Well, I have caulked my entire 4X8 layout to the 2" foam , weighted it down,amd I am waiting a week or so before I trim the edges.
I got to thinking about how to use the Kadee’s. Just what is supposed to happen with the uncoupling sequence?
I remember something about “delayed action”. What’s that all about?
BB
BB
The delayed action of the Kadee coupler is used when you want to spot a car in a yard or at a specific industry. When the Kadee couplers pass over a magnet you will notice that the “glad hands”/ actuators try to move to opposite sides. As long as there is pulling pressure on the coupler the train stays coupled. If you stop on a magnet and slightly reverse, the car will uncouple. As you move forward, the coupler will continue to move further. Now by backing into the car the couplers will be held in the delayed position. As long as steady pressure is placed on the coupler they continue to stay that way until the car is placed where you want, coming to a stop. When you pull forward the car remains and the couplers return to center.
This is why on a siding the magnet will generally be positioned close to the turnout. You delay uncouple at that point then place the car. Many of us, I think can safely say will sort of cheat and use a skewer/ uncoupling device and just uncouple where we like.
For the delay action to work, couplers must be installed properly and move freely. Burnishing graphite into the draft gear coupler box , spring and shank will help trememndously for coupler action to always work as intended. Whether I ever plan on using delay or not, I always install my couplers to work properly. Of course the Kadee height gauge is a must. And many times I have seen some droop in the gauge from wear, improper assemby or mishandling. The center of the knuckle must be 25/64" from the railhead on your gauge or you get a false reading of your coupler height. I have seem droop as much as 1/32 on some gauges because the lid was not installed properly or pin peened enough. Maybe others can add to this if I have left something out.
Bob K.
[#ditto]
Actually, Kadee has changed the gauge. The one I bought last year came with both an MKD 5 and and MKD 58. The coupler shank fitted into
Trying to assemble #4’s is why I use nothing but #5’s, #58’s, and the occasionaly McHenry lower-shelf.
What a miserable design.
With this new coupler out now. Do we need to pay the money for Kadee couplers
Metal Kadee’s are still the reliability standard.
Regarding the #4’s, that is actually the same design the prototype uses and is designed to be centering when being shoved. If you shove a string of cars with #4’s the couplers will bottom out with the ears on the stops and essentially become rigid and centered, minimizing side forces. From an engineering standpoint its a great design, better than the #5. From a installation and “user friendliness” standpoint they are a bear to install and I have used #5 style shanks for the last 20 years.
Dave H.
Most everything I have are kedee#5’s,and are set by my old kedee gauge,some times I have to adjust the hose , but that is about all.Most of my rolling stock is many years old and still work good!! I have vary few problems with KeDee,don’t know a bout the others on the markett.[8D][:)]
JIM
I used to be a big fan of Kadee’s, until the McHenry couplers came out! They are compatible with Kadees and yet with the spring built in to the coupler itself, it eliminates the brass box spring of the Kadees. I may be the only one but I have had a lot of problems with the brass spring that Kadee uses either wearing out or loosing its spring leaving the coupler flopping around. I filed the coupler to remove burs, used Kadee graphite for movement and made sure that I didn’t over tighten the box but still have problems with the few cars that I have not converted to McHenry. Just my two cents
Randy Johnson