We have a set at the base of the Tree, that time of year.
The track is secure, engine and cars are athearn with the stock couplers.
When the engine enters the corner it uncouples from the cars. The engine is a U30C, cars are of different types, short and long. Couplers are all body mounted, not on the trucks. This is driving me nuts, any suggestions.
Thanks for the help.
Brad
Brad wrote: We have a set at the base of the Tree, that time of year. The track is secure, engine and cars are athearn with the stock couplers. When the engine enters the corner it uncouples from the cars. The engine is a U30C, cars are of different types, short and long. Couplers are all body mounted, not on the trucks. This is driving me nuts, any suggestions.
---------------------------------------------------- Possibly the track radius isn't large enough for the body mounted couplers. Try using the shortest car behind the locomotive. That sometimes helps.
Bill Bill's Railroad Empire N Scale Model Railroad:
"> We have a set at the base of the Tree, that time of year. "> "> The track is secure, engine and cars are athearn with the stock "> couplers. "> "> When the engine enters the corner it uncouples from the cars. The "> engine is a U30C, cars are of different types, short and long. "> Couplers are all body mounted, not on the trucks. "> This is driving me nuts, any suggestions.
How 'tight' is the radius? A U30C is a big 6-wheel loco and is likely NOT to be very happy with a really tight radius... If you have something like and 18" radius, which 3 feet across, a likely radius for under a tree, you should be running a short B-B (four wheel diesel, such as a SW-1) loco and short (40' to 50') cars.
"> "> Thanks for the help. "> "> Brad "> ">
\/ Robert Heller ||InterNet: snipped-for-privacy@cs.umass.edu
Brad, As others have mentioned a tight radius may be the problem. Short (40') cars might help. Truck mounted couplers on your cars would help though that's not very desirable. Another thing to consider is the couplers themselves. I bought a Bachmann On30 set a few years back to run under the tree. They came with Bachmann EZ-Mate HO couplers. I found out that the EZ-Mates gave out quickly and let cars loose. Switching to Kadee couplers solved the problem completely. Bruce
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Try these coupler instead of buying expensive one.
Pepe
Check the track alignment. Any real vertical change in the track can make couplers that aren't fully mated (both the same height) can and do uncouple when a hump or valley is crossed on the track. Check to see that the couplers mate to each other at the same height on a piece of track and you may have to adjust the couplers so that they mate properly and that may call for putting some washers under the bolsters of some cars or other such things. Good luck and have a merry Christmas!
-- Why isn't there an Ozone Hole at the NORTH Pole?
Thanks for all the posts.
I will try shorter cars as the radius is tight. I have checked the track and it is all aligned. Couplers although cheap are working properly.
Brad
John Zel> Could be a weak coupler spring that is opening on the curve. Use only
height on a
bolsters of
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