I just realized that I have never seen the couplers on petroleum cars modelled on a model railroad before… that ad in Model Railroader caught my attention.
Why are the couplers on petroleum cars like that, with that extended piece on top? I always see them but never looked into wat they are.
Can someone shed lite on that question?
Simple!
If there is a wreck, it is highly desirible that then coupler on say tank car one does not disengage and puncture the end of tank car two. The funny shapes are to keep the couplers engaged and hence out of the ends of the cars involved.
Have fun
They’re known as Type SF or interlocking shelf. DOT/FRA mandated hazardous material tank cars have interlocking Type F in 1970. AAR adopted shelf interlocking in1975. The literature that comes with the Kadee #118 has more complete information.
hmm… i took a look at the kadee #118 and its not quite the ones I am talking about… the ones i see look like they hav a large metal bulge on top and bottom… I ll hav to get a snap shot to post here.
^^^ actually nevermind… I am probably wrong
Who cares! Any question that leads to education is valuable!
Have fun
I think the #118 is probably the coupler you want - if I remember correctly a brief review when it was introduced suggested that you could modify it to model one of two types of coupler, which may explain why it looks slightly different. The other possibility is that it’s an earlier version of the design than the prototype examples you’ve seen. Hope this is of use!
McHenry makes both upper and lower shelf couplers for tank cars. I think they came out with them before Kadee, but I don’t own any modern tank cars to put either brand onto so I can’t say which might be the better product.
I bought some of the very earliest McHenry couplers and they were really pathetic. They broke easily and did not have a real spring in the knuckle. The newer McHenry scale sized knuckle spring couplers are a drastic improvement and seem to be just as sturdy as a Kadee. Of course, I don’t slam my rolling stock into each other at 90 miles per hour so I don’t know how easily the new McHenrys can be broken.
The Kadee 118 was available before the double-shelf McHenry. The two are slightly different coupler types - the Kadee 118 is a type “SF” and the McHenry a double-shelf “E”. I think either one meets DOT spec for application to dangerous-goods tank cars, though the most common ones I see locally look to me like a double-shelf E.
I have some of each, but haven’t strain-tested the McHenrys yet. They certainly look better to my eye on a tank car, especially next to the Kadee 58’s my other cars have. I haven’t seen the lower-shelf McHenry up close yet.
Incidentally, the SF and double-shelf E are both acceptable on other car types, though not required. I’ve seen E’s, double-shelf E’s and SF’s in every possible combination on boxcars, cement hoppers and other cars not carrying dangerous goods. Presumably the guys in some carshops use whatever coupler is at hand…
I’ve got McHenry MCH31’s - that’s the single shelf, without the uncoupling pin hanging down below.
Apparently this is, unlike the Kadee #118s, the proper coupler for the Atlas Corn Syrup cars… I don’t run any long trains any distance (on a 2x8 layout it’s a bit difficult) but they look fine, and do have the little spring on the coupler.
excellent!
thanks alot
i just realized how difficult it is to find info on these couplers on the web… sigh
Just tried my first ones on the club’s modular layout. We run lots of ore cars behind long locomotives and uncoupling over joints, bumps, and so on is always a problem. Not any more. Just putting the 118 on the locomotive side made this problem go away completey.
I expect they would work equally well on long cars. Seems like only one side needs the special coupler.
Far as I’m concerned, these are the greatest thing since sliced bread.
No, I have no monetary interest in Kadee.
Bachmann or Mchenry couplers are a really good selection and they are very inexpensive
While looking into purchasing, a passenger car a few years ago I found out that they (passenger cars) cannot coupled to a tank with that type of coupler. The extensions and selfs can damage the diaphrams and other special stuff that passenger cars have on their ends.