Fed up with cheap couplers in the box!

[Anonymous]

I'm planning to fit all my passenger cars with #58s as and when I can afford it. As my passenger fleet is five Walthers superliners and a few material handling cars/express boxcars, this could take a while!

[BentnoseWillie]

That is one drawback of the 58, to be sure. It wasn't a big deal for me, as I tended to address coupler heights by other means than installing offset couplers. Still, if you do use the offsets a lot, the 58 presents challenges.

That said, they don't look as weird when mixed as you might think. Not being wealthy enough to change all my existing equipment to 58's at one time, I still have 5's in abundance. They stand out, but it doesn't bug me that much.

[Anonymous]

The 58s are good looking, but for now I'm sticking with the #5s The reason? You can't get offset couplers with the "scale-size" head at the moment, and they look odd if you mix them!

[Anonymous]

The newer Kadee 58's are great looking. I use all kadee after having a knock-off coupler let go of a string of nice Intermountain reefers on a steep grade. They ended up in a pile at the bottom of the hill. Some of the cars aren't as detailed as they once were. After that episode, I run Kadee exclusively. I am fixing the steep grade by building a new layout.

Guy

[bruce22]

K/D exclusively.

[BentnoseWillie]

Not a big deal - I use Kadee 58's for new installations, so unless those are included, I'm going to pull the couplers off anyway. It's better to pay for cheaper couplers if I'm turfing tehm anyway. [:)]

[detting]

Anything without a knuckle spring is garbage!

Later...

[CBQ_Guy]

I call these junk coupler wannabies the X2F of the new millenium!

Toss em, and replace with KD's.
(That's what REAL model rairoaders, do.)

[cacole]

At the Cochise & Western Model Railroad Club we allow people to use whatever they want, and have had no problems at all with one brand of knuckle coupler not connecting to a Kadee or any other brand. Some members still use those hideous looking horn hook couplers, but soon realize that they need to change as soon as they can afford to, when they discover that they can't back up without derailing, and the horn hook is the cause. The only ones I don't use are the cheaper McHenry and InterMountain that had the plastic finger instead of a knuckle spring. I acrually prefer the newer McHenry scale size knuckle spring coupler or a Bachmann with a knuckle spring because they paint their springs black and Kadee is still using bright, unpainted metal and it's too much of a hassle to fire up an air brush just to paint a few springs.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by John R.R. Koens
[ They are worth the extra effort to install and install properly.

DITTO!

[Anonymous]

I like building the craftsman kits (westerfield, sylvan, etc) and these kits don't come with couplers or trucks. this allows me to choose which couplers and trucks to put on. Now, which one do I choose, hmmm, let me see. Its been my experience that KD works best with KD and not too good with the knock offs. What do we use at the club, KD's. What do most people recomend, KD's. What am I going to use? KD's naturaly. They are worth the extra effort to install and install properly.

[Wdlgln005]

For your $25 car i thought KD were the best made, all metal, USA made & would pull down a brick wall. A rusty weathered color can be optional. No plastic horn-hooks would be allowed. I hipe we don't have this problem in Nscale! have you priced any of the special run NMRA cars lately??

[tomwatkins]

The reason I'm not fed up, and probably the only reason from what I've seen and heard from other people, Is that I use Kaydees, period. I agree that a $25 car should come with good reliable couplers. So should cars costing less than that. I've been using Kaydees on everthing for a lot longer than the other manufacturers have been making couplers and couldn't see any reason to change something that was working well.

Tom Watkins

[tankertoad70]

Well, so far I have refused to purchase those more expensive freight cars. About the most expensive thing I have gone for is the $10 Branchline Yardmaster series. Although they come with the Bachmann style couplers, equipped with the coil spring, I muchly prefer to change 'em out to Kadees.[:)]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by appst03

From my experiences Kadee couplers are the most reliable couplers day in day out. Other brands are cheaper but Kadee gives you the most realism, quality and reliability for the money.

I will tolerate couplers such as bachmann etc. But Plastic horn and hooks are "NOT WELCOME"

When I die there will be a kaydee on my coffin.

Lee

[cacole]

If the providers of Bachmann and other knuckle couplers would use ones with a knuckle spring instead of the flimsy plastic finger that sticks out to hold the knuckle closed, I wouldn't mind, because I usually put on McHenry or Bachmann knuckle spring couplers in their place. I like to convenience of not having to add a centering spring like Kadee uses.

[CP5415]

I have several cars that came with the cheap imitations & they don't stay coupled. I find it a waste of my time to buy something that says ready to roll & won't work very long just to replace them with KD's

Gordon

[Anonymous]

From my experiences Kadee couplers are the most reliable couplers day in day out. Other brands are cheaper but Kadee gives you the most realism, quality and reliability for the money.

[Anonymous]

same here, I've had a few P2k cars for a while and the original couplers are still there doing their job.

[Anonymous]

I have had no problem so far with the Bachmann couplers on any of my Walthers equipment. They ain't broke so I ain't going to fix them.

John

[Anonymous]

You don't really need a tap in plasic. Just put a mouth on the hole with a knife and screw it in. The Bachmann's work in the kaddee boxes just like kaddees, just one less part to drop. Also, the bachmanns work great in HO talgo trucks with kaddee talgo adapters. No need to mount a box to get magnetic knuckle couplers. FRED

[Anonymous]

I find the Bachmann-type couplers very handy for certain situations - such as most Athearn locos where I dont have the tools needed to drill the coupler mounting pads and fit Kadees - I can't find taps that small anywhere, though drill bit don't appear to be a problem. I usually replace them on freight cars though!

[Anonymous]

I don't like kaddee couplers. I prefer the bachmann's with the metal coil spring and the plastic centering springs. FRED

[CP5415]

I'm fed up with cheap couplers!!!!!!
Why don't the manufactures either leave them out all together, taking a buck off the cost of the car or just put in KD's like most of us do?
I have several cars from Walthers & Athearn that have those annoying Bachman couplers in them. We shouldn't have to replace the cheap ones all the time, as they only end up in your local landfill.
For $25 we should have a decent quality coupler in the box.

My rant for the month

Gordon [:D]