Couple of quesitions:
Rapido or Kunkle…is one better than the other?
How do you know which side frame type and length (short, medium, or long) a particular car gets?
THanks…I’m sort of new and am thinking I need to convert some cars from plasic to metal and while I’m at it might as well do couplers too if worthwhile…
did you mean knuckle?
The general consensus is that knuckle couplers look better and more realistically represent the prototype. I am not in N scale anymore, but when I was, i always felt that the rapidos worked just fine, too. I built some transition cars with rapido on one end and knuckle on the other so that i could combine different types on the same train. I always felt that if the rapidos were working, I was in no hurry to change them.
I’m in N scale and the rapidos work fine but don’t look realistic. I put knuckle couplers on my equipment.
Yeah…I sort of ‘fat fingered’ it…LOL
well I live in usa and I never liked the rapido
I just use the bigger #5 kadee
works well
think I have a trolly with the other
K
I have 2 or 3 cars with one on one end the other onthe other …mabe some day I’ll have all knuckles…Cox 47
Kadee #5s are for HO scale equipment.
Rapidos are for N scale equipment.
Another wonderfully confusing and cryptic reply from the Bud Man. Who’da thunk it???[:D]
Jeff
my bad
Don’t sweat it. We still love ya.[:D]
I assume your main point was that knuckle couplers are an improvement over others (such as horn-hook or Rapido).
Jeff
I model in N scale and agree that rapido couplers are outsized and do not look good. I have progressively changed all my engines and rolling stock to MT knuckle couplers which have solved all my coupling problems.
Cheers,
Cliff
http://cliffordconceicao3310.fotopic.net/c328807.html
The following applies to N scale:
The “short”, " medium",and “long” in reference to MicroTrains Line (MTL) truck mounted couplers is not the side frame length. It is the distance from ther bolster to the face of the coupler pocket.
The “short” will work on the majority of N scale 40’ and 50’ cars. Using the “short”, the face of the coupler pocket will be come out to the end of the car (close is good enough, say +/- 1/64").
On some modern prototypes the trucks are set a little further from the car ends. The “mediums” will usually work on models of them. Another use for “mediums” to represent cushioned underframed prototypes. On them the face of the coupler pocket will be beyond the end of the car.
The “longs” are generally necessary on models of long protoype cars (80’-90’ ). It’s usually obvious by looking at them which cars need the “long”.
MTL makes their trucks/couplers in "short, “medium” and “long” with a number of different prototype sideframes. There are trucks (sideframes) suitable for models of cars from the early 1900’s (archbar) through the most modern.