Recommended Couplers?

Ever seen a jeweler's apron? It's simply a piece of cloth that fastens along the lower front edge of your workbench. When you sit down to work you just lift the loose edge of the apron and drape it across your lap.

That way when a tiny irreplaceable part dashes off the workbench towards the floor it generally falls onto the apron and can be easily retrieved.

I think Micro-mark actually sells them.

~Pete

I've eliminated losing small pieces by simply doing the assembly inside a clear garbage or recycling bag. When the part drops or in the case of a spring goes flying off, it can travel no further than the confines of the bag's interior. Much fewer headaches using this approach.

How long can you hold your breath?

LOL! Not long enough, I'm afraid. :^)

Some 40 years ago I bought a Kadee tool for inserting knuckle springs. Still have it. It consists of a holder with thin rod which has a slightly flattened knob at the end. Slip this knob into an end coil of the spring and insert. Hold a finger on the installed spring and remove the tool.

Doesn't Kadee still sell this item? I am heavy into tinplate and haven't kept pace with Kadee H0 products.

Of course???? What kind of HO trains have you been buying? Most now come with knuckle couplers, horn-hooks are disappearing. Only the cheapest train sets still come with them.

Unclear. Do you mean when coupling? No couplers couple well on tight curves (real railroads have the same problem, by the way). If you are using long cars on train set curves, you are asking for trouble, no matter what kind of coupler you use. Same if you are mixing truck-mounted and body-mounted couplers. Same if you are mixing long and short cars/engines. Etc.

If they keep coming apart, observe and record. If they keep coming apart at the same spot every time, then the track work is a large part (or all) of the problem. If the same cars keep failing, then it's the couple mounting height, and/or the trucks. Etc.

Here's some very basic advice: a) make sure all couplers are the same height above the rail, and that no uncoupling pins extend below the rail. b) make sure the track work is as near perfect as you can get it - no wiggles, humps or dips, all curves smooth, etc. c) if you must use horn-hook, standardise on one brand -- the different brands of horn-hook do not mix well. d) make sure all trucks track straight remove them from the cars to test this.)

Reliability costs money and time, so bite the bullet, and invest both. I _strongly_ recommend knuckle couplers, any brand with metal knuckle springs will do nicely. I also recommend better built models - the cheap ones aren't worth the cost savings, when you factor in the inevitable repairs and improvements required to make them run properly.

HTH

#5 works in most cases. For the others check out:

You also need a Kadee coupler height gauge, and their trip pin tool (used to bend the trip pin so that it clears the gauge at the correct height.)

It also helps to have on hand extra coupler pockets, a supply of 2-56 machine screws or #2 wood screws (1/4", 5/16", and 3/8"), and a supply of those plastic bag closure thingies to shim the coupler boxes to the correct height. A sprue cutter tool works well for cutting the shim pieces to size. A B5 or B6 pencil (available in art supply stores or good stationeries) is good too. Graphite is a lubricant, and it's easier to apply with a pencil.

Have fun!

PS: McHenry is a good brand, too, get the kind with metal knuckle springs.

Ever seen a jeweler's apron? It's simply a piece of cloth that fastens along the lower front edge of your workbench. When you sit down to work you just lift the loose edge of the apron and drape it across your lap.

That way when a tiny irreplaceable part dashes off the workbench towards the floor it generally falls onto the apron and can be easily retrieved.

I think Micro-mark actually sells them.

~Pete

I tried the apron once. Damn near pulled the workbench over when I stood up.

Brian Smith wrote in news:gcq41l$126$1 @news.datemas.de:

You can be either red in the face from losing the part or blue in the face from suffication. :-)

Puckdropper

U-uh-uh-uh-uh-uh-uggggg-leeeeeee!

Your track is 'pretty good!!!!' Yeah, right!!! Get yourself a 'mirror' [womens purse mirror for checking makeup. Small

3" x 5" or so, no frame.] Set the mirror 'edge on the track, tip slightly so that your 'sight line' is 'down the track' --- You will be amazed at the humps, dips, wiggles, bad track joints, etc.

Chuck D.

"Charles Davis"

Realistic track. :-)

Actually, I don't take that much care on sidings, spurs and yard tracks. I leave the humps, dips, wiggles, bad track joints, etc., except, of course, any that may cause problems.

-- Cheers Roger T. See the GER at: -

: >

: > I have found that an Xacto knife helps with putting a knuckle spring : > in place. : >

: >

: : I've used that and a flat screwdriver. With either tool, it seems the : process that works best is to place the spring in one prong and compress : the spring to fit on the other. If you're lucky, you get it done on the : first try... : : Usually I wind up having the spring shoot out and get lost on the floor. I : can usually find it once, but not a second time. So I get another knuckle : spring and try again. It only takes 5-6 tries now... : : Puckdropper : --

Run a 4" - 6" piece of thread down the length of the spring and hold the two ends in one hand while installing it. If it pops out of place, it goes nowhere. Once in place just slide the thread out.

Len

Amen! Look at almost any photo of prototype industrial trackage.

If you look, you then have the chance to determine what is actually causing a problem. If you never look, well !!!!!!!

Chuck D.

I don't. I only take really good care of the mainline. The rest, I just lay down the ties, by hand, without a jig, let the glue dry, spike down the rail the next day using a gauge and then weather it. Then I ballast. I don't even sand the tops of the ties, just spike down the rail as is, where it falls.

You can check out how my track looks in my sig.

-- Cheers Roger T. See the GER at: -

Yup. For many years the Santa Fe spur line into Redlands CA featured not only dips and wiggles but also had circa 1/2" deep scallops left behind by the steam switchers that had slipped their drivers while trying to start a load of heavy reefers up the grade from an orange packing house.

Always thought it would be fun to add that detail to the track on an appropriate spur and then wait and see if anyone noticed...

A Dremel tool with a sanding drum would be just the ticket!

~Pete

The dozens of different kinds are different mounting designs for some of the really stupid manufacturing designs that are on some of the equipement that has beeen built in the past. As others have said, the #5 will usually do in most cases. Go to the Kadee site listed elsewhere in this thread for what exact number is required for any particular car or locomotive. If you're running only short trains, you may also want to consider some of the Kadee compatible couplers like the McHenry ones for their lower price. Please note that they will be fitting only the more common coupler pockets tho. They will mix well with the Kadees for those difficult to fit cases. I will also note here as has been noted by others, the couplers need to be properly mounted at the right height (they all need to be the same height amongst your equipment more than some exact number) so a "standard" coupler on a block of wood is a good thing to have to measure how high the couplers that you put on are to the track level. In addition, the track needs to be properly laid. Joints need to be smooth and no sudden changes in height are allowed or the couplers will indeed raise up and uncouple from each other - no more track sitting under the Christmas Tree! The best judge for trackwork is to take a long car and see what the couplers do as the car goes down the track. Anyplace that the height changes is a place of trouble which needs to be fixed.

-- Bob May

rmay at nethere.com http: slash /nav.to slash bobmay http: slash /bobmay dot astronomy.net

wayne wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@2g2000hsn.googlegroups.com... On Oct 10, 1:56 pm, Puckdropper wrote:

innews: snipped-for-privacy@fastmail.fm:

Ok, I'm convinced. Kadee is the only way to go. However, there seem to be dozens of different kinds of Kadee couplers! More advice is needed please. What kind do I want?

Wayne

Hi Roger; The assortment of pics, doesn't include any 'down the track at rail height' shots. But the overall appearance looks good. The mirror trick is just something to keep in mind for the occasional "Can't figure out what's the problem" situation.

Chuck D.