bad couplers. Do you know where on line I could go to see if I can get LifeLike to send me some replacements, or would I be better off to replace the original with maybe Kaydee’s. If so do you know which couplers I should replace them with?
I had another visitor in the train room last night, for those of you who might not know what he is, it is a walking stick.
Thanks for your help. Mike
You are better off with Kadees. I belive #5s will work but somebody may correct me on that.
Imagine what the people in that building were thinking!
Mike, You’d be better off with KD’s.
#5 works ok on the back but you would want to go with a longer shank on the front to clear the plow.
I have 5’s on the front & I cannot install the plow. I still need to replace it myself.
Gordon
I’ve got #5 on all of my Proto GP38-2’s and I didn’t have a problem installing the plows. The worst part about installing the plows is getting the hoses to go through the slot on the plow, that can be a bit of a pain. I did have to trim the MU hose or what ever you want to call it thats attached to the coupler on a few that I MU together because they would hit the plows and cause derailments on tight corners as well as the first car the locomotive pulls.
Let’s see, you’ve had one of the twins for a week, and the other for 2 or 3 days, and the original couplers have broken. That’s longer than mine usually last. What’s your secret?
Seriously, sometimes I’m so excited to run the engine I just put it on the track, but as soon as I pop the shell to put in a decoder or upgrade the lights, then the couplers get upgraded to Kadees.
If you want to be happy for the rest of your life,
Never use couplers made by Like-Life,
So from my personal point of view,
Stick with Kadee, that’s what to do.
When installing plows, check that the plow position will allow an opposing “glad” hand to clear under the bottom of the plow. This may vary from prototypical height and install instructions say from Details West, but the slightly raised position can give a closer coupling and better look to the pilot. The raised position is not that noticable.
I need to use a Chessie rock pilot most of the time, the odd shape requires me to use a long shank. Most other plows set properly can use the medium shank.
You will definately be happier with Kadee’s. I use #5’s on just about everything. Kadee calls the #5 “ol’ reliable” and it’s the truth.
REPLACEMENT couplers won’t improve poor design. BEST advice is to replace with KADEE’s.
I too am a Kadee fan. I have found that with long cars and grades, that their “shelf couplers” keep trains together.
Thanks all tor the help. I will order some couplers and was wondering if these are the right ones?
I am going to get enough to do my rolling stock as the others fail. Thanks Mike
Thats them…
Just to add , [2c] instead of #5’s , I’ve been buying and using the new #148 whiskers, same coupler except improved, if you can imagine that. The whiskers really work nice.
THE ONLY WAY I see the #148 as an “improvement” is by a simplified ’ centering spring that gives up KD’s patented ‘Delayed Uncoupling’, - a benefit for those fnding the #5 ‘flat spring’ too technical.
The #5 and #40 series centering springs use two different tensions on the coupler heel - if one looks closely - which is why it works.