# Couplers for Accucraft - stock or Kadee?



## cfra7 (Jan 2, 2008)

Hi,

I now have 5 Accucraft J&S coaches. Do I keep the factory Accucraft couplers or do I change for Kadee or some other brand? Up until this point I have only used hook and loop as I'm a function over form kind of guy.

Thanks

Ed


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## steam5 (Jun 22, 2008)

Ed, 

Accucraft and Kadee couplers will mate okay. You could purchase some Kadee couplers and give them a go, see what you like. There is no right or wrong answer, both are nice couplers. 

Alan


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

I leave my accucraft where they are and add Kadees to all other cars.

Chuck


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

The couplers that come with ALL AMS narrow gauge rolling stock is to the exact scale of the 1:1. As I understand it, they were designed by Master Model Maker George Konrad FOR Accucraft. He once told me he measured directly from actual D&RGW NG couplers! The D&RGW used standard gauge couplers on their NG rolling stock and engines. The Janney coupler. Accucraft couplers are all I use on my stuff.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

Agreed, either will work very well, and work very well with each other. I use the #1 scale Kadees and the 1:32 Accucraft couplers on all my stuff. (The EBT, and a number of other narrow gauge lines--particularly in the NE and upper Midwest--used a 3/4-sized coupler for which the #1 scale couplers scale well. A bit of serendipity from the scale mishmash that is large scale.) 

Later, 

K


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

The Accucraft 1:20.3 couplers may look large compared to other couplers, but the D&RGW used standard gauge couplers on its narrow gauge rolling stock and engines. If you want scale fidelity, stick with the Accucraft.

Chuck 


I don't know why they use full sized couplers on the NG, when most NG RRs used 3/4 sized ones. I have two guesses: first, with the grades and curves in the mountains and canyons they wanted extra strength, or second, it is easier to make one size fits all rather than keeping two sizes in stock.


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## rdamurphy (Jan 3, 2008)

Dual gauge. The Grande often switched both narrow and standard gauge cars together on the same track. 

Robert


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Yeah but they used idler cars to compensate for off set positioning as they only used a third rail instead of 2 in between...


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

John:

Thanks for your comment. I was about to add something when your comment came in. There was no way the SG and NG couplers would ever meet up.


Chuck 


OK I was wrong. The one place where the SG and NG couplers would meet is on the dual gauge "why" ( how the "he double toothpicks" is a reversing why spelled (I know why is wrong, but all my books are 2000 miles away)? There it necessary to switch the NG from one outside rail to another, but that lasted for only a few feet.


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## East Broad Top (Dec 29, 2007)

"Wye." (Because we like you.)  

There's always going to be a height difference between standard and narrow gauge couplers, because the wheels are so different in diameter. (Typically, the coupler centerline is equal to the diameter of the "standard" freight wheel.) Here's a photo of a "boney" dump car the EBT used to dump mine waste: 









This shows the height difference between standard/narrow gauge, the lateral offset, as well as the size difference between a standard and 3/4-sized coupler. 

I really don't have a good reason why some NG lines went with the standard-sized couplers. You've got railroads like the EBT that did run dual-gauge track but used 3/4-sized couplers on their NG stuff. Then you've got lines like the White Pass and the Uintah which are mostly insular from the SG world, but used the full-sized couplers. The uneven track argument has merit, but narrow gauge track is pretty univerally dubious. The strenght issue is probably the most plausible explanation, but lots of railroads pulled perfectly heavy trains with small couplers, and lots of small trains used the large ones. There are as many exceptions as there are rules to this one... 

Later, 

K


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## chuck n (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks Kevin!! 

I know "why" wasn't correct for "wye", but I couldn't figure out whye.

Must have been a senior moment.


Chuck


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