Climax Coupler Pockets: 2nd request

I have large photos from a 1991 calendar "Locomotive Portraits Kinsey Photographer" and there are two great shots of Climax locos that have their coupler pockets "tacked to the end beams" - just like those on my Bachmann On30 and HO Climax models. They are really big pockets, with four levels of pockets for mounting couplers at differing heights.

I've got OSO's book on the Climax on order, but don't expect it for some time as I ordered it from Amazon Canada, and they say 6-8 weeks for delivery.

So it seems Bachmann got them right! Works for me anyway. Bob Boudreau Canada

Following up to my previous message, I've had time to scan the Kinsey photos showing the Climax front coupler pockets, and I've placed them here:

Yes, these are VERY helpfu! Thank you for all of your work! Say, can you tell me if the coupler pocket on the HO climax allows you to move the coupler up and down, or is only the bottom level operational (as it was on the On30)?

Glad to help! Looking at the bottom of the HO Climax coupler box, it is made from plastic (the bottom piece), and is held on with a Phillips head screw. There is a pin going through the coupler box, giving the appearance that the coupler could be moved up into the other spaces. The pin does not look like a screw, so it may or may not be actually removable. I also checked my On30 Climax, and it appears to be the same.

Don't really know why you're fussing with the On30 (or HO) coupler heights. Yes they are at the HO scale height above the rails, but since they are all that way (including the Broadway Limited C-16) it shouldn't matter all that much.

Bob Boudreau Canada

Railfan wrote:

Phillips

Logging railroads operated over very rough, temporary track. The track was only there to get the logs out of the woods. When finished logging an area the tracks were pulled up and used somewhere else. Normal knuckle couplers would uncouple on such rough track so loggers used a form of link and pin couplers. For the link they used a 'rooster'...a long wooden pole with metal eyes at the ends. These allowed flexibility to follow the rough track. The coupler pockets on the Climax are a form of link & pin pocket, that allows the rooster to be coupled at different heights. Knuckle couplers could also be used, by using the coupling pin to attach the coupler shank to the draft gear. The knuckle coupler could also be mounted at any height, to allow for the height of the cars to which the loco was coupling. Knuckle couplers could also be fitted with a jaw that had a horizontal slot, and a vertical hole trough the jaw. This allowed a rooster to be placed in the slot and a coupling pin put in the hole to hold it in place. My local logger had woods operations that were 30-40 miles from the sawmill. They operated their log trains over the Seaboard Air Line to get from the woods to the mill. The log cars, while in the woods, were coupled together using roosters. When they came out of the woods the roosters were removed and the train was coupled using it's knuckle couplers, for the trip over the SAL. The logger had several ICC-certified locos and an ex-caboose, to use on the mainline trains. Bill

Interesting...can I ask what line, and where?

CL