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Changing horn hook style couplers

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  • Member since
    April 2012
  • 39 posts
Changing horn hook style couplers
Posted by Missabemodeler on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 7:00 PM

I have several Concor & IHC passenger cars. They all have horn hook style couplers. I want to change them to knuckle type couplers. I believe Kadee are probably best. Can anyone tell me what length or number of coupler is best to use & would I need new draft gear or wheel sets. Thank you for any info.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Central Vermont
  • 4,565 posts
Posted by cowman on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 7:06 PM

Go to the Kadee site and then click on conversions.  They have a listing or replacement couplers, by manufacturer and car type.  For locos they even have a section that shows what you  have to do, should you need to do more than a simple coupler switch.

Good luck,

Richard

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
  • 21,481 posts
Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 7:20 PM

Yes, and yes.

Get rid of the horn-hooks and replace them with Kadees.  I like the #58 couplers, personally, but others prefer the "whisker" couplers with built-in centering springs or the venerable #5s.  All will fit in the same draft gear boxes, which may be glued or screwed into place.  This may entail some removal of the old coupler pockets.

I've got a lot of very old rolling stock, and a few engines, that I bought as a teenager back in the 1950s and 60s.  I've been able to put Kadees on everything I've tried, and they work pretty much perfectly.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Colorful Colorado
  • 8,639 posts
Posted by Texas Zepher on Wednesday, January 2, 2013 9:34 PM

Missabemodeler
I have several Concor & IHC passenger cars. They all have horn hook style couplers. I want to change them to knuckle type couplers. I believe Kadee are probably best. Can anyone tell me what length or number of coupler is best to use & would I need new draft gear or wheel sets. Thank you for any info.

Well, there are many ways to do this.   JayBee makes special conversion kits that allows the coupler to be body mounted.   I have found that one can make similar body mounts using styrene, and taping a 2-56 threaded hole in it.  Making them from scratch allows one to adjust the position to their own preference.   I like to use long shank couplers (#6, #26, #36, or #46)  that are set further back on the frame.  That allows them to have more swing.  The new 451 extended draft gear box looks really interesting for this application although I have not had the opportunity to try it.

  Kadee makes special conversion kits (800 series?) that retain the truck mounting of the couplers.  

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