Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

N scale couplers - which is best?

5197 views
6 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    September 2011
  • 182 posts
N scale couplers - which is best?
Posted by irishRR on Monday, February 3, 2020 12:05 PM

Ok, I'm sure this topic has been discussed before, so I apologize. But I am looking for input from others with more experience. I have about 30 locomotives and 100 pieces of rolling stock and passenger cars. All with whatever stock knuckle couplers they came with. This has created a few problems with uncoupling, re coupling, detaching when slack in consist while on the main line and so on... 

I am considering the time consuming and expensive process of converting them all over to 1 or 2 brands for improved performance and convenience while performing switching operations. Any advice as to which brand offers a good continued coupled connection, yet is still fairly easy to manually uncouple using a small screwdriver or tool? I would love to hear your thoughts based on your experience. Thank you in advance. Cheers!

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Northern CA Bay Area
  • 4,387 posts
Posted by cuyama on Monday, February 3, 2020 6:00 PM
  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, February 3, 2020 6:22 PM

When I was in N scale, Microtrains couplers were the only way to go.

.

Unless... you were running 200 car trains on NTrack modules. If you are doing thios you need a 1 piece coupler made specifically for long trains..

.

Anyway... Microtrains is your answer.

.

-Kevin

.

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    January 2020
  • 14 posts
Posted by NSNYSW74 on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 5:29 PM
Micro trains couplers for me. If your patience isn't the best like mine, get the assembled ones. Check their website for specifics.
  • Member since
    December 2003
  • From: Quebec
  • 983 posts
Posted by Marc_Magnus on Thursday, February 6, 2020 3:33 PM

Micro trains, I use them since they exist.

Formely Kadee, they become MT couplers after a change in the family buisiness 

And the clone which were offered when some patend of Kadee and MT were over were never as reliable as MT

Even if the discussion is a never ending story about the subject, I have never found allthese clones and MT are coupling correctly together.

To avoid any trouble I prefer to use one brand of couplers, which is MT named the cadillac of the couplers.

This is really not usurpated.

  • Member since
    October 2004
  • From: Blair, Nebraska
  • 205 posts
Posted by Boiler-man on Thursday, February 6, 2020 3:41 PM

I have used Kadee which became Micro trains from the time I started in N-scale back in 1971.

Boilerman
  • Member since
    January 2019
  • 21 posts
Posted by dry_heat on Thursday, February 6, 2020 5:02 PM

Since you maay be doing a bunch, I would check them for position, and "correctness", before you start, and do the worst, first.  Maybe you'll even find that there are only a few troublesome ones, and save yourself some work.

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!