Newbee needs help with train couplers different manufactures

[Anonymous]

Just started out and i have lgb bachman and aristo trains.Is there one coupler that will fit all of these ? so i can hook them together right now we are stuck running a few cars of the same brand.Really would like to be able to one universal coupler for all.My main engine is a aristo and second will be lgb.Also have a little critter engine that we hook to a track cleaning caboose and run around the tracks with that.Luckly they fit together so that setup is fine since thats all we use it for. Thanks for the info

[dwbeckett]

yes there is a solution ,they are Kaydee couplers. Try there web site or do a search on this forum.

[Tom The Brat]

Aristo can be hand coupled to Kaydee quite handily. Only real solution is to pick a coupler and change everything else. Since I have only 2 non-Aristo items, I change everything to Aristo-Craft, though I like the appearance of those small KayDee #1 scale couplers.

[Anonymous]

Hi I use bachmann coupelers I find they are very good on all radius and they do not catch on the ballast in your track . the kandee ones do

[kstrong]

The Kadee couplers won't catch on anything if (a) they're mounted to the correct height and/or (b) you cut off the rather useless in our scale metal pin that hangs down. I've never seen anyone use the magnetic uncoupling of Kadee couplers in large scale, so the pins really serve no practical purpose. I've used their #1 scale couplers for over 20 years and never had any troubles with them. Can't say that for any other knuckle coupler on the market, period. (Admittedly, a truck-mounted coupler may sag under a heavy load due to what's often referred to as "tongue droop." This happens when the heavy load of the train pulls on the coupler hard enough to flex the arm its mounted on downward. Cutting the pin off won't eliminate the problem, but it will keep the coupler from catching on anything it shouldn't.)

Mounting them isn't difficult, as they make mounts for virtually all manufacturers' truck-mounted couplers, and various body-mounted styles to fit almost any application as well. Prices range from $5 to $10 depending on how complicated the mount is. They come in two sizes--"G" scale and "#1" scale. The #1 scale coupler is smaller than the G scale coupler, and is very well suited for Aristo and USA Trains' 1:29 equipment. The G scale coupler is more in scale with the 1:22.5 and 1:20.3 models of Bachmann, AMS, and LGB's narrow gauge based models. (The #1 scale coupler also works with the 1:22 and 1:20 equipment. It just represents a 3/4 scale coupler used by a number of narrow gauge railroads.)

Having said that, the Bachmann couplers are a cheap alternative, and you can usually find them very for just a few bucks per pair, if not for free from someone converting to Kadees. They look a bit clunky, but can be made to work rather reliably via fixes that can be found by searching the forum archives either here or at www.mylargescale.com . I believe GR has run a few articles on various modifications to them as well, though the one I'm thinking of ran nearly 10 years ago.

Be advised, though, that the Bachmann, USA, Aristo, and LGB knuckle couplers all have levers underneath the couplers that--when pushed up--will open the coupler. These are very prone to opening because of twigs, branches, and other things that invariably find their way onto the track. Your trains will uncouple using those couplers. Perhaps not every time, but often enough to cause a headache.

One other caveat with the Bachmann couplers; because they couple rather tightly together, they don't slide out in the event of a derailment. If one car rolls to its side, it's taking the rest of the train with it. That, more than the uncoupling, was what convinced me that they weren't the best option. (Too many trains rolling down a 3' embankment after hitting an acorn.)

Later,

K

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kstrong

<much snippage> The #1 scale coupler is smaller than the G scale coupler, and is very well suited for Aristo and USA Trains' 1:29 equipment. The G scale coupler is more in scale with the 1:22.5 and 1:20.3 models of Bachmann, AMS, and LGB's narrow gauge based models. (The #1 scale coupler also works with the 1:22 and 1:20 equipment. It just represents a 3/4 scale coupler used by a number of narrow gauge railroads.)

Kevin, thank you for your detailed post. Are the Kadee #1s a direct screw-on modification to Aristo and USA 1:29 rolling stock or is minor 'surgery' required typically?

[kstrong]

You'll have to check Kadee's web site www.kadee.com . They make specialized coupler mounts for many of the "popular" locomotives and rolling stock, so your best off to read down the list and look for either your particular piece, or one by the same manufacturer with a mount similar/identical to what you have. Here's a direct link to Kadee's #1 scale listing: http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/page38.htm .

Most rolling stock offerings by a single manufacturer have identical mounts, as they all use the same--or roughly the same--trucks. If you're going with a body-mounted coupler, the "standard" draft gear coupler pocket will screw into most all rolling stock, perhaps with a few shims to set the coupler to the correct height. If you're unsure of which particular coupler to use, ask here and/or on the manufacturers' forums for what others are using.

Note: If you're body-mounting your couplers, you definitely want to screw the couplers into the car, and not rely on glue. The couplers take a great deal of abuse just from the cars banging into each other during normal operation, and will eventually break the glue joints. While I've never had a coupler fail, I have had many early mounts break because I glued the mounting pad to the car, then just screwed the coupler into the pad.

Later,

K