Changing Out McHenry Couplers

[loathar]

loathar:

It was recommended the draft gear boxes be cut off and replaced with the Kadee boxes. There's only a few of these cars that require this...

That recommedation was for the Athearn Blue Box cars since the frame/coupler boxes sit low.

For some reason Athearn 'has it in' for Kadee, with shallow coupler boxes and non Kadee compliant sentering screws, that resrict  motion. This has carried over into RTR and Genesis products.

Perhaps it is a manifestation of the 'not invented here' syndrom - or 'we were here first'. It happens too often to be accidental.

Bachmanns kind of the same way with some of their locos. The coupler pockets are so shallow that a #5 centering spring doesnt fit worth a crap. (they come with the EZ Mates) You can fit a whisker in there, but you have to bend the whisker centering springs out or they won't even touch the side of the coupler box.

[BRAKIE]

loathar:

It was recommended the draft gear boxes be cut off and replaced with the Kadee boxes. There's only a few of these cars that require this...

That recommedation was for the Athearn Blue Box cars since the frame/coupler boxes sit low.

For some reason Athearn 'has it in' for Kadee, with shallow coupler boxes and non Kadee compliant sentering screws, that resrict  motion. This has carried over into RTR and Genesis products.

Perhaps it is a manifestation of the 'not invented here' syndrom - or 'we were here first'. It happens too often to be accidental.

 

Don,Athearn uses the same size coupler box design as all other manufacturers..You should know this..That is why your useless and usual Athearn bash is groundless.

I never had a problem installing KD couplers on any Athearn car or locomotive other then the Genesis Trinity covered hopper which has a scale size coupler box!!!!

I believe you are forgetting that ALL manufacturers was using the X2F coupler before the KD wanna bes came out.That is why all couplers have that large hole at the end of the shank.That oversize hole was design for the X2F coupler box and that box is still being use by all manufacturers...

Its past time we move on to a scale size coupler box.

[Flashwave]

loathar:

It was recommended the draft gear boxes be cut off and replaced with the Kadee boxes. There's only a few of these cars that require this...

That recommedation was for the Athearn Blue Box cars since the frame/coupler boxes sit low.

For some reason Athearn 'has it in' for Kadee, with shallow coupler boxes and non Kadee compliant sentering screws, that resrict  motion. This has carried over into RTR and Genesis products.

Perhaps it is a manifestation of the 'not invented here' syndrom - or 'we were here first'. It happens too often to be accidental.

Or that the Coupler box shapes are simply carried over from the BBs of before kadee that were asembled and sold as RTR and Athearn has simply not though to retool them. That outlook would get them thrown out of the hobby.  

I yslef have yet to noticed a problem But I'm the one who's threatened to superglue Kadees together.

[Don Gibson]

loathar:

It was recommended the draft gear boxes be cut off and replaced with the Kadee boxes. There's only a few of these cars that require this...

That recommedation was for the Athearn Blue Box cars since the frame/coupler boxes sit low.

For some reason Athearn 'has it in' for Kadee, with shallow coupler boxes and non Kadee compliant sentering screws, that resrict  motion. This has carried over into RTR and Genesis products.

Perhaps it is a manifestation of the 'not invented here' syndrom - or 'we were here first'. It happens too often to be accidental.

[desertdog]

I have a number of Athearn freight cars, the more expensive, RTR variety and it frustrates me to no end that considering that you often spend more than $25.00 for such a car that Athearn will not consider mounting Kadee  couplers on these cars. One problem that I have encountered in switching out the worthless McHenry couplers is that the coupler pocket itself is too narrow to accomodate a standard Kadee #5 spring. Does anyone have a solution or any idea as to what I can do? I know that Kadee manufactures several different couplers, all for different applications, but I don't know what I should be looking for. Thanks guys!

Ray

If it's the newer McHenry couplers with a brass spring, I don't bother to change them out unless it's on a tank car and I need a shelf coupler.  Then I will substitute with a Kadee 118.

FWIW, I have never had a McHenry (new version), Accumate or other non-Kadee fail.  I like the looks of the Kadees better but it doesn't seem worth the time or expense to make the change--there are too many other uses for my time and hobby money.

John Timm

[nedthomas]

Check the Kadee web site. They show how to install a #78 coupler on the Athearn Trinity hopper.

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

Thanks Larry, I'll try Kadee's 148 coupler. I will call our local Hobbytown dealer and ask Bob if he has this them in stock. On our local club, the Sioux Valley Model Engineers Society, Kadee couplers and metal wheels are the preferred standards. Today we kick off our annual Fair Week open house and will be running trains for those attending the Sioux Empire Fair. This is our biggest open house of the year and I am trying to check all my rolling stock against a Kadee coupler heighth gage for any adjustments I might need to make.

Ray

[BRAKIE]

I have a number of Athearn freight cars, the more expensive, RTR variety and it frustrates me to no end that considering that you often spend more than $25.00 for such a car that Athearn will not consider mounting Kadee  couplers on these cars. One problem that I have encountered in switching out the worthless McHenry couplers is that the coupler pocket itself is too narrow to accomodate a standard Kadee #5 spring. Does anyone have a solution or any idea as to what I can do? I know that Kadee manufactures several different couplers, all for different applications, but I don't know what I should be looking for. Thanks guys!

Ray

Ray,This burns me up as well with the Atlas and other brands of RTR cars that come with Accumates,McHenrys or any other KD wanna be that can cost as much or more as a Athearn.

Try the 148 coupler.That eliminates the brass centering spring of the #5.

[loathar]

Which cars have the narrow pockets? We just had a thread about some covered hoppers that the Whisker Couplers wouldn't even work with. It was recommended the draft gear boxes be cut off and replaced with the Kadee boxes.
There's only a few of these cars that require this. The rest are just a drop in.

[cacole]

Athearn owns McHenry, so it's extremely unlikely that they will ever use a Kadee coupler on anything.

[Mr. SP]

Any couplers that are not Kadee are immediately trashed on my layout. I have to agree for the price of a RTR car Kadee couplers should be standard.

The LK&R Ry. standard is ONLY Kadee. Long trains require good couplers and the Kadee Imposters just don't do the job.

[lvanhen]

KD makes a whisker coupler similar to the McHenry's - should be an easy swap - the #5's have that little brass spring thingy that's a real PITA to install.  BTW, I've used the McHenrys for some time without any major problems.  My

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

I have a number of Athearn freight cars, the more expensive, RTR variety and it frustrates me to no end that considering that you often spend more than $25.00 for such a car that Athearn will not consider mounting Kadee  couplers on these cars. One problem that I have encountered in switching out the worthless McHenry couplers is that the coupler pocket itself is too narrow to accomodate a standard Kadee #5 spring. Does anyone have a solution or any idea as to what I can do? I know that Kadee manufactures several different couplers, all for different applications, but I don't know what I should be looking for. Thanks guys!

Ray