# coupler help



## caferacer (Jul 22, 2010)

Hi my question is as I am really new at this and my long term plan is to run long trains with lots of cars from most of the suppliers and some scatch build ones what couplers should I start out with from the very start, i see kaydee are highly rated,without getting into a slinging match what is the best for some one like me starting out from day one that is secure and looks the part and will do the best job. 
Looking for the best system I can buy as I plan to run a lot of climbs both up and down hill and a heck of a lot of long sweeping curves caferacer.


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## W3NZL (Jan 2, 2008)

I see a large order of K-Ds in Ur future my friend, U'll not likely do any better...
Paul R...


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

You haven't said what scale you are going to be running: Colorado narrow gauge (1:20.3), standard gauge (1:29, not quite correct), standard gauge (1:32 correct) or one of the other scales that we use.

Kadees work very well. I use a mixture of Kadee, Accucraft, and USAT knuckle couplers. Accucraft and USAT have lift pins that make uncoupling a little easier. Accucraft has 1:20.3 and 1:32 sccale couplers. They are very nice looking and strong. I do not run any 1:32 scale trains, but I run the other common scales: 1:20.3, 1:22.5, 1:24, and 1:29.


Kadee "G" couplers will mate well with Accucraft and USAT couplers. Aristocraft couplers do not automatically couple with the other brands. 


Chuck N


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## Jerrys RR (Jun 28, 2010)

Posted By caferacer on 26 Jul 2010 01:24 AM 
looks the part and will do the best job.

Looking for the best system I can buy as I plan to run a lot of climbs both up and down hill and a heck of a lot of long sweeping curves caferacer.


The quick, easy and inexpensive solution would be to start with the hook and loop couplers that come free with almost everything and then sort out what you eventually want to move to. You might discover that you end up having to choose between "looks the part" (small knuckle couplers like Kadee) or that "climbs both up and down hill" which is where the small knuckle couplers tend to uncouple where hook and loops excel.

Another issue is inter-compatibility. The couplers that tend to be the most compatible between brands tend to be disproportionately large like LGB knuckle couplers. Nothing matches between brands as well as (the free) hook and loops.

Perhaps you are in too big a hurry to decide something that may cost a lot of money and just might not turn out the best solution after your layout is completed.

Jerry


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## Greg Elmassian (Jan 3, 2008)

Long trains from many manufacturers means no matter what choice you would have to change couplers on part of the cars. 

Go Kadee.... since you say long trains, you must be in 1:29. 

The Kadees have the best flexibility to do the job in terms of cost, availability, reliability, ability to work on many different manufacturer's equipment, and they also give the benefit of remote and delayed uncoupling. 

I think this is a good decision to make up front. By the way, many people sell the "old" couplers they remove to minimize cost. 

Regards, Greg


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Likewise, I'll recommend Kadees for your purposes. I'm probably going to be in the minority, though, when I tell you to go with the #1-scale couplers instead of the larger G-scale couplers that many people use. They look a lot more realistic with the 1:29 and 1:32 equipment, and work just as well. I've been using them for 25 years and have never had a bit of trouble with them. Proponents of the larger couplers will tell you they're far more forgiving of bad trackwork, which is completely accurate. My recommendation is to build your track right in the first place. If your track is uneven to the point where a #1 scale coupler won't stay connected, you've got bigger issues than just uncoupling trains. I've run my trains over some pretty dubious trackwork over the years (mostly in the form of temporary display railroads built on mulch roadbed), and only very, very rarely have I found it uneven enough to actually cause the train to become uncoupled. (A bit of mulch to fix the dip or bump, and all was good on the next pass.) 

Two imperative keys to success with Kadees (of any size) 

1) Make sure everything's mounted to the same height. Not "pretty close," but within 1/32" up or down from your standard at the absolute most. 
2) Make sure the mounts are robust and sturdy. Body mounts are ideal. Truck mounts introduce something commonly referred to as "tongue droop," which is where the weight of the train bends the arm on which the coupler is mounted up or down, causing it to potentially slide up and over the next car, uncoupling. In some rare cases, truck (or at least arm) mounted couplers are inevitable, but unless you're running on tight radius curves (at which point I'd recommend against very long trains), you should be fine with body mounts. 

Having said that, I've been slowly transitioning over to the Accucraft 1:32 knuckle couplers on my railroad. They use the same "standard" draft gear box as the Kadee #1 scale coupler, so they're a drop-in replacement for most of my cars (and are fully compatible with the Kadee couplers, too.) Also, they operate prototypically with cut levers, which is something I particularly like about them. That means that if I want to use that functionality, I've got to _install_ cut levers on the cars that don't have them. They've proven to be equally reliable as the Kadees except that my track runs through some typically overgrown fields of thyme, whose tendrils very occasionally snag on the cut levers, pulling them and uncoupling the train. 

Later, 

K


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## caferacer (Jul 22, 2010)

Thank you for your input most of mine will be 1/29 scale and a few 1/32 scale like the Bigboys plan to run a couple of them and some 2-6-6-6 H8 and 2-10-2 ,will make sure the heights are correct as I would like to run some long trains in my railroad all my curves are large radius 14 foot plus with a 1.5 to 100 grade built in . 
My 1.20.3 will run on its own line and is not connected to the main lines at all. 
Track wise as this is all indoors i have purchased a laser liner to get the track bang on from the first laying of the railroad track to curves banking of curves etc so hope to do it right first time track will be laid on plywood runners which will be glued and nailed down to the frame work then land scaped to suit and ballasted to scale. 
Would like to run double headers and a triple header long train even worked in full accessability to the whole of my railroad with a 3 foot access all round the railroad should I have to repair things down the road caferacer.


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## aceinspp (Jan 2, 2008)

The only thing I see to stay away from in your track work is trying to add elevation to the curves. Not necessary and also if not done correctly can cause more problems that what its worth. Impropely layed spirals will tend to cause your longer cars and large diesels to derail as they are more ridged. Actually it can be considered a x-level problem if not done right. Later RJD


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