N Scale Rapido couplers wanted.

Hi all, has anyone out there got a stack of N scale Rapido (standard) couplers they would like to sell at a not to high price?

I need 50 -100+

Regards, Greg.P. New Zealand.

Reply to
Gregory Procter
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Greg, it might not be that simple... There are dozens of different brands and configurations. True, the coupling end is all the same (Rapido) but the back ends are all different. Some are t-shanks, some are pivoted. Some are offset, some straight. On some the T-shank is thicker than on others. Some have long, some short shank... You get the picture.

I have a variety accumulated over the years, and you would be surprised by the range.

Unless of course you need them for purposes other than car coupling...

Peteski

Reply to
Peter W.

I have a sideline hobby of building British models in HO rather than the usual British scale of OO (1:76.2) The goods wagons are very small and my usual NEM couplers looked terrible on them, rather like a trolley for carrying two huge couplers, ;-) Kadees don't look great either and their height clashes with the frame/buffer beam.

My final solution is to mount a Rapido coupler head on a phosphor bronze wire mounted near the middle of the wagon so that the wire is gently sprung against the underside of the buffer beam with the coupler head extending beyond the buffers. Uncoupling is by soft iron 3 link chain hanging from the wire at the buffer beam. A between the rails magnet will pull one coupler down. The final bonus is that this mounting will directly couple with European NEM couplers as if I had planned it that way. I trim off the mounting end of the Rapido coupling and drill a suitable sized hole in the shank for the p/b wire, so it really doesn't matter what that end is like. :-)

Regards, Greg.P.

Reply to
Gregory Procter

British scale of

terrible on them,

mounted near the

the buffer beam

3 link chain

one coupler

couplers as if I

hole in the shank

Quite an interesting solution ! Simple and robust design ! I like it ! Let me dig through my stash and see what I can send you. I'll contact you off-line. Peteski

Reply to
Peter W.

usual British scale of

terrible on them,

wire mounted near the

of the buffer beam

iron 3 link chain

pull one coupler

couplers as if I

sized hole in the shank

I like simple and robust so long as it doesn't look offensive. :-)

Great!

Reply to
Gregory Procter

Salvé

usual British scale of

looked terrible on them,

wire mounted near the

underside of the buffer beam

iron 3 link chain

pull one coupler

NEM couplers as if I

sized hole in the shank

Dear Greg, Why arent you using the alex jackson coupling which is all but invisible and commercially available ? oh yes it magnetic too... :) Beowulf

Reply to
Beowulf

I did look at the Alex Jackson coupling first and it would have been my preference except for a number of factors:

- I'm using tight radii on my layout in the hidden sidings. This would require the couplings to be extended which introduces a lot of 'slop' between wagons.

- I'm using assorted wheel profiles on my layout so I can't tighten up the 1mm of free movement between flanges and rails of NMRA RP25 wheels.

- there is no provision for buffing with the AJ coupling. With the tight radii and sideways movement of my wheel/rail standards I certainly can't rely on the wagon buffers.

- AJ won't couple with NEM couplers. I could have modified the AJ to include buffing, but the increased side movement would have required an extended hook, which automatically increases the free play between wagons at a ratio of about 2:1. To add compatibility with NEM couplers would have added yet another wire and the result was starting to look like a rampant TV antenna!

Regards, Greg.P.

Reply to
Gregory Procter

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