What are the most Popular Kadee couplers you use

I am now using the KaDee 58. I am also looking at the new 'whisker' coupler.

started a new

what ones to

At the store where my repair shop is located they carry almost the entire line of HO Kadee couplers. These are the things that get reorder most often.

Couplers:

3 - Assembled #5 in it's coupler box 5 - Medium shank/centerset coupler

10 - 10 pair bulk pack of #5 & centering spring, no draft gear

12 - 20 pair bulk pack of #58 scale couplers & centering springs, no draft gear

20 - 20 pair bulk pack of #5 & centering spring, no draft gear

28 - Basically #5's with Talgo adaptors (Most folks only need 1 pack for the instructions. After that they use #10 or #20 bulk backs and #212 adaptors.)

37 - Medium/under set shank w/small draft gear box. Needed for some locos.

38 - Medium/centerset shank w/small draft gear box.

58 - "Scale" medium shank/centerset coupler

78 - Assembled #58 ("Scale" equivelant to #3)

148 - All metal "Whisker" coupler (self centering)

158 = "Scale" version of #148

Uncouplers:

308 - Under track uncoupler (EZ-Track users glue it to the bottom of the plastic roadbed)

312 - Non-delayed uncoupler (Between the rails)

321 - Delayed uncoupler (Between the rails)

334 - HO uncoupler glueing jig.

Tools:

205 - HO Coupler height gage

230 - Insertion tool for Talgo adaptors (Handy if you're doing a bunch)

237 - Coupler trip pin pliers

241 - "Dual Tool" Manual uncoupling tool & Spring Pic

Misc:

208 - Red washer 0.015" thick

209 - Gray washer 0.010" thick

256 - Acetal Plastic Screws 2-56 x 1/2"

212 - Talgo truck adaptors (12/pk) (For converting old Tyco, etc.,)

622 - HO Knuckle springs

634 - Centering springs for #5 style shank ends (#3/5/9/58/20 &

40 series/118)

Like I said, they actually carry much more, but these items are on the "Weekly Reorder List".

Len

Aceantman-Anthony wrote:

The first extra coupler to stock might be the #58, a new coupler intended to replace to #5 but look better. The #58's are closer to scale size (the #5's are oversize) and the more advanced modelers will buy them in preference to the #5's if they can get them. On the other hand, a customer wanting a #58 may well buy the #5 if the #58 is unavailable. The good old #5 Kadee fits just about all freight cars, which is the bulk of the rolling stock on most layouts. With determination, a modeler can fit a #5 to anything. However, for locomotives and passenger cars, something from the 20 series, or the 30 series, or the

40 series may fit better with less work. Kadee publishes a "HO scale Coupler Convertion List" in the big Walther's book and online. Experienced modelers check this list before buying couplers for anything except the most common of freight cars. Any demand for 20, 30, or 40 series couplers will come from modelers who have read the conversion list. To do it right, and make all your customers happy, you really want to stock the entire line, which is 26 different couplers. If that seems like too damn much inventory, you might compromise and stock #37's and # 38's 'cause they seem to be the most common recommendation after the good old #5. Or, perhaps order a "coupler sample kit" which has one package of each type. You could retail the single coupler the customer needs at the time and then order a small quantity of replacements to keep the kit full for the next customer. Or sell the entire kit for $24 to anyone wanting something or exotic than the #5. The # 5 coupler comes in envelopes containing two pair of couplers and the coupler boxes to mount them to the rolling stock. Most modelers don't need the coupler boxes, and will be happy to buy 10 packs or 20 packs of just the couplers and springs, no coupler boxes. Then I would stock replacement knuckle springs 'cause they are forever getting loose and zipping off to the netherworld. And some #380-212 Talgo truck adapters for the customers converting train set rolling stock to Kadees. Then you could stock the Kadee coupler height gage. Every modeler ought to have one, 'cause you get random uncoupling if the couplers on all cars are not all at the same height. A lot of cars will have couplers at the wrong height. All the Athearn blue box cars will have low couplers and they will need a washer under each truck to come out right. You might consider stocking Kadee fiber washers, but if you don't, ordinary #6 flat washers from the hardware store work fine. Most modeler's prefer the Kadee coupler to the clones from Bachmann and McHenry. So unless you can offer the clones for substantially less money than "the real thing" from Kadee, you probably won't sell many.

David Starr

For a different point of view, I use mostly #820 and a few #821. These are gauge 1 size. If you have any large scaler customers, they might want these.

#58 (by far), #36.

I use #58 Kadee couplers.