I notice that most HO kits out there include a pair of X2F or NMRA type couplers. Why??? Does anyone still use these things? Maybe developing or third world modelers?? They are not just part of the casting process since they are not on a sprue and often come in a plastic package enclosed with the kit. I have not seen them on anything in decades. No clubs i ever visited used them. No individual modeler i know used them. I never used them. You don’t see them in photos online or in magazines.
No big deal but it is like getting a buggy whip with your new buick.
Most kits I buy that are of any recent vintage have some sort of kadee knockoff included. They might ALSO have an X2f style, because despite the kadee type being the defacto standard, not everyone uses them. The only kits I have that come with ONLY an X2f are old production ones.
I used them for many years when I was a kid, they came with kits and were the standard before knuckle couplers took over. Back then I stuck with the X2F; but, the Kadee was an option for those who could afford them, which I could not.
I found them to be offered in kit’s I bought, up until fairly recently; but, not to much anymore. When they are placed in a kit, I toss them in the trash. Gotten so used to tossing them, that maybe I’m doing it instinctually and they are still in the kits, I don’t know!
Charlie,Yes there are some that still uses the X2F coupler for various reasons including one that thinks KD couplers are too expensive and he’s not made of money.I suspect he would do Scrooge proud because he isn’t exactly “poor” by any man’s standard.
Many of the modern cars I come across don’t have them. Those I have that did come with them were older kits. I also see tons of them on stuff I get from Fleabay in junk boxes for project and kitbash fodder but that’s to be expected.
If there are any small 2-56 screws in the package, save them- they are more valuable than those old couplers, which were just one step up from the 19th century link-and -pin ones! Cedarwoodron