Look funky as heck. But seem to work pretty well. Haven’t had much experience with them.
What do you think?
most people, I know, switch to MT couplers, but I haven’t. Crapidos work just fine for my N scale layout.
Ray out
I think what you think. The knuckle couplers look much better and are far more prototypical. But in N scale, the Rapidos are a LOT better when it comes to uncoupling.
I use knuckle couplers (Kato or MTL) on my passenger trains where uncoupling isn’t much of an issue. On my freight trains, I’m sticking with the Rapidos because they better facilitate the switching I want to do.
At least 101 people will post here saying I am nuts and that Rapidos are junk. That’s fine. They work for me, and that is what I’m looking for.
[:)]
The Rapidos are not the best for switching
They do not look that good.
The manufacturers for the US market are starting to get away from them.
The Rapidos are more reliable in longer trains.
They are not costly
MT did sell 1500s some time back. 1500s are MT Bettendorf trucks with Rapido couplers. They did discontinue them a while back, but there was such a hue and cry that they did revive them. This gives some indication that Rapidos still had some popularity at the time. I do not know if they still sell them. I have a whole bunch of them still, some still in their blister packs. I finally made the switch a few years back
What couplers are, and what do you use to uncouple them? I would really like to know.
Thanks
[:)]
I have found that not all knuckle couplers are equal. The Rapidos work better than the MDC/Roundhouse knuckle couplers. To me, Microtrains(Kadee) are the best. The knuckle couplers Atlas uses on its Nscale cars are a pain because the coupler box comes apart way too easily. I am constantly putting them back together and have a container of Accumate coupler parts. The Accumate couplers on their engines seem to be fine. I haven’t had any problems with them. Many people I know. use “conversion cars,” (a car with Rapido couplers on one end and knuckle couplers on the other) and run both Rapido couplers and knuckle couplers on one train. This is done until they can afford to convert all of their cars over to Microtrain couplers. At a cost of about $4.00 a car, converting a fleet of older cars can be somewhat expensive!
I’m not a fan of Rapidos - I spent too many hours trying to persuade trains of Peco and Graham Farish British freight stock to stay together and not leave the last few cars behind at turnouts, slightly uneven spots, or even just due to an unfortunate gust of wind! My remaining N scale collection is 95% Fleischman Profi-coupling equipped (gives proper close-coupling and looks a lot less obtrusive) though I’d be inclined towards Microtrains couplers on US-outline stock for both appearance and operation (if they work as well as my HO Kadees when properly set up they’d be superb).
Uncoupling Rapidos, in my experience, is a real nuisance. The assorted ramps, etc usually derail the car rather than lifting the coupler, the only reliable system I’ve seen is that sold by Peco (uses electromagnets and metal tags glued to the couplers to lift them) and that only works on Peco’s own couplers (which have no spring - they use gravity to drop back to horizontal after uncoupling).
[quote]
Originally posted by WVHagan
I have found that not all knuckle couplers are equal. The Rapidos work better than the MDC/Roundhouse knuckle couplers. To me, Microtrains(Kadee) are the best. The knuckle couplers Atlas uses on its Nscale cars are a pain because the coupler box comes apart way too easily. I am constantly putting them back together and have a container of Accumate coupler parts.
I’ve had pull - aparts with the MDC / Roundhouse knuckles. However, I haven’t had any
trouble with the Atlas - Accumates. I’ll have to look at them closely, as I was planning
to convert to Atlas.
Perhaps I’d better check out Microtrains.
Thanks for the info, WVHagan. [:)]
The “exploding Accumates” are easy to fix, using the same solution as MT uses for assembling some of thier couplers. Heat weld the coupler box closed. Just a quick dab with a soldering iron and voila, no more discombobulating coupler box.
The Rapidos look much worse than any of the knuckle couplers, but hey, if they work for ya, have at it. I’ve gone to knuckles myself, switching MDC dummy knuckles and Rapidos to Micro-Trains, but I rarely bother to change out Accumates.
The fix for the exploding accumates has to be done carefully, I figure. I will try it but FIRST remove the whole truck. If I were to post a sad train story (which I won’t because it was a STUPID thing to do!) it would contain a soldering iron, but that is confidential! Fievel, You live fairly close to me. If you don’t have any good hobby shops in your neck of the woods, drive to Teays Valley and check out WV. Hobby & Crafts. It is super! No way should a place our size have such an awesome hobby shop. They try to compete with mail order places so the prices are always well below retail.
Mr mouse, when shoving a cut of radido equiped cars the cut will jerk, not roll, jerk backwards thanks to the way the couplers are put in with the spring behind the coupler.
If your building a swiching layout, bite the bullet and get MT couplers.
Rapidos go back to the early days of Nscale. They were great improvements over the crude hornhook couplers. Arnold/Rapido let other mfr’s use them for free, They became almost universal, work OK, but look terrible. At least every Rapido works about the same. You have to take care that the coupler spring does not slip, causing droopy couplers. I hate droopy couplers that are too high/low for their mates on the next car.
MTL became the first & almost only alternative. MTL holds many patents. THis makes a problem. Converting a fleet of 100 locos & 300 cars become co$tly. Better to begin converting while the fleet is small. You save some by buying MTL freight cars. At least MTL offers 10paks of couplers to bring down the co$t of converting a fleet.
Accumates & Kato’s may be OK with their own kind, but can you mix them? MDC couplers are worhtless. The Caboose hobbies Unimates make a good nonoperating plastic coupler. some old cars/locos may not be worth the bother to convert. THe model/motor is too old, and you may find a better new model by Atlas, MTL, Kato, etc.
I don’t use ramps and whatever with my Rapidos. I use a narrow flat strip of metal to manually uncouple the Rapidos and it works great. I don’t like the idea of electromagnets for uncoupling… I don’t want to be restricted on where I uncouple. Is there a way to manually uncouple the knuckle couplers?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
[:)]
I’ll have to check that place out. And it won’t hurt that I’ll be driving down along the
NS West Virginia Secondary. Now all I have to do is run it past the supervisor (dear wife ).
Once again, thanks for a great tip, WVHagan ![8D]
I don’t know what scale you are modelling, but HO scale knuckle couplers can be uncoupled by inserting a small screwdriver between the couplers and turning it. I often uncouple my cars this way, the only trick is to keep them from bumping each other and hooking up again[:(!]. That is my only problem, but I have worked out a way to get around this. Using the screwdriver, I swing the coupler on over until they are offset and can push against each other without hooking up again. I’d recommend knuckle couplers to anyone![8D][tup]