# Hook and Loop to Kadee Conversion



## zephyra (Jan 2, 2008)

I seem to recall reading a forum entry descibing how to convert a European style hook and loop coupling to a knuckle coupler.

I have a collection of J&M Wagon Lit coaches. I like the authenticity of the hook and loop couplers but I find them difficult to attach and unrelaible in operation. (Today the coupling between coaches 1&2 failed on a 10 coach consist at a scale 70 MPH with the result that my live steam Aster 232 U1 took off like a scalded cat only to fly off the track at the next corner...)

I'd like to make as few changes to the J&Ms as possible so that I can go back to hook and coupler some time in the future. Any help much appreciated!


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Kadees are a great coupler............ but hook and loop are very reliable when a hook is installed on both ends of all cars. This gives a double hook. Many can give advice on Kadee conversion. The Kadee web site is very good, with conversion instructions. We keep a good supply at good prices.


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## George Schreyer (Jan 16, 2009)

Agreed, before you go to the expense of another kind of coupler, try the symmetrical approach, hooks AND loops at both ends. If that doesn't work out then try Kadee 

http://www.girr.org/girr/tips/tips2/kadee_tips.html


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## Dr Rivet (Jan 5, 2008)

I think the "hook and loop" refered to in this thread is NOT the old LGB coupler, but 1:32 scale European "screw couplings". At least that is what is on my J&M German coaches. Problem is you can't snug up to the buffers unless you have 18-20 foot radius curves. So the slack action with these relatively heavy cars will cause them to uncouple when they bunch together. I do have Kadees on several of my British cars for this reason. Alan Wright [Wrightway Rolling Stock] uses what I think are Kadee 1789s on his GWR stock. They work very well. The video clip in the thread on the latest IE&W meet this weekend includes a video clip shoing an Aster King George V pulling a rake of 17 of these cars. The first car, a Brake Composite has a 3 link chain for coupling to the Aster locos. I have found that the 3 link chain does not uncouple when slacked like the models of screw couplings do. 

Hope this helps. 

V/r 

Dr Rivet


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## zephyra (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By Dr Rivet on 05/17/2009 8:46 PM
I think the "hook and loop" refered to in this thread is NOT the old LGB coupler, but 1:32 scale European "screw couplings". At least that is what is on my J&M German coaches. Problem is you can't snug up to the buffers unless you have 18-20 foot radius curves. So the slack action with these relatively heavy cars will cause them to uncouple when they bunch together. I do have Kadees on several of my British cars for this reason. Alan Wright [Wrightway Rolling Stock] uses what I think are Kadee 1789s on his GWR stock. They work very well. The video clip in the thread on the latest IE&W meet this weekend includes a video clip shoing an Aster King George V pulling a rake of 17 of these cars. The first car, a Brake Composite has a 3 link chain for coupling to the Aster locos. I have found that the 3 link chain does not uncouple when slacked like the models of screw couplings do. 

Hope this helps. 

V/r 

Dr Rivet


This helps - thanks.

The couplings are the 1:32 scale screw couplings. I've looked more closely at what caused the failure this PM - the coupling actually pulled out of the coach. The fitting is fairly simple - a square rod with the hook on one end passes through a square hole in the sill. On the other side there is a spring that is held in place by a split pin - all the load comes onto this split pin which distorted and simply pulled through the hole leaving the coupling snugly attached to the coach behind. I looked at all the other J&M coaches I have and this is the arrangement for all of them - clearly some sort of washer is required to spread the load.


Robert


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## zephyra (Jan 2, 2008)

I've started fitting kadee 1779 sill mounted couplers - they seem to work well although they leave the cars a little too far apart for realism. Good news is that by removing the dummy steam pipes from the J&M coaches, I can fit these without making any changes and using existing holes.

Robert


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