Where can you get horn hook(x2f) couplers?

Stand by the model railway counter of your hobby shop and waylay the first person who buys Kadees. Don't expect them to pay you too much to take their collection of hornhooks away.

Get yourself a piece of very fine steel wire, and slide the coil spring over the wire. That way you can hold the wire in your hand and a light pressure of your index finger on the coil spring will retain it while you maneuver the spring where you want it. When the spring is in place you can slide the wire out. I got my 'Kadee coupler wire' from a Tyco snap-in uncoupler unit. Put some coloured tape around one end of the wire so the spring can't slide off that end and so you can find the wire again!

The Kadee spring pic might still be useful in conjunction with the wire

- I use a jeweller's screwdriver, the sort that costs $2- for 6 in a plastic box.

Regards, Greg.P.

I have loads of them. Even Model power ones. e-mail me off list - correct the replyto address by omitting the 'e' in it. [...]

I always used a piece of sewing thread. It's more flexible than a steel wire. It comes in colors you can find in the workbench litter, and when you do lose it you can cut another piece off the spool.

There's a specific Kadee set (not #5) that has the parts to insert the coupler into the talgo truck's coupler "pocket." It turns out, different manufacturers' talgo trucks have slightly different coupler pockets. The Kadee package includes instructions for most varieties; what to trim, etc. I destroyed at least two trucks before I got the hang of it.

They have a new coupler with wires that poke forward on either side, that center the coupler in lieu of the spring, but it's for dropping into a regular coupler pocket. I don't know if it will work on the talgo truck.

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The Kadee #21 - #29 couplers are intended for converting talgo mounted horn-hook couplers to knuckle couplers. The #28 uses the "standard" #5 coupler, the others are different lengths and/or overset/underet shanks.

Most of the old Tyco, Life-Like, and Model Power cars can be converted using the #5 with no problem. If you have a lot of them, I would suggest picking up a pack of #28's to get the instructions as, depending on the manufacturer, you may need to trim some of the coupler pocket moldings off. Once you have the instructions, a pack or two of #212 'Talgo Adaptors', and a #10 or #11 bulk pack of the #5 couplers and springs is all you really need. Although the #230 Adaptor Insertion Pci comes in handy if you're doing a lot of these.

If you don't want to mess with the bronze springs, the #148 'Whisker' couplers work just fine with the #212 talgo truck adaptors. But they aren't available in a bulk pack yet, so will cost a few more dollars to get the conversions done.

If you want to stick with horn-hook couplers, you can still get some from Walthers. The type with a small hole and a tab at the rear for the spring are available as a 4/pack from Life-Like, Walthers Mfg-P/N: 433-1410. If you need the Athearn type with the large hole and wrap-around spring Walthers has their own, Mfg-P/N: 933-995. Or you might still be able to get the Athearn #90601 horn-hooks from Horizon.

Len

UGH! again this is where I absolutily have to draw the line. I don't have the patience/eyesight to deal with a bazillion combinations of couplers/Draft gears. While I am sorta a model railroader who wants some realism. Given my eyesight.... I often have to make compromises.

Yes I did notice that on

the 100 piece large arbour couplers are very reasonable in price as well. Likewise I would want to get the lifelike truck packs too in the unfortunate case I need to reconvert a converted car from kadees to x2f couplers which had the talgo modification.

In answer to the question. In my garbage can, where they belong.

-- Cheers

Roger T.

Home of the Great Eastern Railway

I understand that someone is working on a scale sized horn hook coupler, delivery to be the first of next month.

Bill Dixon