Changing couplers on european material

[fleduc]

Hello,

I have some european passengers cars (Jouef, Lima) and I would like to replace the couplers with kadee type ones.

I seems that it will be easier to change the whole trucks.
Is there a type or brand of truck that is more suitable for this ? That fits best ?

Are there any good references on this topic ?

Thank you,

François Leduc
Québec, Canada

[nfmisso]

François;

If the models in question use NEM mounted couplers, just remove them and plug in Kadee's NEM mounts #16 - #20
http://www.kadee.com/htmbord/coupler.htm

[fleduc]

Thanks.
But what is a NEM coupler ?

[Anonymous]

NEM couplers use a "pocket" fitted to the car to hold the coupler - the idea being that you can choose what type you want to fit (I use the Fleischmann Profis, mainly as they're the easiest to get hold of here). Are the couplers on your cars fitted into a square-section tubelike construction (should be just behind the coupler head)? If so, you have NEM pockets and the Kadees mentioned above will fit. If you don't have those, you'll have to make up mountings and use regular Kadees, which could be interesting to say the least - you'll need the long-shank version of the Kadees to clear the buffers on European stock, but beyond that I can't offer much advice sadly. Hope this is of help!

[steffd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fleduc

Thanks.
But what is a NEM coupler ?

NEM (Normen Europäischer Modellbahnen) is the European equivalent to NMRA Standards.

Stephan

[Anonymous]

My solution for the European coupler problem (or rather, the buffer vs. tight radius problem) was to switch to American prototype altogether.

[fleduc]

I have placed a picture of the truck and coupler here:
http://www.geocities.com/fleduc2000/train/europeancoupler.jpg
The coupler is attached to the truck.

[steffd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dothinker

My solution for the European coupler problem (or rather, the buffer vs. tight radius problem) was to switch to American prototype altogether.

I suppose that's a matter of personal preference!

[steffd]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fleduc

I have placed a picture of the truck and coupler here:
http://www.geocities.com/fleduc2000/train/europeancoupler.jpg
The coupler is attached to the truck.

As Lima, along with certain assets of Rivarossi, Jouef, and Arnold went bankrupt and have since been acquired by Hornby in late 2004, you may want to inquire if they have any drop in trucks for your models incorporating NEM Coupler pockets. http://www.hornby.com/hornbyinternational/

Another solution would be to remove the old coupler and mount Kadee coupler in a Gear Box in it’s place, or remove completely and mount couplers and Gear Boxes directly on the center of the underframe of your coaches (#5’s are Standard). Make sure that the height remains consistent between all your cars and the locomotive and is above the surface of the rail.

Stephan

[SROC99]

Hello everyone,

Mounting knuckle couplers on European models presents a number of challenges.
If the model has the NEM 362 coupler mounting pocket (it's the pocket not the coupler) then one of our NEM types of couplers will simply snap into the pocket. Use our #17, #18. #19. or #20 couplers, each is a different length to compensate for the length of the corner buffers. The most commonly used is the #18. Always check for the correct coupler height.
If the model does not have the NEM pockets then it's a matter of custom fitting a standard coupler. You'll need to have or build a level platform to mount the coupler then adjusting the coupler height by using shims, which is most often done on European models. I usually start with our long center shank #36 coupler because the draft gear box can be assembled on the top or bottom of the coupler to help adjust the coupler height.
Since there are so many different types of European models and each manufacturer has a number of different coupler mountings you'll need to use quite a bit of your own ingenuity to mount an American type of standard knuckle coupler.

Sam Clarke
Kadee Quality Products