New MTH automatic uncouplers?????

[dave hikel]

Hi all,

The MTH automatic couplers will be controllable from either DCS or DCC.  DCS has a dedicated button for front and rear couplers because this has been standard fair in O for years.  According to MTH's catalog the rear coupler will be activated in DCC with F4 and the front coupler with F5.

I haven't read the MRR article yet, but the description that it uses 3 springs is interesting.  Their O-gauge design (which is patented) uses two springs.  One spring holds a steel plunger that retains the coupler knuckle.  When the activation coil is energized the plunger retracts and the spring is compressed.  The second spring throws open the knuckle.  The knuckle remains open until you couple to another locomotive or car.  I've figured that the HO design will have to be substantially different beacuse O-gauge couplers don't have a barb on the end of the nuckle like Kadees.  One of the best features of the O-gauge MTH couplers is that they will reliably uncouple whether the slack is bunched or the pulled out.  With DCS you can even pull off trick yard manuvers like a dutch drop.  Hopefully the ability to uncouple with the slack pulled out will be retained in the HO design.  The only short coming of the O-gauge design is that it requires a fair amount of force to close and latch an open coupler.  If the HO design can couple as easily as a Kadee and retains the features of their O design they'll really have something.

[jasperofzeal]

I still want to try this DCC uncoupler project, it doesn't seem that difficult to do.

[johngraser]

Don,

Here is the response I got from MTH in regards to a question I had about the couplers. 

Mr. Graser,

Hello.  Thank you for contacting MTH Electric Trains.  We appreciate
your interest in our products.  An after-market coupler kit for the
HO engines is currently being considered.  Our Research and
Development team is testing the feasibility of such a kit at this
time.  If a kit is possible we will make them available in the
future.  Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thank you,

Kirstin Martinez
MTH Electric Trains

[Texas Zepher]

I am thinking the last big thing in HO would be automatic uncoupling any where on the layout.  Who ever comes up with this and its cheap is going to make millions!

As you said it isn't a mater of coming up with it.  Doing it is easy, making it easy to control (without doing video game like manuvers with the DCC throttle) and cheap is the hard part.  And there is the quandry, if it is cheap whomever does it is not going to make millions.

[DONFLA]

Yep!!!!  I still love my cheapo do nothing Bachmann EZ Command.  At my age, simple is better.

 I got the impression from MR Mag that the uncoupler can be operated with any DCC system althought I haven't been to their web site yet to see whats going on.

But I am thinking the last big thing in HO would be automatic uncoupling any where on the layout.  Who ever comes up with this and its cheap is going to make millions!

 DON

[rrinker]

 Well, the only way it can work on every car is if every car had a decoder in it, as well as whatever mechanism this turns out to be. Dunno how much that would cost - to outfit every piece of rollign stock with a decoder of some sort, even if it's function-only. Or at least every OTHER car, provided you didn't couple two non-equipped cars together.

 I notice Mike was quick to add that they applied for a patent for this already. All well and good, just don;t try coming back against people like Tony and Dick at RR-CirKits who have been doing this for years now. I've never seen one of Tony's in action in person, but I did see Dick's and it was pretty slick. Of course there's a limit to what you can do when only the loco has automatic remote control uncouplers - but then see above - outfitting every loco and piece of rollign stock you own might get a little pricey, even if it cost, say, $10 per car.

 

                                           --Randy

 

[jondrd]

 The offering by TTE was engine only installation and would never ever past the rivet counter scrutiny. The Kadee couple box moved up and down to accomplish coupling/uncoupling. From what I've seen on MTH site their automatic uncouplers work on car to car not just engine to car; of course their video on website is of O-gauge, HO may not be so accommodating what with restrictive dimensions to accomplish same feat. The bit in MRR mentioned coupler having 3 springs as part of its mechanism. Interesting to see what actual coupler looks like up close and what systems will be able to activate the feature.

  Jon 

 

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Just read in Model Railroader Magazine that the company MTH (who make alot of O gauge stuff) is now into HO and are coming out with a coupler using DCC that can uncouple a car any place on the layout.  I have been waiting for something like this forever. Does anyone know anything about MTH and this coupler and how it works and when its going to be on the market and how much?  Would appreciate any information anbody has.

 Thanks,  DON

Please note that you are currently using the Bachmann EZ command and it is quite possible that this product will require basic programming to actually operate.

The Bachmann EZ command cannot programme beyond CV1.

David B

While Don is still using it mine has been mothballed as I've upgraded to the Digitrax Zephyr. That opens up a whole new realm of possibilities.

[MisterBeasley]

I recall reading something about this, too.  As I remember, this was an engine equipped with these couplers, not the couplers themselves.  So, you would need to buy this engine to get the feature.

MTH wants to get into the HO market.  I think they understand that DCS-only features are of very little value in HO, because very, very few HO modellers run DCS.  So, I would guess that they would make coupler operation one of those things that you could access with DCC.  I suppose they could make it a DCS-only thing, with the idea that people would go out and buy DCS to get this feature, but I think that would reduce demand for the engine rather than generate DCS sales.

MTH has invested in their dual DCC/DCS decoders, which tells me that they understand the HO market.  In fact, they never tried to get into HO with DCS-only engines, so why would they do that with a key selling point of an engine at this late date?  Their engines are expensive enough as it is.  Adding a costly feature that people can't use isn't going to get them anywhere.

 

[cacole]

Tony's Train Exchange has been offering a DCC controlled coupler for a couple of years already, so MTH's announcement is nothing overly exciting.  And as mentioned, it will probably be propretary and work only with MTH's DCS system.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Knowing MTH it will be proprietary and work ONLY with their equipment.

[DONFLA]

Just read in Model Railroader Magazine that the company MTH (who make alot of O gauge stuff) is now into HO and are coming out with a coupler using DCC that can uncouple a car any place on the layout.  I have been waiting for something like this forever. Does anyone know anything about MTH and this coupler and how it works and when its going to be on the market and how much?  Would appreciate any information anbody has.

 Thanks,  DON